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Single - 64 Moments (Released on 10/30/2024)
1. Subusa
2. Boolsa
64ksana - 64Moments
The term "ksana" derives from Sanskrit, denoting an ephemeral moment—a fleeting instant. The Buddhist scripture 'Mahāvastu' describes 64ksana as the time it takes for silk threads to be severed. Music, too, is an art of time: moments when the vibrations of atoms and molecules formulate sound—moments that are woven into a temporal fabric. The name 64ksana encapsulates a commitment to express the pure, transient presence of music as it exists in the here and now.
During his study abroad in the United States, Jundo carried with him a perpetual awareness of being an outsider. However, this began to change when he encountered the liberating pulse of rave culture, offering an unbridled sense of freedom and a spiritual immersion in the moment—a sensation that evoked a profound connection to shamanistic traditions familiar to many Koreans. Thus, the encounter with estrangement, the release afforded by the rave, and an intellectual curiosity about shamanism inspired Jundo's creative pursuit of reimagining Western electronic dance music into something expansive and distinct. This vision led to the formation of 64ksana with Won Jaeyeon, a vocalist and percussionist trained in Korean folk song (Gyeonggi minyo), and Ejo, a percussionist whose experimental roots lie in dub music.
The single, <64 Moments>, includes two tracks—'Boolsa' and 'Subusa'—that have come to best represent the group in their live performances. 'Boolsa' draws its lyrics from the laughter of a character in a Seoul ritual called Daegam Nori, slowly building over a deep sub-bass beat to entrance the listeners into the sonic universe of 64ksana. 'Subusa' takes its inspiration from the East Coast Byulshin Gut, specifically from a ritual that aims to appease the Subusa lion spirit. With techno beats interwoven with bells and the sharp clang of Korean percussion instruments like the kkwaenggwari, 'Subusa' articulates the group's intent—to harness ritual music's latent power.
Music composition is an alchemical process. The creation of 21st-century popular music that reinterprets gugak is far from a simple juxtaposition of traditional sounds atop a techno beat played from a DJ booth. These disparate elements require careful exploration of their intersections and the forging of new chemical bonds—each sound combination subjected to trial and failure. For 64ksana, the music-making process began with the core of gut music—Korean shamanistic ritual sounds—layering electronic beats upon it, and gradually incorporating improvisation to shape each piece. They have also expanded their vision through performances enriched with media art, enhancing both their sound and the audiences' experiences.
Just as the gut represents the interplay of life and death, allowing shamans to connect with the divine, raves also embody an awareness of the body's vitality and the mind's unconscious state. Why have humans engaged in similar acts across such disparate spaces and times? We do not know why we dance. Why do some encounter the divine through dance while others experience liberation? There is no certainty. Life, death, sorrow, anger, joy, and ecstasy—these states of being, much like the moments in music, arise and dissolve within an instant. It is my hope that 64ksana can share these moments with you.
HAVAQQUQ (Representative of YOUNG, GIFTED & WACK Records)
During his study abroad in the United States, Jundo carried with him a perpetual awareness of being an outsider. However, this began to change when he encountered the liberating pulse of rave culture, offering an unbridled sense of freedom and a spiritual immersion in the moment—a sensation that evoked a profound connection to shamanistic traditions familiar to many Koreans. Thus, the encounter with estrangement, the release afforded by the rave, and an intellectual curiosity about shamanism inspired Jundo's creative pursuit of reimagining Western electronic dance music into something expansive and distinct. This vision led to the formation of 64ksana with Won Jaeyeon, a vocalist and percussionist trained in Korean folk song (Gyeonggi minyo), and Ejo, a percussionist whose experimental roots lie in dub music.
The single, <64 Moments>, includes two tracks—'Boolsa' and 'Subusa'—that have come to best represent the group in their live performances. 'Boolsa' draws its lyrics from the laughter of a character in a Seoul ritual called Daegam Nori, slowly building over a deep sub-bass beat to entrance the listeners into the sonic universe of 64ksana. 'Subusa' takes its inspiration from the East Coast Byulshin Gut, specifically from a ritual that aims to appease the Subusa lion spirit. With techno beats interwoven with bells and the sharp clang of Korean percussion instruments like the kkwaenggwari, 'Subusa' articulates the group's intent—to harness ritual music's latent power.
Music composition is an alchemical process. The creation of 21st-century popular music that reinterprets gugak is far from a simple juxtaposition of traditional sounds atop a techno beat played from a DJ booth. These disparate elements require careful exploration of their intersections and the forging of new chemical bonds—each sound combination subjected to trial and failure. For 64ksana, the music-making process began with the core of gut music—Korean shamanistic ritual sounds—layering electronic beats upon it, and gradually incorporating improvisation to shape each piece. They have also expanded their vision through performances enriched with media art, enhancing both their sound and the audiences' experiences.
Just as the gut represents the interplay of life and death, allowing shamans to connect with the divine, raves also embody an awareness of the body's vitality and the mind's unconscious state. Why have humans engaged in similar acts across such disparate spaces and times? We do not know why we dance. Why do some encounter the divine through dance while others experience liberation? There is no certainty. Life, death, sorrow, anger, joy, and ecstasy—these states of being, much like the moments in music, arise and dissolve within an instant. It is my hope that 64ksana can share these moments with you.
HAVAQQUQ (Representative of YOUNG, GIFTED & WACK Records)