백현진 - [서울식]

With the mixing nearly complete, Morning of March 6, 2025, Regarding the two 《Seoul-style》 albums. I gave my first performance in front of Hongdae in 1995. Thirty years have passed. The climate has changed, and so have I. In 2025, I am releasing two new full-length albums: 《Seoul-style Day Side》 and 《Seoul-style Night Side》. After finishing the recordings for the songs to be included in each album, I have spent the last two years in a grueling struggle with these tracks as both producer and mixing engineer. However, as a musician, I conclude this work without having captured ‘technique, sense, and heart’ to my full satisfaction. Through this process, I have come to acknowledge my limitations, and I resolve to approach my new work more calmly, joyfully, persistently, and healthily. Born and raised in Seoul, I wanted to record the things I have experienced, felt, and thought about using the ‘technique, sense, and heart’ I possess now, turning them into a ‘sound’ in the Seoul-style. I hope that through these two albums, you can enjoy another side of Seoul. To the fellow musicians who joined me and to those who supported this album, I convey my gratitude beyond what words can express. Baek Hyunjin / It is thrilling to live in the same era as Baek Hyunjin. It is truly a luxury that I can use the same language and live in the same city as him. Baek Hyunjin is an artist who captures work regarding the seen and the heard across all dimensions. The megalopolis of Seoul embraced and raised him. Having given his first performance in front of Hongdae in 1995, Baek Hyunjin has brewed the time he lived through over 30 years to record Seoul as a ‘sound.’ In particular, as the producer and mixing engineer of this album, he added expression to the sound—without reservation—not only through so-called artistic and conceptual creative activities but also through engineering, that is, as a technician. As a musician, he has painted everything he possibly could, from the lyrics and melodies to the ‘plating’ that holds them. Through the kind distinction of [Seoul-style Day Side] and [Seoul-style Night Side], Baek Hyunjin has lent his eyes and ears to the listeners. We can experience the Seoul that is seen and heard through Baek Hyunjin's eyes and ears. Seoulites can feel the Seoul-style as Seoulites, and global citizens can feel it as global citizens. Once again. It is marvelous. Moon Sang-hoon (Comedian) / This is the third time I am writing an introduction for his creative work. I wonder why he keeps requesting me. I fall into a reflection, wondering if I have written too sincerely in the past. In truth, I am happy every time, but I begin the introduction to [Seoul-style] while pretending to be somewhat reluctant. [Seoul-style] is a project divided into two sides, day and night, and it features music that allows one to experience a spectrum far broader than that time difference. I believe this spectrum represents Baek Hyunjin well; at times he is like a fantastical monkey, and at others, he possesses various expressions, such as lonelyly exhaling cigarette smoke mixed with lament in a secluded alley. In his songwriting method, which repeats stories that are not grandiose, one can even feel a certain longing. I think it was like that during the production of [Your Hand] by Bangbaek, which I participated in. An impression that his somewhat urban yet somehow sordid memories are being distorted and repeated. I find myself lost in thought about his partner who has now departed far away. While many of the familiar songs revealed through performances are positioned on the Day Side, the Night Side features pitch-black music where it is difficult to gauge the distance. Perhaps from here on, as we walk gropingly, your hand and mine might accidentally touch. Whether that happens or not. There is a half-finished bottle of cheongju in a corner of the kitchen. I pour a glass slowly and stand it by the sunny window, watching it quietly. I hold onto the expectation that [Seoul-style] might become one of the best pieces I experience this year. Kim Han-ju (Musician) / 'Sweet Quince and Rotten Cherry' Sanyan (Producer)