Dynamic Duo releases 'Grand Carnival'

Choiza, left, and Gaeko of Dynamic Duo / Courtesy of Amoeba Culture

By Kim Jae-heun

Dynamic Duo, led by popular Korean hip-hop musicians Gaeko and Choiza, released its eighth album, "Grand Carnival," after nearly two and half years and held a showcase at YES 24 MUV Hall in Mapo-gu, Seoul, Tuesday.

Grand Carnival is the name of the van the musicians ride on tour. They spend more time in the van than they do at home, eating, sleeping, playing games and producing music. Their idea with the album is to share their stories of life as musicians.

The rappers, who started 20 years ago, gained popularity for music their fans can easily empathize with. "Grand Carnival" is not so different from previous albums. The new songs are about the duo's experiences, which many Koreans in their 30s are also going through.

"There is a song that best represents the story of the album," said Choiza during the press conference. "It's called ‘Repeat Mark.' We thought we worked hard and were successful but when we see our annual account report, we find that we have remained in the same place.

Gaeko said: "I received many text messages from fans who are our age. They tell me they like our music, especially ‘Repeat Mark.' One producer said he only thought hip-hop was for young people, but he realizes that it is not after listening to our songs."

The duo's eighth album relates stories of Choiza and Gaeko's lives as musicians for the past 15 years. They include questions about life and answers the duo tries to answer. The pair said they tried to make the songs not serious life lessons or heavy messages, but light greetings to fans like, ‘How are you?'

The hip-hop singers decided to collaborate with beat-makers and arrangers on the album this time. Before, they produced the music themselves. Some big name producers participated in "Grand Carnival," such as Crush, Primary and Grey. The musicians were able to concentrate on writing lyrics.

The album has 11 tracks and the title track is "Jam." Gaeko got the tune from producer PEEJAY and put it aside for a year to be included in the new album. The song was never popular before, but has now gained popularity with the new name "Jam."

This year marks the 10th anniversary of Dynamic Duo's music label, Amoeba Culture, and as its representative artists, they have also thought about the music they should pursue.

"These days, all the musicians have their own strengths such as sophisticated rap techniques and energetic performances on stage," Choiza said. "They are sweeping the charts and we are worried whether we should follow the trend or keep our identity. We figured that the way to differentiate ourselves is by telling our stories in the music.

"However, our strength works as a weakness when it comes to making it in the Western market. Our music is about daily life and this is what people empathize with. But Westerners have different cultures and there is also the language barrier."

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