Glen Check

Synth-pop group Glen Check's dancefloor jam is an infectious mix of scraggly electro guitar, palpitating synths and head-bopping beats with a heavy '80s ambience that's helped the duo thrive above its contemporaries. - Billboard

Meet one of the fastest rising rookie bands of Seoul’s live music scene: Glen Check. Signed to Jaurim’s Soundholic label, this thoughtful young duo (both in their early 20s) straddles multiple genres — they’ve been called everything from electro-rock to synth-rock to indie-dance-pop. Their first full-length album, Haute Couture, is a good sampling of what is fast becoming Glen Check’s signature sound, with the beeping synth lines, liberal use of bass and drums, and vocalist June One’s soft delivery of simple, repetitive English lyrics. Reminiscent of artists like Two Door Cinema Club and Korea’s own Idiotape and THE KOXX, Glen Check is positioned uniquely in Korea’s indie scene, emerging at a time when interest in electronic rock is at an unprecedented high. More than anything though, the band places the most emphasis (and pride) on their live shows, pouring their energy into stage design, developing live sessions, and constantly creating new mixes. - MTV IGGY

Funky, fresh and irresistibly upbeat, Glen Check is gaining momentum as one of Korea’s top electro-pop bands. The trio holds a unique place in the scene by creating live performances that are as visually stunning as they are danceable. - SXSW South By Southwest

K-Indie gods Glen Check are back with a new music video, Young Generation. The single is part of their new album titled Youth!, which will be available November 19th. Glen Check is always gracing us with their amazing tunes. Their new record brings me back to 2007 when Electro was at its peak. Throughout the video, we can see them skating around and posting flyers all over town. They just seem to have a lot of fun. This song will surely be an anthem for all us kids who were born in the early 90's. I’m already looking forward to the weekend to dance to this song. The beat is very good and that Oh Yeah part is lovely.

- 24-7 K-Pop

These days conversations about Korean pop music are so bogged down by the same old questions that it’s hardly fun to argue about it anymore.

Is the video too salacious? Does it mimic too much? Can they cross over to the West?
Lost is the more important question of whether the music is actually good or not.

The new album by synthpop duo Glen Check, “Young Generation,” allows us to set aside the inane. Rebellious and danceable, this collection takes inspiration from 1980s bands like Pet Shop Boys and Duran Duran. Bright, fun and textured, it represents a step forward for the band; and with lyrics in English that hit on universal themes, it deserves to win them wider recognition.

The album ­ which comes in a two-CD set ­ is the second full-length offering from the duo, which is comprised of vocalist/guitarist Kim Jun-one and Kang Hyuk-jun on keyboards and programming. Following last year’s well-received “Haute Couture,” it marks a continuing evolution of the group’s sound. While their first popular single, 2011’s “Disco Elevator,” featured heavy guitars and a thumping beat, their arrangements since have leaned toward the electronic.

The first CD essentially features songs based on rock music, and the second electronic sounds. However, everything here unabashedly features synthpop samples such as the classic “hand clap.” “The Match Opener” starts the album darkly, with string pizzicato building intensity as a wall of synthesizer sounds builds, before a head-bopping beat kicks in.

The remainder of the first CD uses the same general formula: smart, syncopated beats built out of sampled sounds, slightly-buried vocal melodies and stop-and-go dynamics that strip the songs down to simple elements and builds them back up again.

“Pacific” is a bright, poppy riff straight from the 1980s. “I can see you rise again, gonna find the place where you and I began,” Kim sings. “Youth in Revolt” has a herky-jerky rhythm that breaks down into a heavy syncopated, heavy-metal riff.

The second CD kicks off with a slick guitar riff that sounds like Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing,” before breaking into an anthem-like stadium rock sound that’s the stuff for driving at night with the windows down. The childish “Oh yeah” vocals come courtesy of Kim’s younger sister. “Brooklyn” features chopped-up samples and a hand-drum groove that feel like they should be played out of a boom box.

Fans of synthpop will find plenty to like, as will fans of the Korean indie scene. For those who tire quickly of synthesizers, the album may have less replay value, and the songs generally take on a similar, driving tempo. However, the sounds are diverse and the shifting rhythms keep the music lively. Overall, it’s a solid effort from an independent-minded group, with a sense of originality that provides a breath of fresh air. - Korea Times

Glen Check, a South Korean electronic pop duo, records an album with U2 producer in the U.S.
Some global music experts, who attended the 2013 Seoul International Music Fair hosted by the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA) from Oct. 10 through 12, said on Thursday that they would introduce five Korean teams to their countries.

Steve Lillywhite, a record producer famous for working with U2 and The Rolling Stones, decided to record a song in Los Angeles this year at the earliest. Fender Music Instrument, a U.S.-based company, will sponsor the recording. Lillywhite said in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo, “Their (Glen Check’s) music excites me very much.”

James Minor, the director of the South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW), North America’s largest music event, decided to showcase three Korean teams – Jang Gi-ha and the Faces, Nell, and IDIOTAPE – at the festival next year. Bruno Crolot, the director of Reed Midem, the world’s largest music market, chose Goonamguayeoridingstella.

Lee Il-woo, a guitarist of Jambinai, a band mixing Korean traditional music and rock, will get an electronic guitar as he was chosen as “Fender Choice.” The band will participate in next year’s SXSW, sponsored by Naver Music. - Donga

Glen Check, a South Korean electronic pop duo, records an album with U2 producer in the U.S.
Some global music experts, who attended the 2013 Seoul International Music Fair hosted by the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA) from Oct. 10 through 12, said on Thursday that they would introduce five Korean teams to their countries.

Steve Lillywhite, a record producer famous for working with U2 and The Rolling Stones, decided to record a song in Los Angeles this year at the earliest. Fender Music Instrument, a U.S.-based company, will sponsor the recording. Lillywhite said in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo, “Their (Glen Check’s) music excites me very much.”

James Minor, the director of the South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW), North America’s largest music event, decided to showcase three Korean teams – Jang Gi-ha and the Faces, Nell, and IDIOTAPE – at the festival next year. Bruno Crolot, the director of Reed Midem, the world’s largest music market, chose Goonamguayeoridingstella.

Lee Il-woo, a guitarist of Jambinai, a band mixing Korean traditional music and rock, will get an electronic guitar as he was chosen as “Fender Choice.” The band will participate in next year’s SXSW, sponsored by Naver Music. - Donga

Sultry and intricate, this release from Seoul's Glen Check belongs in your nu-disco playlist! The South Korean production duo is currently working on a new album in Spain, the Korea Times reports, and came up with the name Glen Check while studying in fashion school.

“We thought having a name that directly pointed the directions of the band's philosophy was not cool,” Kim Jun-one told the Times. Amen to that! One of the things we love about disco music is its non-judgmental spirit and lack of explicit ideology.

This song comes is from Glen Check's album "Cliche." It was released in September on Postino Records, run by London-based South Korean producer/DJ Postino. - Disco Filter

Glen Check, a South Korean electronic pop duo, records an album with U2 producer in the U.S.

Some global music experts, who attended the 2013 Seoul International Music Fair hosted by the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA) from Oct. 10 through 12, said on Thursday that they would introduce five Korean teams to their countries.

Steve Lillywhite, a record producer famous for working with U2 and The Rolling Stones, decided to record a song in Los Angeles this year at the earliest. Fender Music Instrument, a U.S.-based company, will sponsor the recording. Lillywhite said in an interview with the Dong-A Ilbo, Their (Glen Checks) music excites me very much.

James Minor, the director of the South by Southwest Music Festival (SXSW), North Americas largest music event, decided to showcase three Korean teams Jang Gi-ha and the Faces, Nell, and IDIOTAPE at the festival next year. Bruno Crolot, the director of Reed Midem, the worlds largest music market, chose Goonamguayeoridingstella.

Lee Il-woo, a guitarist of Jambinai, a band mixing Korean traditional music and rock, will get an electronic guitar as he was chosen as Fender Choice. The band will participate in next years SXSW, sponsored by Naver Music. - HANCINEMA

Glen Check, a South Korean electronic pop duo, records an album with U2 producer in the U.S.

Some global music experts, who attended the 2013 Seoul International Music Fair hosted by the Korea Creative Contents Agency (KOCCA) from Oct. 10 through 12, said on Thursday that they would introduce five Korean teams to their countries. - Korean Observer