Music / Idols
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DJ, Put it Back On: A K-pop Field Test

50
Written by On January 23, 2012

Last night, a friend of mine had a Bring-Your-Own-Music-Friday party, which is essentially a chance to dance, drink, and listen to music you wouldn’t usually listen to. We were each given a slot in which we could present our playlist, and if it went well, we earned the right to do it again. This was my first time in the spotlight, and I was keen to make an impression — something that K-pop never fails to do. There was a 15 song limit, and the playlist was as follows:

1. 2NE1’s I Am The Best
2. SHINee’s Ring Ding Dong
3. Beast’s Shock
4. TVXQ’s Mirotic
5. Tasha’s Get It In
6. Super Junior’s Boom Boom
7. GD & TOP’s High High
8. JYJ’s Get Out
9. Girls Generation’s Run Devil Run
10. U-Kiss’s Neverland
11. 4Minute’s Muzik
12. 2PM’s Hands Up
13. Supreme Team’s Dang Dang Dang
14. Brown Eyed Girls‘ Abracadabra
15. Big Bang’s Tonight

There are lots of other songs that I would have liked to use, and I had to include some upbeat dance numbers that don’t always showcase the idols best vocal talent. Nevertheless, I was confident with my choices. My crowd? About thirty people between the ages of 16 and 21, all ready to walk out it the music wasn’t to their liking. Come on, K-pop, I thought, don’t let me down now.

Luckily, the “DJ” before me had made the fatal decision to play about 10 Kate Bush ballads, and was by consequence booed off. The crowd was eager to get moving, so I said a quick prayer, put on 2NE1, and sat back to enjoy the show.

As soon as the beat kicked in, everyone took notice, but the Korean threw them off a bit. However the genius of the “bamratatata, tatatata ta!” meant you didn’t need to understand the language in order to enjoy it, and the girls killed it. It was brilliant, and I was sure now the crowd was over the language barrier it would only get better. It did — “Ring Ding Dong” (and its iconic pelvic thrusting) rounded up whatever stragglers there were and the single English meant it was easy to sing along.

“Shock” received a less enthusiastic reception; Yoseob’s opening lost a few people back to the side of the room, and the song probably requires more choreography them “I Am The Best” to really enjoy dancing to it. Still, quite a few commented on the vocal quality, so not all was lost.

After that, it continued to go well — with “High High” becoming the song of the night — until we got to “Run Devil Run”. It may have been poor song choice on my part, but the dance floor pretty much emptied. Maybe next time I’ll try “The Boys” and see what the reaction is. But “Neverland” reclaimed the attention, while “Muzik” and “Hands Up” kept it. “Dang Dang Dang” actually got some serious dancers freestyling and “Abracadabra” inspired the dirtiest dancing I’ve seen in a long time. To round it off, lots of people recognised “Tonight” from the EMAs. And with that, my playlist finished with a bang (if you’ll pardon the pun).

The verdict? Overall, the K-pop had a far better reception then I expected, but it was the right atmosphere, the crowd wanted something different, and were used to foreign languages in music. I doubt K-pop would fare so well in a normal club or at a party. Still, it was heartening to know that K-pop had been accepted in a corner of the West, and I have been invited to do another stint at some point. So, dear readers, any songs you think would go down well?

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  • http://twitter.com/flickaddi Felicia Addison

    That is such a cool idea for a party. I’m glad the K-pop went down pretty well and I guess with people expecting something different they’re in the right mind set. Now that is the right way to share it rather than what crazy fan girls do and shove it down peoples throats

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_LL4QDJLVFDT2RDIZYBALSE75JE angel29

    Love this article!  And nice experiment.  I think that a lot of kpop songs are club materials and that alone makes me want to stick to kpop longer.

  • http://twitter.com/Chouchou103 Michele

    Cool idea. I must say that when i looked at your list before reading the results, I had my doubts as to why you included SNSD’s Run devil run considering it was a slower song. I also don’t think the boys would fare well, unless its a remix (like at the MAMAs) 

    Maybe next time you should try some T-ara?

    • http://kpop-rumblings.blogspot.com/ Enigmatic Sphinx

      Run Devil Run is one of the not so overtly cutesy songs that might put off those who do not really know k-pop, I guess. But true that SNSD songs do need some amping up for the dance floor, they tend to have middle tempos that encourage a more synchronised dancing style as seen in their MVs, compared to the free-styled approach in a club.

      T-ara would work. Once went to a club and heard “Roly Poly”, there were quite a few on their feet. Most of the other songs on their first albums could also make good jams.

  • Bookthiefj

    What was the reaction to JYJ s get out ?

  • Landro

    Actually I was really surprised they played ‘Tonight’ in Turkish nightclubs last summer. But I think groups like Big Bang – especially with their latest material – is easier to market in the ‘West’ than other K-pop groups^^

  • Bea

    Hah! I am so copying your playlist as my own party jam… in the car. XD

  • Boo

    I’ve noticed that people in the club don’t really care about the lyrics so much. All they want is a good beat. And something repetitive that they can slur easily ala “Like a G6″ or “SHOTS SHOTS SHOTS…ERRYBODY”. Yeah, kpop should fit in real well. :)

  • ndr

    That’s a great idea for a party. All the songs you chose have good beats that you can dance to. I would advise against using SNSD’s ‘The Boys’. Like ‘Shock’, it’s not the easiest song to dance to.

    I tried to do the same thing and come up with 15 of my own songs that I would choose to play. It was a lot harder than I thought and I ended up going through my iPod twice. Some songs that I thought that would go down well were:

    Dr. Feelgood – Rania
    Bye Bye – T-ara
    One&One – T-ara
    Sexy Doll – DJ Clazzi ft. Sunny Hill and MYK
    Strong Baby – Seung Ri (Skip the intro though…)
    Are You a Good Girl – DBSK
    Shake – Chae Yeon
    Stop! – Wonder Girls

  • http://twitter.com/denzelwynter アシュリ (Ashley)

    LOL, around my friends I NEVER PLAY K-POP. It’ll just cause drama.

  • frou-frou

    I feel bad for the Kate Bush kid but he/she definitely picked the wrong crowd. Still, I know what it’s like to love something so much that you wanna share it with everyone, only to have that awful feeling in your stomach when you realise nobody really cares (be it K-pop or the heavenly Kate Bush). Bring-Your-Own-Music-Friday parties aside, I do wonder why we are sometimes intent on introducing stuff to other people – is it because we’re trying to help the Jazmine Sullivans gain recognition in a world run by the Rihannas? Is it because we want to educate people who don’t know what they’re missing out on? Is it because we want to show off a little, to show them how much more we know? I’m certainly guilty of all of these, considering the years I spent expounding on the merits of Utada Hikaru and Tokyo Jihen to whomever would listen.

    Here at SB we’re always talking about how we get our friends or family to give K-pop a chance, and debating how K-pop should approach Western Markets for the best results. But would it be so bad if K-pop remains a niche genre, that the vast majority of the US or Europe remain clueless about Big Bang or SuJu?  
      

    • Guest

      I have to wonder about the intents also. 
       
      It’s like fans are PRs being paid by SK companies or the ROK govt to promote their idols or something?  I don’t get the “urgency” or the Kpop hype, but I do get a sense of overwhelming deluge from the ROK that is rather troublesome. 
       
      This form of soft power will turn ppl off in the west (especially Europe) as it appears fascist because fans are repeating the same mantra about SK’s culture.  Weird and I for one am not buying it.

      • Boo

        I really dislike it when the Korean media extols the popularity and virtues of KPOP. I mean it’s good to be proud and nationalistic but honestly, they exaggerate every LITTLE thing. And the fans are even worse sometimes. How many times have I heard “Kpop is so much better than those American sluts.” or “Kpop is so much better. It’s not just about partying and drugs.” Like guuuurrrrl srsly. Every market has it’s inane pop stars with their inane repetitive dance tracks. And don’t be acting like Kpop isn’t like that. 

        • tectonic

          Definitely felt some secondhand embarrassment when I heard the ROK distributed kpop calendars to 170 embassies around the world

          • Anonymous

            agree. how the korean media and now even the govt exaggerate the mighty hallyu wave is a complete turn-off.

      • ME

        To frou-frou & guest,
        How about the writer or whoever has BYOM-Friday party just want to have some fun and open other’s mind? No ‘behind the agenda’ intention. 

        I won’t mind hearing some Alejandro’s songs and give salsa a change or some Middle-East songs and do the belly-dance (NO! my tummy wouldn’t allow it) or whatever dance style out there, as long as my body allows it.

        At my gym, the hip-hop instructor tried to applied ‘Bonamana’ to his choreography, and he shyfully said he thought the music was right (although most of the time I had difficulty got the rhythm right with the moves), along with Pitbull, Jennifer Lopez, Shakira, Maroon Five. 

        So, not everything has any agenda in it. Just enjoy the ride and let’s keep an open mind… 

        • frou-frou

          You’re absolutely right, there’s no harm in having fun and ‘opening another’s mind’ as you put it. But my question is more towards why we sometimes feel the need to have others also like the same things we do, as if what we like isn’t considered ‘legit’ unless it’s been validated by other people. Of course this doesn’t apply to Antonia as she was invited to play whatever she wanted, but it got me thinking about those of us who keep trying to get our friends into K-pop or J-pop or even Kate Bush. I used to preach the gospel of Utada to all my friends, and to this day I’m not entirely sure why I was so desperate to have them acknowledge her talent. I mean, not everyone appreciates the beauty of ‘Wuthering Heights’ but does that make Kate Bush any less of a genius? If the US rejects 2NE1 or the Wonder Girls, will it make us love them any less?

          Okay I just realised that this might be a helluva lot more off-topic than
          I originally thought. Sorry about that guys!

          • ME

            To frou-frou,
            maybe, just simply because I enjoy what I do (whether it’s reading a good book, watching a thriller movie, or finding that simple praying or meditation – sometimes help to calm the emotion as not to solve any problem whatsoever…), and I want to share it with others. If they can enjoy them as much as I do, that would be very nice. If they don’t, that would be perfect as well…. When you someone close to you (family, friend, colleague, etc…) you want to share what you like. 
            As simple as that.

            To guest,
            I think you misinterpret my ‘mission’. Not everything has to be so grande as conquer the world or brainwashing or give doctrine to what people supposed to do or to like. Any part of the world with their own culture is having their own uniqueness, differences and preferences. 

            Why should I conquer the West or blown away their mind by just playing several K-songs? 

            What Antonia did, for me was the same with if I ask several of my friends to accompany me to watch Bollywood movie, while their preference is more to Hollywood movie. They can ‘boo’ me and laugh to my face but still come to know why I love this movie (and forever decline my invitation afterwards, kekeke…).

            So what?
            Friend can enjoy or dislike what we enjoy or dislike, doesn’t have to be hateful or being disrespect with each other. 

            Don’t make life so hard, just live it simple.

        • Guest

          It’s okay for you to love what you love ME, but I have a question for your “enlightened mind”.

          How is listening to Kpop “opening ‘others’ minds”?  You fans make out like Kpop is the next coming or some great thing that ALL the world has to embrace or love.

          Fans like you are remind me of scenes out of various snippets of sci-fi dramas or movies……So let me enlighten you, resistance is not futile but an actuality.  Accept this reality:  the west is not going to be blown away with your love affair with Kpop. 

          The end.

          • Guest

            I want to add that like the idea for the party too but I would bring a playlist that “I” wanted to hear vs trying to “convert” my friends and others to my listening pleasure.  It’s the same with foreign dramas that I watch.  No one in my family watches so I just enjoy them.  No problem.
             
            Fans are trying to hard to bring convert more fans over to Kpop.  It’s like a cult…. 

          • Grf123

            *too hard*

  • Anonymous

    2ne1′s im the best is a perfect opening to introduce kpop at a party, i believe. when i was in a karaoke with my friends i found them dancing around and showing interest in that song. the genius bamratatata thingy is well placed for language-barrier ice breaker. your playlist is pretty much what i would put if i were given the chance to attend such party but i’d prefer Beast’s Freeze rather than Shock.
    But i wonder how was the reaction for JYJ’s get out? Nice article btw.

    • Anonymous

      never a fan of 2ne1, but hell yeah “i am the best” is really relevant in this list! bamratatatatata~ xD 

      • Anonymous

        LOL ikr^^ oh and i forgot to mention High High, aaawweeesoooome

  • Arbitrary_greay

    SNSD doesn’t have any really good club songs. Even TMYW is a bit too flighty to be a good dance party song, and it doesn’t have much English, either. Most SNSD songs don’t have much English, although ironically I like them better for it. 
    So if you really want to shill them on a dance party playlist, I’d recommend using remixes. In particular, the Robotaki RDR remix and the Robotaki TMYW mashup. The former amps up the tempo and makes the song exciting,(it sounds a lot like Capsule’s “Starry Sky”) and the latter intersperses Britney and Gaga for some language ice-breaking, as well as setting up favorable comparisons between them and SNSD. 
    Mr. Taxi would work, as long as people don’t mind the similarities to Gaga’s Telephone. The Great Escape might require a remix unless you’ve got a crowd okay with smoother trance type music. Definitely go with a remix of The Boys. The original song’s sparse arrangement and slow tempo would be a death knell for the playlist. 

    No love for BoA’s english album? They would be perfect English ice breakers since you could follow up with BoA in Korean, with the voice familiarity bridging the language gap.

    But overall, great choices for the playlist, especially for not making it all idol music. 

  • aznboy

    Orange Caramel’s Bangkok City is a good jam to dance to.

  • Anonymous

    that was really cool party idea. i like almost all the songs u play except run devil run… that ain’t no clubbing song. when it comes to songs for clubs, the main thing u should focus on is that it has to have addictive beat that u can dance too. i would recommend chocolat i like it, has a catchy dance beat and eng to sing along. i know chocolat isn’t big time but u should give them a try and see if u like it or not.

    i always knew that high high would be a song that a lot of clubbers would like.^^

  • Nnajiralz

    Do 2ne1′s “I’m Busy”, i have a feeling a Western audience would go for it

  • Anonymous

    good choice opening with “i am the best”. it’s just one of those songs that grabs people’s attention and is really hard not to like. my dad even has it on his ipod!

  • Guest

    You can’t really go wrong with songs like ‘I am the best’ and ‘High High’ in a club. xD

  • Anonymous

    You chose like all the perfect songs. I don’t know why I’m so happy about this article lol.

  • whatthefrell

    Brilliant!
    It’s interesting about Run Devil Run isn’t it.
    I mean, it’s a Kesha song, right, and it’s pretty uncomplicated.
    When I make things to introduce people to K-pop, 
    I always consider that song, but it always seems to interrupt the flow.
    I keep moving it around on the list, and often-times, 
    it eventually gets knocked off. 
    Funny though, because it’s one of my favorites. 
    It sounds awesome, as, regardless of what you think about SNSD, 
    most of their stuff does. 
    Congrats! 

  • whatthefrell

    PS:
    2NE1, in terms of cross-over appeal, 
    really hit the nail on the head with “I Am the Best.”
    I have yet to meet someone that that song hasn’t won over; 
    as for Supreme Team, of course.  
    I can appreciate most everything on your list.
    There are a few songs by certain artists I would have chose differently, 
    but I’m not you, right… 
    Good job, way to represent! 

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CI2NGOMLBNCWH5U4MKF57VJOHY Swaggerr

    Next time 2NE1′s “Can’t Nobody (English Version)” and “I’m Busy (MOA cover)” will sure to be a crowd pleaser. 

  • http://thisshineeworld.wordpress.com/ aki-moto

    Club song? How the heck is THUMBS UP by Crispi Crunch not on this list?

  • Mgflutie87

    So you think that Kpop will be accepted with a party full of drunk a** idiots?!? I’m sorry but let a  normal sane person listen to crap like 2NE1 GD and Top or Super Junior especially has gone down the shitter-and they’ll puke their guts out. I’m sorry but the only respectable actually talented musicians up there really is B2ST and Tasha, the rest are terrible!!

    • lay

      awww … pissed off that your boys didn’t get enthusiastic response from those you called idiots? heh ….

    • Guest

      aww…there there. guess all the people who’re buying 2ne1 or gd&top or suju stuff on yesasia and itunes are not normal or sane either. and all the people going to their concerts must be drunkass idiots as well.  or are you just mad not everyone in the world shares your taste?

      you know a person is grasping at straws when they bring up “talented”, “respectable” and “musician”, especially in the same sentence.

  • Anonymous

    nice article! 
    I live in Paris and every 2 or 3 months a group called Asiannight organizes a Kpop clubbing night (called Korean Session) by renting a club and a DJ. Every time 2ne1′s I am the Best is played, the crowd just goes wild. 
    And it’s pretty cool cause there’s a really friendly atmosphere, and there are people from different backgrounds and origins. 

    • Mishi

      Music Bank in Paris coming up! X3

  • Blossemcup4

    I wish I had some friends to which I could introduce Kpop. I thought “Sorry Sorry” would have definitely been on the playlist; I know it would be on mine. I’d also have “Electricity”- 2PM, “Level 1000″- Jay Park, and so many other songs.

  • Ravenna

    I always have my kpop cds going in my car, and subject anyone riding me to it. Songs that have had good reactions are Super Junior’s Bonamana, SHINee’s Replay, 2NE1′s I am the Best and T.O.P’s Turn it up.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1112091495 Annie Xiong

    tsk tsk. SNSD should’ve been a no-no. Terrible song choice. To be honest, NONE of their lead singles would’ve sold it for me had I been some random person who knew nothing about kpop. 

  • Anonymous

    When I saw “Run Devil Run” on your playlist I was thinking to myself that I didn’t believe it would be received well, especially at a party where the people are dancing. Plus it’s one of SNSD’s weaker title tracks. That said, here are some great songs for a second playlist, if you decide to try your hand at it again:

    1. BoA: “Let Me”
    2. Super Junior: “Bonamana”
    3. G-Dragon: “Heartbreaker”
    4. 4Minute: “Mirror Mirror”
    5. T-ara: “Lovey Dovey”
    6. Rania: “Pop Pop Pop!”
    7. Nine Muses: “Figaro”
    8. 2NE1: “Fire”
    9. SHINee: “Lucifer”
    10. Wonder Girls: “Me, In”
    11. SNSD: “Oscar”
    12. JQT: “Peekaboo”
    13. After School: “Bang!”
    14. Lee Hyori: “U-Go-Girl”
    15. MBlaq: “Darling”

  • Anonymous

    Sorry, I couldn’t resist not to add some Mandopop and Jpop:
    Here’s another playlist :) 
    1 Se7en: Digital Bounce
    2 T-ara: Lovey Dovey
    3 M.I.C.: Get It Hot (chinese)
    4 MBLAQ: Mona Lisa
    5 SNSD: Bad Girl Remix ft. Dev (Cataracs
    6 Super Junior: Sorry Sorry
    7 GD & TOP: High High
    8 4minute: I My Me Mine
    9 2PM: Hands Up
    10 RaNia: Dr. Feel Good
    11 Van Ness Wu: Love, Faith, Live (chinese)
    12 Namie Amuro: What a Feeling (japanese)
    13 ZE:A: Heart for 2
    14 Big Bang: With U
    15 HyunA: Change
    16 Jang Woo Hyuk: Weekend Night

    If I had to get rid of one to make the 15 song cut, I would cut #4 I guess.

  • Anon

    Interesting choices. Boom Boom was one of my favorites from Bonamana, I’m just surprised you went with that instead of the also easily danceable Sorry Sorry. And it’s hard to pick a SNSD song; they don’t really make “club” songs. I think the key to introducing “outsiders” to kpop is to show them songs that have some catchy English (not Engrish) bits in them. It always makes the songs easier to follow along to.

  • Anonymous

    Couldn’t resist as well! Haha. :P These would be good song choices to add too: ^^

    BIG BANG – Number 1
    BIG BANG – Baby Baby (English Version of Last Farewell)
    Seungri – Strong Baby
    Seungri – What Can I Do
    BIG BANG – Hands Up
    BIG BANG – Gara Gara GO!!
    2NE1 – I’m Busy
    2NE1 – Can’t Nobody (English Version)
    2NE1 – Fire
    2PM – Electricity (220v Remix)
    SHINee – Lucifer
    Se7en – Digital Bounce (feat. T.O.P)
    Super Junior M – Super Girl (Korean Version)

    Here are less ‘electro-fied’ tracks but also with a good beat:

    GD&TOP – Oh Yeah
    2PM – Angel
    Wonder Girls – Sweet Dreams
    Infinite – Hysterie
    TVXQ – Choosey Lover
    Beast – Freeze

  • Roselle

    Hands Up (2PM), Electricity (2PM) and Weekend Night (Jang Woo Hyuk) are definite party songs where you don’t really need to understand the words to enjoy them.
    Also I’m a Guy Like This (DJ DOC) and Oppa, Oppa (Donghae & Eunhyuk) to me kind of seem like songs I could play loudly and dance around to.

  • Drevilgirl_18

    2ne1 is the best (⌒-⌒; )(*☻-☻*)(//∇//)

  • tyty

    Your list would probably have pretty close to mine, with a few omission, I wouldn’t have put SNSD on the list, not because I don’t like them, their songs just aren’t the club/party type of songs.  Here’s my list 

    1. 2NE1 – I’m Busy 
    2. Big Bang – Stupid Liar 
    3. 2PM - Electricity
    4. Wonder Girls – Me, In
    5. 4minute – I My Me Mine
    6. Super Junior – Sorry, Sorry 
    7. Hyori – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
    8. Trouble Maker – Trouble Maker
    9. 2NE1 – Can’t Nobody 
    10. Miss A – Goodbye Baby
    11. GD & TOP – Oh Yeah 
    12. f(x) – Nu ABO
    13. Big Bang – Love Song
    14. Rain – Hip Song
    15. Se7en – Digital Bounce