myKOREA with Patrick Connor

As part of our myKOREA series, we’ll be asking someone on the local scene to share their journey through Korean culture by naming their favourite musicians, movies, and artists. We’ll also be asking them to tell us about one more thing of their choosing.

For this issue, we spoke to Patrick Connor. Since coming here over a decade ago, Patrick has been very busy. Patrick started Highjinkx; a live music promotion project that have brought some famous names to Korea. He also started Beeline Records, an independent label releasing music from some of Korea’s best up and coming bands. He is also the drummer for indie rock outfit Rough Cuts.

Fore more information on Highjinkx, visit highjinkx.com or follow them here.

Music: WEDANCE

I have come across many amazing musicians in Korea, both as a fan and during my time working in the music industry. When I first got into the scene, I was really into bands like The Freaks, Frenzy, No Respect For Beauty, NON, 404, and Kuang Program. These days, I am listening to acts like Soullette, Lee Hee Moon, From All To Human, and Airy.

If I have to choose one, I think I will have to pick WEDANCE. I first saw WEDANCE play in Strangefruit around 10 years ago and have been a fan ever since. Their music is infectious and calls even the most reluctant audience member to get up and dance (I am one of those reluctant dancers, but I've yet to attend a WEDANCE show where I have not had a little boogie). Their name acts as both a challenge and invitation; "WEDANCE, do you?"

It is not only their music that is infectious, though. Everything from their retirement community-inspired dress sense, their weird and wonderful dancing styles, to their handmade CD's screams, "this is us, what are you going to do about it?"

There's not enough proudly odd stuff in the world, and WEDANCE seem to speak to that feeling.

Movie: LE TOUR: MY LAST 49 DAYS

My favourite Korean movie is Le Tour: My Last 49 Days (뚜르: 내 생애 최고의 49일). It's an independent production that initially got rejected by cinemas. As a result, it was kept unreleased for 6 years.

The film is about a man diagnosed with a rare cancer and is only given a few months to live. He decides to stop receiving cancer treatment and set off on a lifelong dream to ride the Tour de France. He goes to France with a crew of friends and acquaintances, including a doctor and a small camera crew.

The documentary is an inspiring tale of making one's dreams come true against all the odds, set against a backdrop of illness, bad planning and conflicts among the support team.

Art: CHRIS DA CANHA

My favorite artist is a friend of mine who I met recently through climbing.

Chris da Canha is a freelance photographer living and working here in Seoul.

He does a lot of fashion photography, but it is his street photography that I enjoy the most. His images are super intimate and depict what Korea truly looks like to me.

On top of that, he has just started a youtube channel detailing how he goes about capturing all these amazing images.

Rather than hiding in the shadows, he details how he makes himself super visible to the subjects he is shooting and “talks his way into people's lives”.

One more thing: STRANGEFRUIT MUSIC VENUE

Strangefruit is not just the first place I saw WEDANCE; it's the first place I saw most of the bands I love here. It's a tiny basement bar in Hongdae that is run by a music-loving doctor (and super nice guy) as a hobby-project.

On non-gig nights, it is an unassuming place to chill out and have a few drinks. The only real sign that live music happens here is a small drum kit stick in the corner. the corner. It may not look like the music mecca it is, but anyone who has been there to see a show or two will know that it is THE place to go to see both up and coming musicians and established stars of the Korean underground / independent music scene. Artists tend to run their own nights there, so lineups often consist of bands that are friends with each other - making for a super fun, chilled vibe. Shows often run on for hours and turn into jam sessions that run late into the night. It is not just Korean bands you will find here; touring bands often end up here for drinks and after-parties, often resulting in unofficial shows by some pretty big names. If you turn up there during the Zandari festival season, there will be some pretty big parties with both local and international acts jamming late into the night.