By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
One Self, a London-based underground hip-hop group, is ready to share its musical message of hope, love and passion for life with Korean fans.
Composed of Russian DJ Vadim and Chilean-Brazilian vocalist Yarah Bravo, the group will perform at The Lounge, Lotte Hotel Myeong-dong, in downtown Seoul on Jan. 31.
In an email interview with The Korea Times, DJ Vadim talked about how One Self started, their albums and what fans can expect from their upcoming show in Seoul.
DJ Vadim formed an experimental group called Russian Percussion, which included American rapper BluRum13, in 1998. The group performed with him while he promoted his earlier albums until 2002.
In 2002, when promoting his album ``Art of Listening,'' DJ Vadim asked Bravo, a strong vocalist and gifted lyricist, to join the group.
``A chance meeting in Montreal, Canada brought both BluRum13 and Yarah together on stage and it gelled. We started touring together and then recording (an album). Playing live has always been a very big part of what I do," Vadim said.
DJ Vadim formed One Self with BluRum13 and Yarah, subsequently released the album ``Children of Possibility," and performed to sell-out crowds at various clubs and music festivals in the U.K., Spain, Russia and Czech Republic.
DJ Vadim said One Self's debut album was all about ``opening ourselves to new experiences as a child." ``When you are a child, you don't have prejudices like we have as adults. We experiment, grow, try, feel and we lose this ability as adults, and I think that's a shame," he said.
The group's multicultural roots, hip-hop sound and positive themes may draw comparisons to more popular groups like the Black Eyed Peas, but the similarities are superficial.
When asked what sets them apart from other groups, DJ Vadim said: ``I think it's the chemistry, the make up (of the group) and the fact we come from so many different unfamiliar places."
One Self is known for its unique sound, drawing influences from diverse musical genres. DJ Vadim cites artists like James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Parliament, Bob Marley, Sly n Robbie and A Tribe Called Quest as his musical influences.
``I love all kinds of music. There aren't many styles I don't really like but if you push me I would say hard rock, heavy metal, trance. I get inspiration from life, from love, from death, from everything. I try to make it representative of me and of us as humans," he said.
For One Self's upcoming concert in Seoul, DJ Vadim hopes fans feel inspired by their music to live life to the fullest.
``The one thing I would love that people get from our shows is inspiration. To get that feeling that they can take home and do whatever you want to do, be whatever you want to be. Don't conform just to what your parents, or society wants you to be, but to be truly free, even for just one day or one moment and go with the flow of life," he said.
One Self will be joined on stage at The Lounge by Korean groups and DJs like Windy City, J-Path, Solegene, Mr. Fudge and VJ Sepp.
Pre-sale tickets are 25,000 won at www.interpark.com or www.partyluv.com. Tickets at the door cost 35,000 won. Send email to
or visit www.riskei.co.kr.