Tune in on Monday, August 7th @ 6:45PM to catch DJ Dokkaebi’s conversation with 악단광칠 (Ak-Dan Gwang-Chil) or ADG7. Dokkaebi sat down with three members of the nine-piece traditional Korean folk funk pop band to discuss the beginnings of their unique sound, historical background on the origins of Korean shamanistic ritual music and folk music, their music making process, and where they’re planning on taking their music.
악단광칠 (ADG7) is a multi award winning group that was organized in 2015, with three powerhouse female folk singers and 6 musicians who play traditional Korean instruments. Each musician has their own unique sound which meshes fantastically with the soaring folk vocals of the three singers. ADG7’s sound is a fusion of Korean traditional music, specifically shamanic ritual music (굿 or gut) and beloved folk songs (민요 or minyo), with modern pop and funk sounds. This unique fusion is stunningly presented in their performances, with choreographed dance and bright costumes in tandem with the spiritual blessings and positivity present in Korean folk music as a genre.
No other group is reapproaching traditional Korean folk music quite like ADG7 is, and certainly not with the same unique charisma, humor, and fervor. The electric joy that 악단광칠 brings to their music and to the stage is not only a means of keeping Korean traditional folk music alive, but also a reclamation and reimagination of shared Korean cultural roots– a call for liberation, reunification, and to find power within the joy in music.
Rent Romus is a saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, music producer, community activist, and 2023 Emmy award winning performing artist. Since 1988, his work on the saxophone has been dubbed “ferocious” by the San Francisco Weekly and “central to the creative music world of the West Coast” by writer Frank Rubolino.