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Epik High continues to be a K-Pop phenomenon and one of the most admired musicians in the world. They gave the world the best tunes, which resonate with every emotion and serve as a soundtrack for every occasion, through their remarkable and diverse repertoire.

As Tablo, DJ Tukutz, and Mithra Jin make their way to the Philippine concert stage, we reflect on the two-decade history of one of the long-standing groups whose music defined and continues to define generations. We reminisce on the years and count down the days before the Epik High is Here Tour lands in Manila with a list of seven of their songs that should be on everyone’s playlist.

SEE ALSO: Why EPIK HIGH’s Manila Show is One that You Wouldn’t Want to Miss

Song #1: Lesson One (Tablo’s Word)

“Lesson One (Tablo’s Word),” from Epik High’s debut Korean studio album, Map of the Human Soul, is a strong and controversial song that expresses and dives into the human truth. Despite its 2003 release, the song is still relevant and resonates with the world we live in and the ideologies that control humanity.

Song #2: Fly

In the early years of Epik High, their “lyrically intricate music” did not appeal to the general population in South Korea, resulting in the dismal performance of their earlier releases. As a result, Swan Songs, their third studio album, was planned to be their final record. However, the universe had other ideas for the group, as it turned out to be the record that catapulted them to mainstream stardom.

The album, which features a variety and mix of hip-hop, electronica, rock, and jazz, was hailed by music critics and the Korean mainstream public upon its initial release. “Fly”, the lead single of Swan Songs, also gave Epik High five music show victories. In addition, the song earned the trio the Hip-Hop Award at the 2005 Golden Disc Award, Song of the Year at the 2005 Melon Music Award, and Best Hip-Hop Performance at the 2005 Mnet KM Music Video Festival.

Song #3: Fan

Epik High continued to gain mainstream success with their fourth studio album, Remapping the Human Soul. Despite the album’s sales being age-restricted due to its contentious subject matter, which included sex, religion, and war, and several of its songs were forbidden from being broadcast on South Korean radio stations, the album became the third best-selling album of 2007 in South Korea. Remapping the Soul was named Album of the Year at the 2007 Mnet Asian Music Awards, Best Album at the 2007 Seoul Music Awards, and Best Hip Hop Album at the 2008 Korean Music Awards.

Leading the album as the title track, “Fan” went on to give Epik High five music show wins. It was also Cyworld Digital Music Awards’ Song of the Month in February and Mnet KM Music Festival’s Best Hip Hop Performance in 2007.

Song #4: It’s Cold

A collaboration with Lee Hi, “It’s Cold” is one of the tracks of Epik High’s seventh studio album, 99 — their first release under YG Entertainment. The song also marked the trio’s first single following a three-year hiatus.

“It’s Cold” further proved the unwavering chart power of Epik High as it dominated various charts in South Korea upon its release and achieved an all-kill. The song highlights Tablo and Mithra′s sensitive lyrics and features then-new artist Lee Hi’s unique vocal style. The song’s lyrics describe two people who are emotionally incapable after repeatedly falling in love and breaking up.

Song #5: Spoiler & Happen Ending

“Spoiler” and “Happen Ending” served as the title tracks of Shoebox, Epik High’s eighth studio album, which received much acclaim from critics and the general public as evidenced by its outstanding chart performance in South Korea and internationally. Billboard’s Jessica Oak described the album as “lavish both sonically and lyrically”.

“Happen Ending” is a sorrowful hip-hop ballad about feeling helpless and disillusioned about love following yet another failed romance. In contrast, “Spoiler” tells the tale of a man who predicts the end of his relationship after seeing a movie spoiler.

Song #6: LOVEDRUNK

Teaming up with Crush on the song and with IU and Jin Seo Yeon on the music video, Epik High delivered a combination of a melancholic ballad and hip-hop in “LOVEDRUNK”, the title track of their second extended play, Sleepless in ____________. The song is immensely somber, with a standout performance from Crush.

Tablo also described the song as a song about realizing why people think alcohol tastes sweet after their first breakup or other traumatic experience.

“LOVEDRUNK” earned Epik High two music show wins and the Best Rap/Hip Hop Award at the 2019 Melon Music Awards.

Song #7: Gray so Gray

Epik High reunited with singer-songwriter Younha in “Gray so Gray”, the lead single of Epik High Is Here 下, Part 2. The alternative-R&B single “Gray So Gray” elicits feelings of regret and longing in listeners by thriving on a bed of hip-hop beats and soaring with mellow piano notes and clear percussion sounds.

After bagging five wins including Album of the Year at the recently concluded Awit Awards 2022, Ben&Ben returns with a new single that captures the essence of romantic love without forcing or expecting anything in return.

Setting itself apart from the conventional themes often associated with the subject, the nine-piece band encapsulates love that is earned through perfect timing and experience.

On “Dear,” Ben&Ben interprets a love song that is unapologetically bare in its messaging.

“We think it’s equally important to drop any notion of wanting to deliberately steer clear of potential sounds and themes we may have already done when being unapologetic and honest in songwriting and arranging,” the folk-pop collective says in a statement. “Like in love, the more you fight the feeling, the more one might feel internally dissonant.”

Penned by Paolo Benjamin and Miguel Benjamin, “Dear” serves as a reflection of the band’s collective and individual experiences with love so far and how one becomes stronger after going through bittersweet lessons in life. The band recorded the song at A.R. Rahman’s Firdaus Studio during their time at Expo 2020 Dubai.

“Dear is a song that tries to capture the feeling of a deeper kind of romantic love; one that begins when a person surrenders the pursuit of a lover itself to a higher power,” reveals Ben&Ben.

From a production standpoint, “Dear” evokes the timeless feeling of nostalgia and earnestness, while capturing the sound of a generation drawn into ‘70s singer-songwriter calm and pop-rock vigor.

“Not only were we able to use their world-class studio space and equipment, but we also had the pleasure of working with the stellar team at Firdaus Studio, including Peter El Khoury, Alexander Theux, Theodore Danso, and Ali Hassan,” says the multi-award-winning band. “Unlike most of our tracks that we record individually in the studio, we decided to record this one together as a full band, and we feel the final track really reflects that more ‘old-school’ feeling of looseness and authenticity.”

Ben&Ben hopes that music fans will connect instantly with the song and get a very valid answer to the question, “How do I know when I’m sure about somebody?” As the Paninindigan Kita act puts it, “We also just really hope this song connects people together in a way that they remember the people in their lives whom they can really call ‘Dear’ as well.”

Ben&Ben’s “Dear” is out now on all digital music platforms worldwide via Sony Music Entertainment. Watch the recorded live version here.

Electronic avant-pop artist Space-Ta threw a listening party at Whitespace Manila on November 18, 2022, to celebrate the upcoming release of his full-length debut album, Flight of the White Rekusasu.

Incorporating genre-blurring soundscapes with intricate beats and retro-futurist production, Space-Ta’s 8-track record blasted through the speakers as the audience enjoyed free-flowing cocktails and drinks against a backdrop of minimalist, underground club scene.

DJ acts Baby Oliv and Red-i complemented the mood of the event with banger-after-banger jams that evoke after-hour rumination in a retro-futuristic set.

A voiceover that hints about the concept behind Space-Ta’s new album was also played during one of the segments of the program. “In a world where the TIME COUNCIL has countlessly reformatted life as we know it, Space-Ta journeys back in time to explore extinct music genres and bring them back to the planet with the cinematic beauty that they once had,” introduced the VO. “An enigmatic figure in the 2032 music scene, he opposes norms, defends freedom restricted by the powers-that-be, and rediscovers himself as an artist poised to transform the world.”

Flight of the White Rekusasu will be available on digital platforms worldwide on November 25, 2022. The album is set to be released under Lockdown Entertainment—home to several critically acclaimed artists in the Philippines such as Tarsius, Flying Ipis, Assembly Generals, and more.

Space-Ta: About The Artist

An elusive figure in the music scene, Space-Ta is a time traveler-philanthropist-musician that lives in the year 2032. From a world where TIME COUNCIL has countlessly reformatted life as we know it, S-T moves back and forth in time to re-establish and reconnect erased music genres that were banned by the TC.

Like graffiti rivals, S-T re-establishes the undone music by collaborating with past musicians to bring back what was lost while simultaneously rediscovering himself in the process.
Space-Ta’s story is continually told through music, animation, and various forms of media- all of which are given to his listeners in small doses and through fleeting experiences.