GLEN CHECK

By Puma Simone

South Korean indie duo Glen Check (link) is rapidly gaining prominence worldwide with their visually stimulating performances and lively electro pop. Comprised of singer and guitarist June-One Kim and synthesizer player Hyuk-Jun Kang, they debuted in 2011 with the release of their “Disco Elevator” EP. Glen Check accepted our interview request and graciously answered questions about the band…

INTERVIEW

The name of your current album is YOUTH! Can you explain why you chose that title and what you hoped to share with this particular project?

Glen Check: We were inspired by youth culture at the time we were working on the album. We wanted to make something that sounded bright, lively, and “youth” was something that comprised these sentiments.

Upon reading up on Glen Check, the consensus is your live show is super tight. I also stumbled upon several interviews where you mentioned that you are most inspired by visuals. With this in mind what has been your favorite place to perform and why?

Glen Check: We have always considered visuals to be an essential part of our live set. We have been working with visual artist Eyejin since the formation of the band. We are constantly experimenting on ways to improve our live performances both musically and visually. Although we don’t have a specific venue that we would call our favorite, we definitely prefer stages with large LED screens for our visual effects.

The Basément Resistance- what is it and who is involved?

Glen Check: TBR is the name of our crew. Current members include ourselves, visual artist Eyejin, fashion designer Daddy Goose, founder of “Palm Off” Nicolas Masson. We have also been working closely with the band “Bye Bye Badman”.

Where do you see Glen Check within the global community? Are there any truths or misconceptions about Korean culture you hope to celebrate or dismiss?

Glen Check: It’s hard to say because currently we are not well known within the global community. But we would like to become a band that can represent Korean culture. K-pop has become really big nowadays, and although we don’t hate K-pop, the Korean music scene is quite diverse and it is one of our goals to let people know through our music.

On the Glen Check Wikipedia you are quoted as saying initially your music was “quiet and boring.” What two words would you use to describe your music now or the music you hope to make in the future?

Glen Check: We were involved in a different band before we made Glen Check. It was folk-ish and we wanted do something more exciting when we made Glen Check. As of now I guess we would describe our music as bright, youthful. But our taste in music is always changing and we are looking into some different inspirations for stuff that we are working on now.