Basking in music, youth

Musicians perform during the 2015 Ultra Korea Music Festival at Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul.
/ Courtesy of Ultra Korea Music Festival

Summer music festivals kick off

By Park Jin-hai

Take off your shoes and get ready to move your feet. The season that will make music fans forget about the heat and bask in the strong beat of music has arrived.

Ultra Korea 2016, one of the coolest electronic music festivals in Asia, kicks off Friday for a three-day run at the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul.

Organized by the Miami-born Ultra Music Festival, it has grown into a major event, attracting 110,000 participants last year.

Marking its fifth year, Ultra Korea brings world top-ranked DJs to Seoul this year. Headliners include Avicii, Afrojack, Armin Van Buuren, Martin Garrix, Axwell Λ Ingrosso and deadmau5.

U.K. heavy metal band Raven performs during the Pentaport Rock Festival in Incheon last year.
/ Courtesy of Pentaport Rock Festival

Swedish musician Avicii, known for the megahit "Wake Me Up," is a two-time Grammy Award nominee. Dutch DJ Afrojack has worked with pop stars such as Madonna and Ne-Yo, while fellow Dutch DJ Armin Van Buuren has topped the Top 100 DJ list five times, becoming a global trance icon. Also Dutch, DJ Martin Garrix was ranked third on DJ Mag's Top 100 DJ list in 2015.

Other much-anticipated artists include Swedish duo Axwell & Ingrosso, best known for their collaborative efforts as members of the Swedish House Mafia, and Canadian house music producer deadmau5. Local acts include Justin Oh, Xaximite, Raiden and DJ KINGMCK.

Diverse musicians of other genres including local hip-hop artist Zion.T, rapper Paloalto and indie rock band Sultan of the Disco will enrich this year's lineup, along with celebrity Korean DJs including former singer Koo Jun-yup (DJ-Koo), comedians Park Myung-soo (DJ G-Park) and Park Nae-rae (DJ Narae).

A DJ performs at Ultra Korea 2015. Courtesy of Ultra Korea

"UMF has been the showcase for the world's best artists' live performances and albums. Full of splendid acts which are rarely seen here, Ultra Korea is Asia's showcase of UMF," said Richard Jung, CEO of UC Korea which co-organizes Ultra Korea in Seoul.

Eight world famous graffiti artists including Cuban-American graffiti artist Ernesto Maranje and Ivan J. Roque, often called the "Soul of Miami," and Miami artist Kazilla will give live street art performances.

One-day tickets are currently available at u-ticket.co.kr at 130,000 won and will also be sold at the door at 150,000 won. Three-day combo tickets are sold out.

Festival-goers clad in unique fashion pose at last year's Valley Rock Festival, left, and Ultra Music Festival, above and right. / Courtesy of Valley Rock Festival and Ultra Korea

More EDMs to follow

The EDM festivities will be further carried on well into July and August. On July 9, there is 5tardium, a Heineken-organized one-night DJing festival. Under the theme of mythology, the third annual electronic music festival will also be held at Jamsil Olympic Stadium. Its lineup includes English garage duo Gorgon City, Dutch-Turkish progressive house DJ Ummet Ozcan, Loudpvck, and Ookay. Early bird tickets are being sold for 66,000 won. Visit its website at www.5tardium.com for more information.

On July 30, Water Bomb 2016 that mixes water play with hip-hop and EDM will be held in Seoul. Throughout the day, participants will have a water fight, shoot water guns and throw water balloons. Headlining the festival is American electronic music producer and DJ Kill the Noise in his first show in Korea. The exact venue of the festival has yet to be announced.

Also, the World DJ Festival's summer version Water War 2016 will be held at Songam Sports Town, Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, from Aug. 19 to 21.

Camping and music

Another hot trend with local music festivals this year is combining music and camping. Opening this year's selection of music and camping festivals is Rainbow Festival that runs June 18 and 19 at Jaraseom, Gapyeong County.

The lineup spotlights local indie rock, including headliner Kiha and the Faces, 10cm, Life & Time, Reflex, Idiotape, Sweden Laundry, Mood Salon and Zion.T.

Campers can either choose to bring their own camping gear or rent sleeping bags, lanterns and tents in a package deal. Currently tickets are sold at a discount for 66,000 won. Those who wish to camp out should buy additional camping tickets that run from 30,000 for a two-person site up to 150,000 won for a six-person caravan site. Tickets are for sale on Interpark, Yes24, Ticket Monster and Naver Booking. Visit rainbowfestival.co.kr for more information.

Rock festivals

Unlike previous years that have seen multiple rock festivals in fierce competition to attract festival-goers, only two major rock festivals have been slated this season _ the Valley Rock Festival set for July, and Incheon Pentaport Rock Festival in August.

Valley Rock Festival will be held at Jisan Forest Resort in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, from July 22 to 24.

As one of Korea's biggest music festivals, it has previously invited such legendary musicians as Radiohead, Oasis, Muse and Foo Fighters. This year, it will bring iconic American rock band the Red Hot Chili Peppers and English psychedelic rock band Kula Shaker.

The Chili Peppers, who last played here 14 years ago, were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Kula Shaker, who recently released their fifth studio album "K 2.0," celebrating 20 years together, have also upped the anticipation for the upcoming festival. Visit valleyrockfestival.mnet.com for more information.

Together with Valley Rock Festival, the other massive-scale rock festival awaiting music fans is Pentaport Rock Festival, slated for August 12 to 14, in Songdo, Incheon.

Held in a slightly more urban setting than Jisan Valley, the 11th annual rock festival will heat up Pentaport Park in Songdo International Business District with three non-stop days of rock and electronica.

This year's lineup includes U.K. alternative rock band Suede, American alternative rock band Weezer, American pop rock band Panic! at the Disco, Irish indie band Two Door Cinema Club and many more to be announced soon. Local indie rock band Nell will make a comeback at the festival after 10 years.

Visit pentaportrock.com for more information.