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Ultra Modernista is a brand new South Korean band which released Its own debut single on the 2nd of June.“Koriga” tells us more then we expect from a neo-project that sounds promising. This Band has a never ageing RETRO touch flavoured with some synths and electronic textures. Sounds cool uh? 

N: Present yourself (all of you)
Sangkeun Lee(drum&vocal) : I love you.
Jinwook Jung(bass guitar&vocal): Jinwook Jung
Hugh(vocals&guitar) : Allergic to seafood.
Dan(synth & programming&vocal) : I like Dinosaurs.
Carter(manager) : Lamborghini
N: When and how Ultra Modernista was born?
It all happened in 2017. Back then we all – apart from Jinwook – were serving in the S. Korean military. Probably the last place you would expect to form a band but funnily enough, that’s where we all met. Since all of us had a musical background, it wasn’t a surprise that we got close to each other but that didn’t necessarily meant that we wanted to commit as a band in the first place. Hugh for instance, developed a cult following for his solo project Hugh Keice, and the duo Hugh Keice X Park Soyu before joining the army service. Sangkeun too, had years of experience playing with Sweden Laundry as well as We Hate JH, both popular in the K-indie scene. As for Dan, he seemed rather interested in horning his avant garde-ish humor!
Couple of months later, there was this moment. Summer was just around the corner, disco music filling in the space matched with a pint of beer, we had some lambs on the table and that’s all we could ask for. While we were still sober, Sangkeun suddenly proposed an idea; that we should do a band. By then we were all like brothers and the idea didn’t sound as strange as before.
N: The music scene in your country
It’s all about K-pop these days. Flamboyant boy/girl bands are nailing the charts. Ever heard about BTS?
N: Describe your style in one word
Retro
N: What’s the message behind your debut single “Koriga” ?
Koriga can be anyone. It could be a French girl in a beach with a nice shades or a mid aged high school football team coach blowing off his whistles. Regardless of who it is, one thing is certain that it’s all about relationship. Just remember that and the rest is an open book. While we wanted to address the ambiguity of relationship as it is, the process of songwriting was rather straightforward. Sangkeun initiated the very first rhythm sketch via his iphone using garage band app. Then he passed it onto Jinwook who worked on the bass lines. Once the rhythms were done, Dan added the synth sounds which really brought the song to life. Lastly, Hugh laid down some guitar phrases and started to pull out the melodies alongside the right words for the song. It was indeed an interesting songwriting process for us as we would normally go the other way around. Basically, we worked it backwards. (or let’s say we Moonwalked it!)

N: Pick 10 Songs
David Bowie – Modern Love (Hugh)
Bon Iver – The Wolves (Hugh)
Jim James – Here in Spirit (Sangkeun)
The Oral Cigarettes – Kizukeyo Baby (Sangkeun)
Damien Rice – The Blower’s Daughter (Jinwook)
Shayna steele – Kiss That Girl (Jinwook)
Jamiroquai – Rock Dust Light Star (Dan)
Deadmau5 – This is the Hook (Dan)
Migos – Walk It Talk It (Carter)
Lil Wayne – A Mili (Carter)
N: Where we can find find/listen UltraModernista online ?
The easiest way to access to our music would be Soundcloud, Youtube, iTunes etc. all the usual platforms really. Though we would encourage you to regularly visit our Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/ultramodernista and Youtube channel as we’re planning to upload contents exclusively for these platforms.
N: Present projects
Starting with Koriga on the 2nd of June, we have two more releases scheduled on the 22nd Aug and 31st Oct. A couple of remix versions are also on the way and as I stated above, you would be able to check these on our Youtube, Instagram and Soundcloud channel. In addition, the band is working on a Youtube series in association with video crews, which still is in its baby steps but hopefully we can present it as soon as possible. Oh, and I almost forgot! On the 21st of July there’s gonna be a showcase at Haenghwa Tang( http://cargocollective.com/criticalmasslab/Haenghwa-Tang ), an old public bathing place which is now converted to an art space. Those who reside or are planning to stay in Seoul, you’re more than welcome to swing by!
N: Promote nootempo.net and leave a message to the Universe
Nootempo really has an eagle eye, snatching us before we even officially released our single. Much appreciated for it! Keep up the good work and hopefully “Koriga” finds a spot at your party play list! Ciao!