16 WEDNESDAY

JULY 30, 2008 COMMUNITY

The Ratios
Photo by David Mann

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Some myths and

tips on gap years
By Jenny Early
ExpatWomen.com
Taking a “gap year” — which
is typically a year off from edu-
cation, is an increasingly popu-
lar way of gaining experience
and seeing the world. From
voluntary work to backpack-
ing, there are so many options
these days.
There are adventure holi-
days tailored for the daring,
volunteer projects in all cor-
ners of the globe for those ded-
beauty of a gap year is that it
teaches, through necessity, the
art of managing money. A
friend of mine spent all the
money given to her by darling
daddy in the first week of ar-
rival. Safe to say, she spent the
next few weeks eating nothing
but toast and staying indoors.
When something like this hap-
pens, the only thing you can do
is get back up off the floor and
make a conscious effort to cur-
tail your spending. Your mind-

The Ratios – Electronic rock with a twist

icated to helping others, and
there are internships for those
who want to gain a little work
experience before they start
their higher education.
Myth 1:
You are making a mistake
Gap years seem to be like
Marmite and world wars: They
divide people into two groups
— those who believe and those
who do not. They may be a mis-
take for some, but for the ma-
jority, I am sure they are not.
Truth be told, it is possible that
down the track, you might see
your gap year as a mistake. You
will not know that though until
you’ve tried it. Alternatively,
you might look back on your
gap year as the best life experi-
ence you could have ever imag-
ined — and the equivalent of
five years of university educa-
tion in one single year.
Myth 2:
You will never return
I cannot count how many
times I was told that I would
not come back. People were con-
vinced that I would leave edu-
set changes and you become —
all of a sudden — very good at
saving money.
Myth 4:
You cannot do it alone
Whether you can or you can-
not, all depends on what you be-
lieve you can achieve yourself.
If you feel you need someone
else, there are many gap year
organizations set up specifically
for travelers, and when volun-
teering, backpacking or intern-
ing. A close friend flew out to
New Zealand on her own. On
the plane over she met a group
of like-minded backpackers,
joined their group, rented a van
and never looked back. I found
myself a room in a house with
seven American interns, who all
became my best friends. Like-
minds attract and when travel-
ing on a gap year it is, cliched as
it may sound, very easy to meet
other people.
Gap year tips
Do something you love. It is
pointless paying the money and
going abroad to do something
you can’t get excited about.
This past weekend the
Korean band The Ratios were
one of the acts featured on the
main stage at the Incheon
Pentaport Rock Festival.
There they had a chance to
play for a crowd of not just lo-
cals, but also plenty of non-
Korean faces.
Kim Ba-da was formerly the
lead singer of the popular
Korean heavy metal band,
Sinawe. He was also a member
of the Butterfly Effect after
Sinawe broke up in 1999. He
has now reinvented himself
since forming The Ratios.
The style of Kim’s new band is
electronic rock, which comple-
ments the innovation and edgi-
ness of his wife’s fashion designs
(she uses his music at her
shows).
“I’m trying to make a unique
Korean sound and bring it to
another level,” Kim said when
Regina’s Walton’s
Expat interviews
asked how his band is perceived
by fans.
He describes The Ratios mu-
sic as “electronic, rock and
electro-punk.” Bands and
artists that have influenced
Kim’s music range from heavy
metal groups to electronica
acts. When asked to name his
musical influences, he identi-
fied artists like the Arctic
Monkeys, Chemical Brothers,
David Bowie, Depeche Mode,
Ian Brown, Kasabian, Nine
Inch Nails, T. Rex and Van
Halen. These musical influ-
ences mesh together to create a
distinct sound.
Kim’s brother Kim Jong-june,
formerly of the punk band No
Brain, is The Ratio’s bass play-
er. Jong-june likes to listen to
artists like Ian Brown and
Oasis.
Sang-jin, who plays the syn-
thesizer, was brought onboard
when Kim Ba-da heard his mu-
sic on the internet. Sang-jin lis-
tens to electronic music such as
Justice.
Rounding out the group are
Kim Yong-sik, their drummer,
who listens mostly to classic
rock, and Yun-taek, their sound
designer, who listens to elec-
tronica.
This crisscross of influences
explains why the tracks on The
Ratios’ recently released debut
CD, Burning Telepathy, range
from ‘80s-style electronic bal-
lads to tracks with heavy
basslines and an alternative
rock feel. The CD features songs
written in both English and
Korean, but the music makes
the album worth listening to no
matter which language Kim
sings in.
Kim is trying to bring diversi-
ty back to the Korean music
scene, which he feels is current-
ly full of pre-packaged and over-
produced K-pop acts.
“The music scene in Korea
was much better in the 90s. You
could hear all kinds of music
and artists were taking more
chances,” said the singer.
He says that he was
“shocked” when he first listened
to rock music because it was so
different from anything he’d
ever heard. He loved artists like
Van Halen and T. Rex, and
trained himself by listening to
classic rock.
“I want to be on the frontier of
electronic music in Korea,” he
said.
He knows that most young
Koreans listening to The
Ratios don’t recognize the in-
fluences the band draws on,
but hopes to change that. In
the future, he also hopes to
produce for acts he finds, help-
ing to establish a distinct core
of artists.
One way The Ratios are try-
ing to spread the word about
their music is by playing a few
shows this summer. Their next
show will be at M2 in the
Hongdae area of Seoul on Aug. 9
at 10 p.m. After that they will
play at the Busan International
Rock Festival on Sept. 2 and
then they’ll play the Guro-gu
Open Air concert in Seoul on
Sept. 27.
Go to myspace.com/
werearetheratios to hear The
Ratios’ music.
Regina can be reached
through her blog at
expatjane.blogspot.com — Ed.

Japan’s Envy shake Hongdae’s Rolling Hall

cation forever to lead a life of Do something that scares
wandering and eternal back- you. Travel alone, leave your fa-
packing. Whilst this actually vorite boots at home, go some-
sounds delightful, I have reason where you’ve never heard of.
to believe that it is also dread- Do something you might
fully untrue. Most gap year stu- never do again. All the things Having been a fan of
dents I have met are well aware that you never could do before Japanese music since my
that they are soon to be thrown and might never get the teenage days, it didn’t take
back into the grind of daily lec- chance to do again; this is your much prodding to get me to
tures and essay writing. Far chance to do them. Rolling Hall recently, where the
from giving them the urge to Do something that will help popular Japanese rock band,
stay put, it makes them simply you. Whether you need to grow Envy, let loose.
enjoy and appreciate the time as a person, develop indepen- Pastel Music recently put out
they have abroad — carefree dence or simply get work expe- their latest album, Insomniac
and worry-free, even more than rience, a gap year is the time to Doze, in Korea and also sup-
they would otherwise. do it. ported the show. The label has
Most importantly — do enjoy been putting out strong releases
Myth 3: You won’t be able yourself. Make the most of this from Korean and international
to manage your money time. You want to be able to say bands.
At the beginning, this is typ- you did it the best you could. Most releases on the label
ically true, but once reality tend to be from the softer indie
hits, gap year students quickly genre, but there are many pop,
learn to tailor their year to Copyright ExpatWomen.com instrumental and slightly more
their financial capabilities. The — Ed. aggressive releases. Their com-
pilation albums are worth pick-
ing up for a good introduction to
Exchange programs Korean indie music.
at Seoul Global Center Supporting Envy were
Korean instrumental three-
piece act Bullssazo. Bullssazo
“Neighbors From Afar” is a new program put on by the Cultural
Exchange Team at the Global Center. The program title is in Korean, have opened for many other
and translates as “far away yet neighboring countries met in the class- popular Japanese acts passing
room,” and describes the program’s goal of introducing other cultures to through Korea such as Mono,
Korean school children. World’s End Girlfriend and the
Non-Korean residents of Seoul volunteer to teach a two-hour lesson now separated Limited Express
roughly once a month (usually on a Saturday morning) at a Korean ele- (has gone?).
mentary school. Lessons have involved tasting traditional foods, learning The guitarist sported an un- Envy, a Japanese rock band, play a live
traditional dances and displays of famous national symbols. Volunteers usual two-headed string guitar. show at Rolling Hall in Hongdae. This
are aided by a Korean translator and, so far, 10 volunteers have given Once they kicked into their set, Saturday, Rolling Hall will host its “Summer
presentations on the cultures and customs of India, Bangladesh, Party,” featuring eight bands. Richard Doherty
France, Switzerland, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Australia, Moldova and the
for a three-piece band they were
United States quite loud. The quiet-loud for-
mula that really works in this
Field day with students genre was put to good use, and This energy continued for the for the more famous interna- Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets
while a little shaky at times, I Richard Doherty rest of the show. Toward the tional acts passing through cost 15,000 won.
This semester will be the first for the newly created Seoul International really enjoyed their perfor- end, as the music built up slow- Korea. To get to Rolling Hall from
Student Forum, a mixed body of Korean and non-Korean students that mance. on Live Music ly, the lights above the crowd Envy easily lived up to the Sangsu Station. Line 6, Exit No.
gathers to share culture, discuss concerns about foreign student life in Finally, Envy, from Tokyo, gradually grew brighter. As the hype. The venue was the perfect 1. Walk down the hill toward
Seoul, and also present ideas about Seoul City planning to city govern- took the stage. One of Japan’s guitars, a bass guitar, drums heat from the lights intensified, size for the show and was Hapjeong and turn right onto
ment officials.
foremost hardcore acts, Envy and Tetsuya Fukagawa on vo- I felt like Envy were playing to packed with some dedicated the street with the parked cars.
The first meeting of the general assembly’s approximately 120 members
will be in August. gained worldwide recognition cals and sequencer. a sun rising after a long age of fans that really got into it. Rolling Hall is next to the
Coincidentally, the Global Center has also in the past aided non-Korean with releases on Mogwai’s Rock Their playing style was ac- darkness. Envy were solid and Bullssazo, too, were a good Family Mart.
students’ sports organizations in obtaining practice space on a field near Action record label in Europe complished and comfortable. played their hearts out. Simply choice for support band that cer- Call (02) 3142-2981 for more
the Han River. and Temporary Resident The screamed vocals compli- amazing. tainly warmed up the crowd — information.
Through this work, members of the Cultural Exchange Team were able Limited records in North mented the music perfectly. The Rolling Hall is without and probably made a few new
to network with these students and encourage them to join the student America. They are veterans on crowd — especially the expats doubt one of the better venues fans that night.
forum. the hardcore scene, having — soon surged forward and ex- in Hongdae. It’s slightly large Rolling Hall is hosting a Richard can be reached
Visit global.seoul.go.kr for more information on the Seoul Global Center. formed in 1992. ploded into a frenzy as one of size suits bands that have a “summer party” this Saturday through his blog at dorty.rep-
Their set-up consisted of two the faster songs was played. good following and is perfect night, featuring eight bands. taro.net — Ed.