Sounds of Korea: World music band Dosi brings fusion of traditional and contemporary music to Chennai

CHENNAI: InKo Centre, with the support of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST), Arts Council Korea (ARKO) and Korean Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chennai, is bringing the world of Korean music to the city with the World Music Band Dosi. The city will witness the band’s performance, workshop and live demos.

World Music Band Dosi, which was founded in 2018, has captivated the audience with music that feels both familiar yet mysterious and free. As the audience is drawn deeper into this musical world, they become enchanted as if under the spell of a goblin. By combining traditional instruments such as the daegeum (bamboo flute), piri (double-reed pipe), and geomungo (zither) with the sound of the guitar and drums, their performance blends genres such as acoustic, hard rock, heavy metal, and retro electronic music.

World Music Band Dosi consists of Ha, Dongmin, who plays the daegeum, Kim, Eunkyeong, who plays the piri and saengwhang, Han, Songlee, who is a drummer and a percussionist. The fourth member of the band is Lee, Junhyeok, who will be seen pulling the strings of the guitar, along with Park, Chunkyung, who will play the geomungo.

This fusion will expand the boundaries of traditional Korean music, showcasing the versatility of Dosi.

Motivated by traditional folk songs from Gyeonggi (central) and Seodo (northern) regions of Korea, the piece not only preserves the distinctive melodies of traditional instruments with their free bending techniques, but also reinterprets symbolic gestures and imagery from traditional dances such as Buchaechum (fan dance), Salpuri (spiritual dance), and Taepyeongmu (dance of peace) through music.

Through this unique storytelling, five goblin-like performers will unite with the Chennai audiences on stage. “The performance includes a total of nine pieces, headlined by The Wind of Goblin, the Gold Prize-winning piece from the 12th 21st Century Korean Music Project, and Moon Shadow, which is the Grand Prize-winning piece from the Arirang Creative Song Contest, organised by the Korean Traditional Performing Arts Foundation,” explains Gail Bosser, the programme coordinator at InKo Centre.

An interactive workshop with the musicians in association with KM Music Conservatory was concluded yesterday. Their performance will be taking place today, from 7 pm to 8 pm, at Rukmini Arangam, Kalakshetra Foundation.

The band has also scheduled a demonstration of their art to students in Meenakshi College for December 7, between 11 am to 1 pm.

“Through this amalgam, we aim to introduce Indian audiences to the unique sound of Korean music that beautifully blends traditional instrumentation with contemporary interpretations,” highlights Gail.