The DIY treasure of KANG CHAN GU
Written by Sam Dougherty (@samtdougherty)
Suwon bedroom rocker talks to Debaser about his laid-back songwriting and love for music.
For KANG CHAN GU, the music seems to come one slice of life at a time. “Each song was recorded and finished in a different season,” says Kang about his charming new album, Hello, World! “I always had a lot of fun during the recording sessions.”
After a listen to Kang’s discography, It’s not surprising that he enjoyed making these breezy tunes, but it’s notable that he had all this fun on his own. “I recorded all of them in my room.”
Bedroom rock and sunlight don’t necessarily go hand in hand, but the clear blue sky on the Hello, World!’s album cover is fitting. These tracks are ideal for a spring walk or a leisurely road trip along the shore. Standout tracks here like “Chat”, “Cloud”, and album closer “Under the Tree” all have a sense of melancholy, but it’s countered equally by the light, relaxed wandering of a daydreamer. “This album contains stories from the world as I see it. I hope you can enjoy it within your own world.”
Surf-pop is heard all over the guitar parts here, which Kang says is his “most familiar and comfortable” instrument, but it’s not his only tool. “The drums were programmed through sequencing while I played everything else. If you add them all up, it's around seven different instruments.”
Despite this development of his craft, or maybe because of it, Kang has not yet played live. He comes across as a humble artist, simply wanting to continue doing what he loves. “I’ll be happy if I can just keep at it consistently.”
Kang doesn’t pinpoint one influence, but says he draws inspiration from jazz and Japanese music, and when asked for some favorites, said he enjoys The Beatles, Haruomi Hasano, and Chibo Matto.
These touchstones check out across all of Kang’s recorded work, which includes the 2022 album, rkdcksrn and a handful of singles released as far back as 2020. Some of these are real gems. Take the jangle pop jam Ah.. for instance, or his debut single Face which sounds timeless and nostalgic. These are rock songs with unignorable melody and character.
For the help Kang received on Hello, World!, he credits Kang Kyung Duck of LAMP studio, who assisted with mastering the tracks, “and many people who provided me emotional support.” On his indie rock path, he sent the album to a few music distributors and two showed interest. He chose Poclanos after “the representative showed a great deal of interest in my music, which really made me want to distribute with them. Thanks to their meticulous attention to the many steps leading up to the release, everything went smoothly.”
KANG CHAN GU is going to keep doing his own thing, and that’s what makes him so easy to root for. “If people like any of my songs, then I’m proud of them”, he says, and if that’s the case, there’s plenty to be proud of.