Choi Joonyong and Hong Chulki have been leading figures in the emerging experimental music community in Seoul for the last 15 years. In addition to both being highly active collaborators and prolific performers, Choi and Hong are organizers, documenters and advocates of this vital community. Balloon and Needle, a label they co-founded, has released experimental music from Korea since 2000. ISSUE presents an evening duo concert with Choi and Hong, in anticipation of an upcoming series documenting the practices flourishing in Seoul, coming in Fall 2013.
Choi Joonyong started Astronoise with Hong Chulki in 1997, and has been playing noise/experimental/improvised music since. Primarily using playback devices such as CD-player, MP3-player, tape player, VCR, or loud-speaker, Choi works with sounds from the mechanisms, exposing the innate qualities of the players themselves. He has released many albums, including five solo albums made with malfunction of CD-player. He is interested in control and failure of playing through improvisation and composition. Choi's label, Balloon & Needle, has released experimental music from Korea since 2000. His latest release, Danthrax features his unique approach to dance music.
Hong Chulki is a noise/improvising musician from Seoul, South Korea, known for his cartridgeless turntable, and as the founding member of Astronoise, Korea's first live noise act (with Choi Joonyong). He has been focusing on free improvisation since the early 2000, collaborating with musicians including Ryu Hankil, Jin Sangtae, Joe Foster, Kevin Parks, Otomo Yoshihide, Sachiko M, Jason Kahn, Takahiro Kawaguchi, Nick Hoffman, Robbie Avenaim and Zbigniew Karkowski. He has performed for the festivals including All Ears, Against, Kitakyushu Biennale and NETMAGE 10, and also has been a musician in residence at Cafe Oto and STEIM. Hong has composed pieces for several Korean experimental/independent films, especially, Goksa (Kim Gok/Kim Sun). He also has been a long-time collaborator in audio-visual performance project called Expanded Celluloid Extended Phonograph with the Korean film artist Lee Hangjun, who works in 16mm multi-projection performance. Hong's recordings both in solo and collaborative format have been released on his own label, Balloon and Needle, co-founded and co-run with Choi, and by Manual, Celadon, Pilgrim Talk, Hanson Records and Audition Records.