Nathan Sartain
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Zico’s “Any Song” - A Viral Challenge and Chart Domination
This past week, Zico became the first artist of 2020 to have a song attain a “Perfect All-Kill” on the South-Korean charts. For those who don’t know what that is, it means that a song is number one on the daily and realtime charts of Melon, Genie, Bugs, and Soribada along with the realtime charts of Flo and iChart; criteria that makes a song a Certified All-Kill. A Perfect All-Kill is then achieved when the song also becomes number one on iChart’s weekly chart. Despite being an undeniably talented artist who has been a fixture in the Korean mainstream for almost a decade, this is the first Perfect All-Kill that Zico has been a part of.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
‘Hate Everything’ - How G.Soul Became Golden
For fans that veer away from the mainstream of Korean music, the name G.Soul will hardly be unfamiliar. The now 31-year-old burst onto the scene to much fanfare with his 2015 EP Coming Home (largely due to an infamous 15 year “training” period which involved considerable time stateside), with its title track proving to be the perfect supplement to the years of anticipation. “Coming Home” perfectly meshed the soulful vocals of Ki Ji-Hyun with an electronica backbeat and underlying finger snaps, making for a refreshing twist on modern R&B. The eventual climax, a higher-tempo, more energised delivery of the chorus, firmly marked G.Soul down as a star of the future, and ensured that critics wouldn’t take him lightly.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
Dvwn Interview: The New KOZ Entertainment Signee Discusses His Upcoming Single, SoundCloud Beginnings and More
For Dvwn, music is all about passion: "I hope I don’t lose my initial passion for music. For me, that seems to be the most important ambition of all. Instead of being influenced by money or being swayed by popularity, I want to pursue my initial passion,” the singer says when quizzed about his ambitions under the KOZ (King of Zungle) Entertainment banner. And, with recent contributions involving working on songs such as Eric Nam's "Love Yourself" and Lay's "Mapo Tofu," it's plain to see that Dvwn's passion for this art form has allowed him to be as versatile as he is talented. Borrowing from a wide array of soundscapes, the former SoundCloud artist allows himself to seamlessly weave genres together perfectly, allowing for a more modern, inclusive musical outlook.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
The Rose - ‘We Rose You Live’ at Manchester Academy 3 - Live Review
The Rose aren’t exactly new to touring. Despite only officially debuting just over two years ago, (with another two years of prior experience busking on the streets of Busan), the foursome have toured across the globe twice, entertaining and embracing audiences everywhere from their home country of Korea to cities around the world, such as the energetic and benchmark-setting London. Throughout their short journey, the band has managed to forge a strong and passionate fanbase despite the absence of a full-length record; and with a refined and quality-assured show guaranteed whenever they step foot on stage, it’s hardly as if this passion will die-down anytime soon.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
An Interview With: YELLA D
The past 12 months have been all about work for YELLA D. The versatile producer, vocalist, rapper and all-round artist is undeniably talented (just watch back his performances from the recent AOMG: Sign Here audition program), yet is still in search of that one huge break into the mainstream.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
WayV—‘Take Over The Moon’ Review
Of all the artists that seem to ooze quality nowadays, few feel quite as polished as WayV. The septet—part of the wider NCT project—burst onto the scene in January with The Vision, before following it up nearly four months later with Take Off, an EP that helped establish the group as stars. Its lead-single, the titular “Take Off,” was a high-intensity blend of trendy trap sounds and distortion (most notably the gritty-sounding guitar), and is one of the year’s best; providing a welcome reminder of the talents these seven possess.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
WINNER—‘CROSS’ EP Review
It has been just a little over five months since WINNER last graced people’s playlists with their chart-topping EP WE. A vibrant offering that dabbled in styles across the musical spectrum, e.g the acoustic-pop anthem “AH YEAH,” or the dark electro house stylings heard in “MOLA,” it was a release that cemented WINNER as a group that always shows consistency, and proved to the world that the group have plenty of tangible star quality.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
Meet Svng: Hip-Hop’s Independent Gem
You’d be forgiven if svng’s Our Holiday EP hasn’t quite made its way onto your playlists yet. The eight-track offering; although a solid blend of trap, vibrant hip-hop stylings and band sounds, has undeniably slipped under the radar, and, for now, remains a hidden gem in a market very much saturated with dregs. Nonetheless, the South-Korean independent artist is happy to have his first official extended play released to the public.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
An Interview With: Seungrae
To call Seungrae Kim a hidden gem would feel like a gross understatement. The hip-hop artist (one that has recently made the transition into the Korean music scene) is fresh and innovative; delivering his songs with a unique vibe, and drawing on a wealth of influences and styles with seamless success. Tracks like “Mama” feel old-school and raw, with the razor-sharp lyrics both easily digestible and perfectly intricate, whereas more buoyant releases such as “1969” are a lot more carefree, and have a completely different, but nonetheless brilliant colour to them.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
Yultron & Jay Park - ‘On Fire’ EP Review
Yultron and Jay Park are hardly strangers to each other. The former, an EDM artist and DJ, has worked with Park, a Korean hip-hop mogul, on the fan-favourite track “Forget About Tomorrow” back at the start of 2018, as well as on songs like “Bo$$” and “Thuggin 4 My Baby.” It was the clichéd match made in heave; a collaborative pairing that provided Park with an opportunity for his soulful, sleek vocals to be partnered with irresistible beats and huge, anthem-like production.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
Crush - 'NAPPA' Single Review
It has been a little over nine months since Crush released his single “Lay Your Head on Me.” The acoustically-driven, lyrically powerful track was full of rawness, refined vocals, and was interestingly written and performed entirely in English. It was a mark of the artist’s willingness to expand into new markets, and meant he had a sure-fire singalong for his US and European tours.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
Viini - ‘Dimension’ EP Review
To call the route that Kwon Hyun-Bin has taken to get to where he is right now unconventional feels like an understatement. Originally beginning his career as a model back in 2015, the artist became well-known after appearing on Produce 101 Season 2, a show in which he placed 22nd. From there, he joined the six-member project group JBJ; and within seven months was a solo artist once again, due to the group’s disbandment.
By Nathan Sartain6 years ago in Beat
