A little over two weeks ago, I reviewed Urbanalog's "Journey In Blue" album, and contact was made shortly afterwards. Now I'm pleased to bring you an extended inteview with the duo, in which they discuss their origins, their style, and what their idol preferences are. Hope you enjoy it! === allkpop: Tell us a little bit about yourselves - who are you, where are you from, and how did you guys meet? Sanpe: Hello, I'm Sanpe of Urbanalog. I was born and raised in Seoul. I'm currently doing work and music at the same time, and I got to meet Capstone through HAJA center, where amateur musicians went to learn and make music. Thinking about it now, it's already been 6 years since then. Capstone: Hello, I'm Capstone. I still live in the suburbs of Seoul, and apart from music, I'm currently studying as a radiology resident. We're a team that each have different outside jobs. AKP: What's the meaning behind the stage name 'Urbanalog'? Who came up with it? Sanpe: It was me who thought of the name Urbanalog. You would've already noticed by now, but it's a combined word from 'Urban' and 'Analog'. We live busy lives each day in the city, but we're in a generation where we still treasure the faint scent of our analog days. Those are words of what we believe to represent us. Capstone: Our music may seem urban from the outside, but our lyrics contain a lot of analog-like sentiments, which is also another meaning behind our name. I feel that those in our age group (later 20s, early 30s) have a lot of the same emotions and sentiments as our music. As Korea continues to grow and advance economically, a lot more cities have sprung up, which inevitably brings an end to everything that's analog. We don't want to give that up though because it's who we are. AKP: How would you describe your musical style, and who are your musical influences? Sanpe: Our musical style is basically hip hop music with jazzy emotions. Back in our LP days, we focused on creating warm samples with stories about some moments in life that stood out to us, and we've kept that foundation up until now. We're influenced by music like the Sound Providers' "An Evening with the Sound Providers", Guru's "Jazz Matazz", Erykah Badu's "Mama's Gun", and lately, albums by Corinne Bailey Rae. Capstone: We're into a lot of hip hop and are largely influenced by the artists we listened to while growing up. The emotions of Kim Dong Ryul, Toy, Yoon Jong Shin, Self-Portrait and other similar teams truly played a large role in our music. We'd like for allkpop readers to try and listen to Korean singer-songwriters from the 90s; the lyrics and melodies are one-of-a-kind. AKP: So you just released "Journey In Blue" after a three year hiatus - why did you wait so long to release a new album? Capstone: Essentially, it took us a long time to find our identity. To us, music was not a duty but a right, so we had no intention to rush it. We prioritized the production of music that satisfied all of our members, and in creating a style and color that is specific to Urbanalog. We stressed over the lyrical and rap quality of the songs, and as previously stated, we aren't full-time musicians so it took a long time for us to find our positions. Sanpe: Because we both have outside careers, there wasn't a lot of time for us to come together and produce. Another reason is that our first album wasn't the type of music we truly wanted to pursue. We were happy about its release, but there wasn't any satisfaction. I think that we merely needed a period of maturity, to grow and better create an album filled with music that we personally wanted to hear. AKP: How would you describe the experience of working with great producers like Michita and Primary? Sanpe: Both producers are artists that I respect and admire on a personal level. When we first began pursuing music, we never imagined that we'd ever be able to work with artists of such stature. I believe Primary to be one of the most skilled producers in Korea, so I personally paid more attention to my lyrics and the overall production quality. Working with Michita was special as well. As you all know, he is a Japanese artist, and I'd only ever seen him once. "Journey In Blue" had just finished recording at that time and he was very satisfied with it. After that, we gave him a few more tracks to listen to and officially began co-producing together. The completion of a track doesn't lie in the steps of a producer coming up with a song and the singer writing and recording it. To me, completing a track means to paint over the rough draft created by the producer. The level of completion is dependent on how deep the understanding is between each other. Michita not only presented a track that he felt fit us best, but delivered his production intentions and translated our Korean lyrics into Japanese and back in order to edit and revise. It was a repetitive process, and although it might sound frustrating at first, we felt like we were conversing through letters, which was fun. At times, communicating through words works better than conversing through speech. Although we cannot communicate fully with Michita, we knew that our emotions were connected. AKP: You also worked with jazz singer Jang A Reum - why did you decide to feature her on the album? Sanpe: We first met her at a performance for 'Minds Unity'. She was a guest at the time, but had such great presence that captivated everyone in the concert hall. We continued to make love calls to her after her performance, and she eventually came to become a family member of Minds Unity as well. Looking back now, we were really persistent (laughter). Capstone: Jang A Reum is not an artist that normally promotes in the hip hop music scene. We introduced hip hop music to her, and because she never worked with it before, she had a lot of fun learning about it, which made our collaboration that much more fun. As a result, we're all very satisfied with the results. Jang A Reum is currently preparing for her own album as well. She's got a wide spectrum of talents and has experience working with jazz and acoustic bands, so please look forward to her album. AKP: Speaking of jazz, what inspired you guys to produce "Journey In Blue" as a 'jazzy hip-hop' album? Do you think it's a style that will catch on in mainstream music? Capstone: Hip hop music itself cannot ever be separate from jazz, so I think sub-consciously, we just regarded them under the same influence. Hip hop music is quite diverse, but we mainly centered our focus on music like "A Tribe Called Quest", "Gangster", and even "Roots" and "Sound Providers", in an effort to find our own color. When Sound Providers and the Roots held Korean concerts in 2007 and 2009 respectively, we were all touched with the music they performed. Our music is also influenced by Japan's beatmakers like Nujabes and Michita, but the problem lies in the fact that we were unsure as to whether such a musical genre would work in Korea. It was an experimental challenge for us, in a sense. Sanpe: We doubt whether our music will influence mainstream music. We're not idols or superstars, so we feel that it's impossible right now in creating a new big trend. Still, Korea's underground hip hop scene has Jazzyfact and Soriheda, both teams who have similar musical colors with us, and been receiving positive responses from listeners. If we continue to produce good music and expand our level of influence, I'm sure that we'll begin to receive a response as well. Capstone: But just because the mainstream doesn't react to us doesn't mean we're going to let it get to us. We're going to continue walking down our own path, especially since we did not begin to pursue music under the goal of bringing out a big response in mainstream. Just like there has to be followers, there has to be people like us who stick to our own paths. It's the only way we believe that the Korean hip hop scene and pop culture will continue to develop and advance. AKP: You shot a music video for "Blue's Walk" - what is the meaning behind this song, and what atmosphere were you aiming for in this MV? Sanpe: For the music video of "Blue's Walk", we put more weight on the image presented than the content because we aimed to showcase the emotions of solitude and loneliness of those living in the city. The lyrics are also malerisch, which fit well with the music. The music video was produced by CEO Lee Ji Yong of Brownbreath, a company that I work for. He's an avid hip hop music fan and has a deep level of understanding of our music, so it was very easy working with him. I'd like to use this opportunity to thank him. Capstone: The title is "Blue's Walk", and as you can see in the music video, it features a lot of shots of feet or of people walking. We wanted to express the busy lives of city people - how they're always being chased by time. A day becomes a year, and a year becomes a decade. "Blue's Walk" shows one aspect of a day. In reality, although Korea's society advanced economically, competition in society has heightened that much more and people have become a lot more desolate. People are being chased into a box they've restricted themselves into... That was what we wanted to express in our music video; the lives of people that are busily being chased to a location that even they don't know... Essentially, us. AKP: What is it about jazz music that appealed to you as hip-hop artists? Sanpe: The genre of jazz itself has a sense of impromptu freedom and warmth, which all fit well with the lyrics we wanted to express. The title of our title track, "Blue's Walk", was actually taken from Lou Donaldson's '76 album, "Blues Walk." Capstone: Because we're not a team pursuing traditional jazz, we don't have a lot of information in that regards, but we were extremely charmed with the sense of freedom that jazz contains. The more you find out, the deeper the genre gets. We're still studying it as we listen, and we know that we still have a long road ahead of us. AKP: Do you have a favorite song off of the album? Capstone: Personally, I like "Chillin' Cycle." The track is in reference to Guru and Erykah Badu's "Plenty", and it features a natural harmonization of vocals and raps. Since our album is overall on the heavier side, this track also helps balance some of that weight with its lighter quality. More than anything else, Jang A Reum's vocal play is just one-of-a-kind. Please take a deep listen to it. Sanpe: Although "Blue's Walk" is special to me, I like "Journey in Bue" a bit more. The song is an accurate representation of the overall album and a glimpse of my emotions are melted into the stories of the lyrics. The track is also unique in its arrangement, which I am very satisfied with. AKP: What producers and artists do you want to work with next? Sanpe: I'd like to work with Corinne Bailey Rae. Her lyrics truly consoled and comforted us. Even though her songs are full of sorrow and loss, there's an element of warmth in there that's extremely comforting. To me, that's what makes up an amazing song. Capstone: I'm not sure if it's possible, but I dream of the day that Common will guest feature in our album. As for producers, I'd love to be able to work with The Roots. When The Roots held a concert in Korea, I got goosebumps. Rapping to Questlove's drum beats would also make me happy to the point of going crazy, but of course, that's just a dream. AKP: Since allkpop's main focus is on mainstream pop music, do either of you listen to any Kpop (Big Bang, SNSD, 2NE1, 2PM, etc)? Sanpe: I like Big Bang and 2NE1. They're both impressive in terms of both music and performance. Capstone: We tend to listen to teams that have more of a hip hop color to them, so in that regards, I choose 2NE1. I personally think that CL has great rapping skills, as well as dancing and singing. She's a musician with a future that I'm looking forward to. AKP: What are your thoughts on K-pop idols? Does it feel like you have it a little tough because idols have such a strong presence in the music industry or do you not see it that way? Sanpe: I enjoy the music and performances put on by singers called idols. These days, the public is harsh with their judgments, and I think it's because idols worked that much harder with their love for music that they're able to receive the love they do today. I do, however, think it's a problem that the focus is switching over to the show business side as opposed to the music. If people that produce music and people that listen to music can't break out of that constraint, other genres of music will never be able to take root. Capstone: A social system may be important, but I personally think that the individual thoughts of an idol are more important. They've debuted at such young ages where they've yet to develop an identity or the ability to make value judgments, and their careers are so focused on the production of capital. Of course, their skills are impressive, but I do think that they need to stop and think about the kind of influence they're making in the mainstream scene. It's only then that they'll grow up to become mature adults and develop from a celebrity into a musician or artist. AKP: Other than music, what else do you guys enjoy doing? Do either of you play sports? Sanpe: My favorite sport is Winning Eleven (Video Game). Capstone: I just rest. Working at the hospital and pursuing music leaves me without much time. If I had to choose, I like to read and write in my free time. AKP: What can we expect from Urbanalog in the future? Will you be making any new music later this year? Sanpe: Unfortunately, we think it'll be difficult to release an official album this year. Instead, we want to work on a fun project with producer Soriheda. We will also be participating in a compilation album featuring Korea's best hip hop producers and MCs, which we're looking forward to. Capstone: Even if it isn't through an official album, we want to continue conversing with our listeners through a variety of different projects. For now, please look forward to our collaboration with Soriheda, the Nujabes of Korea. His beats are truly an art. AKP: If there's anything else you would like to tell your international fans, make sure to include it here. Sanpe: We're really glad to meet everyone. Our cultures and languages are so different, but I'm glad to be able to converse with others through music. Please look forward to better music more fit to our style. Capstone: First of all, I'd like to thank such a big site like allkpop for giving underground musicians like us such an opportunity. Through this chance, we've received an opportunity to become closer with our international fans. Because our lyrics are not in English, they may be difficult to understand, so we'd like to thank our fans for still taking that step with an open heart. We'll be conversing with everyone in a variety of different ways, so please look forward to us. Thank you. === A big thank you goes out to Urbanalog's Sanpe & Capstone for the interview! We wish them the best of luck going forward! Translated By: VITALSIGN & VITALWARNING