[FINDING THE SCENE 5] Remembering 9 of Hongdae's formative dwell music venues

By Jon Dunbar

That is the fifth half in a collection supposed to boost consciousness of Korea’s elusive dwell music scene and assist extra folks discover it.

Youthful folks may be shocked these days to listen to that the world in entrance of western Seoul’s Hongik College, referred to as Hongdae, was as soon as floor zero for all the nation’s dwell music scene and impartial tradition spirit. It was once the place to get away from Ok-pop’s omnipresent sensory overload.

The world turned a subcultural hotbed someday across the early Nineteen Nineties, and within the latter half of the last decade, it was bursting on the seams with the (then-still-youthful) vitality of dwell music. There are nonetheless folks round who bear in mind these early days, and whereas they’ve grown previous, a few of them nonetheless have not grown up.

There are quite a lot of unhappy tales across the rise and fall of dwell music venues in Hongdae, however let’s face it, it is not likely a enterprise that churns out success tales.

9. Spangle

Ever discover Taeyeong Condominium, the most important condo complicated within the Hongdae space? Earlier than redevelopment, that spot used to have quite a lot of tradition. That is the place Spangle opened its doorways in 1996, changing an earlier music bar referred to as Double Deuce. Spangle was the home venue for among the well-known first-generation fashionable rock bands, together with Huckleberry Finn, Cocore, Deli Spice and My Aunt Mary.

In accordance with one web site, the legendary British guitarist Bernard Butler apparently confirmed up there in July 1999 throughout a cease on his technique to Japan to play on the Fuji Rock Competition. After dropping a guess in a card sport, he agreed to carry out there the subsequent day. Information unfold quick, and by dawn, folks had been already lining up outdoors the venue.

Spangle closed in 2000 and has been changed with the high-rise condo complicated.

8. Skunk Hell

The primary punk membership of the Nineteen Nineties was Membership Drug, however because it more and more closed its doorways to new acts, one other venue was wanted. The decision was answered by Received Jong-hee of the road punk band Rux, who opened Skunk Stay Corridor on the fallacious aspect of the tracks (actually) in Nogosan-dong, close to the Sinchon neighborhood. Varied tales abound concerning how the title was modified to Skunk Hell.

This tiny place was accessed by way of a slim alley resulting in basement stairs in the back of a constructing. It was “near the dimensions of a good-sized lounge,” in line with an American highschool pupil who ran away from his house in Yongsan Garrison in 2002 and lived there for some time.

Graffiti from that period nonetheless marked the alley entrance till it was eliminated only some years in the past. Skunk closed someday earlier than January 2004, when it moved into its second location, the previous website of Membership Drug in Sangsu-dong, now Bender. Skunk now exists in its fourth location in Sindang-dong.

7. Blue Satan

Not a lot details about Blue Satan appears to have survived to at the present time. I do not even know the place it was positioned, though it seems the constructing remains to be standing — with no traces remaining of its cultural significance.

It was operated by Lee Hyun-sook, who was thinking about psychedelic and avant-garde music. This venue found and incubated bands the likes of Jaurim, Ppippi Band and U&ME Blue. Its legacy carried on in two kinds, one being Jaurim which remains to be lively and famend to at the present time, and likewise…

6. DGBD

There was a little bit of a sport of musical chairs across the finish of 2003 within the Hongdae music scene. Membership Drug, essentially the most legendary venue of the world, exited the unique Sangsu location and teamed up with Blue Satan, creating a brand new venue in a brand new location. This was to be referred to as DGBD, an anagram of their names caught collectively, and clearly supposed to be paying homage to the New York punk membership CGBG.

DGBD was superior to Drug, no less than as a facility (no offense to the unique Drug house, which has been fastened up extremely nicely and is now referred to as Bender). The ceiling was further excessive, with a catwalk and sound sales space across the higher degree, and it had an emergency exit and a licensed bar.

After opening in 2004, DGBD survived all the way in which into the pandemic, closing someday in late 2020. A brand new enterprise moved in, and now the house is as soon as once more empty, presumably flooded.

5. Membership Ta

Membership Ta was an underrated venue. Positioned in a basement subsequent door to the louder Membership FF, it was owned by Jeon Sang-kyu of the band YNot?

Membership Ta opened in Could 2006 and closed its doorways a decade later in 2016, when the month-to-month hire reportedly doubled from 3.5 million gained to 7 million gained. The house was then gutted and seems to have remained unoccupied ever since. So… congratulations to that landlord?

4. Yogiga

One other barren basement, Yogiga, was opened by Lee Han-joo round 2004. Lee, the founding father of the Bulgasari month-to-month experimental music live performance collection, turned the place right into a landmark for a novel nook of Hongdae’s music scene.

Yogiga has truly appeared in seven totally different areas over its life, beginning with Seogyo-dong close to Hongik College Station for the primary yr. Then, it moved to its best-known location in Hapjeong-dong. Later, it bounced round to Mangwon-dong in 2016, Yeonnam-dong in 2017 and Donggyo-dong in 2018. It is a traditional instance of a Hongdae gentrification refugee relocating to the rim of the area known as “Hongdae” whereas being pursued by gentrification forces and pushed additional away from the middle.

Lee talked about a seventh location has since opened in southern Seoul’s Sillim-dong, as soon as once more giving Bulgasari a house.

3. Salon Badabie

I’ve heat recollections of Badabie, and it might be as a result of warm-feeling, wood-lined inside. It was opened in December 2004 by a poet who glided by the penname Ujungdokbohaeng. Badabie had a bit extra of an open-door coverage than different golf equipment and wasn’t pigeonholed by style; one week you could possibly see acoustic folks, and the subsequent week there could possibly be crust punk.

Round 2011, the proprietor, who was already battling hire, underwent mind surgical procedure for most cancers. The musicians of Hongdae, together with many who had acquired their begin on this hallowed basement venue, banded collectively to avoid wasting Badabie and its proprietor with an 11-day pageant titled “Badabie By no means Die.” The proceeds had been used to pay hire, and Badabie’s proprietor survived the surgical procedure. The venue stayed open for a couple of extra years, till no less than 2014, earlier than inevitably closing.

2. Membership Spot

Membership Spot opened in December 2005, looking for its area of interest within the swiftly saturating Hongdae punk venue subject. A method it discovered this was by holding exhibits later, beginning after different exhibits ended (Hongdae exhibits was once infamous for beginning and ending early). It additionally supplied free cocktail hours, I consider from 11 p.m. to midnight, however for some most likely apparent cause, my reminiscence of that is extremely hazy.

Though it may be most simply characterised as pop-punk, it was not beholden to anybody faction of the more and more splintering punk and hardcore scene. Its unique founder moved on to the a lot bigger Membership Prism, earlier than opening Danginri Theater, Newsboy Burger Pub and now most not too long ago Highball Membership Nakasu.

After nearly a decade, Membership Spot closed in 2014, with its last present on Halloween weekend. A music video was made that evening displaying most if not all the folks in attendance.

The house has since been transformed right into a Ok-pop coin noraebang.

1. Hippytokki

That is the newest closure, and due to that perhaps nonetheless essentially the most painful. This basement house had gone by a number of title modifications, earlier than turning into Goinmool after which Hippytokki. It introduced slightly momentum to Hongdae’s dwell scene, particularly punk, in the course of the troublesome days of the pandemic. As soon as the sunshine on the different finish of the tunnel was seen, it closed. The place had a heat, colourful, inviting inside, and no less than by pandemic restrictions it supplied quite a lot of seating. I additionally appreciated its location, close to the subway station and some doorways down from Unusual Fruit, a less-crowded a part of the neighborhood.

It could be gone, however it’s survived by the Hippytokki Compilation Venture, which remains to be listenable on-line, together with a few different albums, at hippytokki.bandcamp.com.