LDN Noise is now one of the most famous production teams in Korea. You know, the British duo, who has many Korean hit songs, has collaborated with various k-pop idols, especially with those who are in SM Entertainment such as EXO and Girls’ Generation. By the way, the question here is “Is LDN Noise’s music really captivating Koreans?” Well, it may sounds very provocative, but not a few people in the k-pop world answer no to this question.
EDM’s popularity in Korea
LDN Noise does EDM-based music. Actually, I like their music. Their music, which is comprised of well-ordered sounds, is very unique and refined. However, popular appeal of the music is another story. In Korea, hip hop is enjoying its glory days. “SMTM5” was one of the most popular TV shows in Korea, while one of the reasons why YG’s rookie girl group BLACKPINK is so popular is that they do hip hop-based music. On the contrary, EDM is not that popular in Korea. EDM is still unfamiliar to Korean music fans, and it’s true that they find it difficult to listen to LDN Noise’s experimental music. Actually, most of young Korean music fans are familiar with hip-hop based dance music which has catchy hooks.
Of course, a variety of k-pop idols have topped Korean music charts with LDN Noise’s songs, but what people in the k-pop world are talking about is that it’s not thanks to LDN Noise’s music but thanks to the idol stars’ great popularity.
Why does SM love LDN Noise’s music?
Then, another question here is “Why do the SM artists collaborate with LDN Noise again and again even though their music doesn’t have popular appeal?” Well, there are two primary reasons. First, Lee Soo Man, the representative producer of the biggest k-pop agency loves EDM. SM has its EDM label “ScreaM Records,” while the agency’s large-scale EDM festival "SPECTRUM DANCE MUSIC FESTIVAL" was held in Seoul too. Actually, there’s a reason why Lee Soo Man is really hooked on EDM. EDM is a globally popular music, which means the market opportunity for the music is significant. Even though EDM is not popular in Asian countries yet, Lee Soo Man is looking at the future.
Second, what SM and LDN Noise have common is that they’re always seeking for unordinary things. Regardless of the singers’ musicality, famous idol groups of SM such as EXO, SHINee, f(x) and Girls’ Generation have been challenging themselves. They’ve tried various genres of music even if the music has less popular appeal. So, LDN Noise’s unique music has been used as a great tool for the SM artists to show off their extraordinariness, and through the music, the idol stars could succeed in differentiating themselves from the other k-pop singers and establishing a solid foothold in the world of k-pop.
