To what extent can the Tiny Desk accommodate both a gayageum and an ajaeng? When I first watched ADG7 perform on those five-foot-long acoustic guitars at globalFEST in New York City at the beginning of 2020, I whispered this question into the ear of our Tiny Desk audio engineer, Josh Rogosin. Here you will read about the Tiny Desk Concert which is going to be performed by ADG7.
Eventually, the Tiny Desk crew figured it out, and the nine-piece Korean band brought the house down with their infectious energy and a sound that has never been heard on the show before. ADG7 fuses shamanic chants with Hwanghae Province traditional Korean music.
“Ak Dan” means “band,” and “Gwang Chil” commemorates the group’s formation on the 70th anniversary of Gwangbokjeol, Korea’s National Liberation Day. Both the band’s self-titled 2017 album and their upcoming 2020 album, Such is Life, are represented here.
My attention is initially drawn to the three singers—Hong Ok, Myeong Wol, and Yoo Woo—but it gradually shifts to Lee Man Wol, who seems to be blowing into a pipe organ she holds in her hands. The saenghwang is just one of the mesmerizing instruments played by ADG7, which also features excellent drumming and conductor Kim Yak Dae on a big bamboo flute called a daegeum.
Set List
- “Whatever“
- “Yeong Jeong Geo Ri”
- “Hee Hee”
Musicians
- Hong Ok: vocals
- Myeong Wol: vocals
- Yoo Wol: vocals
- Weon Meondongmaru: gayageum
- Choi Byung Hwal: ajaeng
- Chun Gung Dal: percussion
- Sunwoo Barabarabarabam: percussion
- Lee Man Wol: piri, saenghwang, taepyeongso
- Kim Yak Dae: daegeum
Tiny Desk Team
- Producer/Series Creator: Bob Boilen
- Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin
- Director: Kara Frame
- Series Producer: Bobby Carter
- Editor: Joshua Bryant
- Videographers: Kara Frame, Michael Zamora, Pierre Kattar, Joshua Bryant
- Audio Assistant: Andie Huether
- Production Assistants: Jill Britton, Alanté Serene, Joby Tanseco
- Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Ashley Pointer, Maia Stern
- VP, Visuals, and Music: Keith Jenkins
- Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
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