London Korean Links

Covering things Korean in London and beyond since 2006

Alex: My Vintage Romance

Fluxus Music, June 2008 As a fan of Clazziquai, I wish I could be more enthusiastic about the first solo outing of one of its members, the male vocalist Alex. On the plus side, he has a mellow, well-controlled voice, very pleasant to listen to. And he has a reasonably distinguished line-up of guest stars. … [Read More]

Clazziquai #3: Love child of the century

Clazziquai’s third album revisits much of the material from their previous efforts, but somehow fails to repeat the freshness. In an attempt to do something new, they have come up with a bigger, poppier sound, with the emphasis on a wall of synthesised support for their previously more transparent style. Take as an example of … [Read More]

Clazziquai #2: Color your Soul

Clazziquai’s second main album has some of the same formulae as their first, the blend of lounge, electronica and Latin, but includes an additional influence: a slight funk element. There’s a slightly greater emphasis on the bass, and the horns in the background of some of the tracks – for example, #4, Cry out loud … [Read More]

Clazziquai Project #1: Instant Pig

A combination of Acid Jazz, electronica and chill-out lounge, with sometimes a flavour of Latin (the fifth track, novabossa, could almost come from an Astrud Gilberto album). The instrumental emphasis is very much on electronic sounds, though some tracks benefit from acoustic guitar. The vocals are always pleasant and relaxed. There’s nothing terribly profound here, … [Read More]