You know, sometimes Facebook actually gets something right. It shows you something totally unexpected, something you would probably never have found on your own. The FB algorithm has killed curiosity, but that’s another story.
For once though, I have to give credit to the mysterious workings of this thing. A short video from a band called IDIOTAPE suddenly landed in front of me, without warnings. I had never heard of them before. 3 seconds later, I wanted to know who the hell they were.
The music immediately grabbed me, seriously. It was so exciting, electronic music with real infectious drums.
And those drums are the backbone of IDIOTAPE, no contest. They give their music a freshness and a physical excitement that immediately separates it from electronic music built around a drum machine. There is a human pulse underneath all those synthesizers. IDIOTAPE produce the kind of high energy electronic music that makes you want to move before you have even worked out exactly what you are listening to. I was literally moving in my chair listening to them.
I love electronic music. I love rock. So when someone manages to throw the two together and make it sound this convincing, I am going to pay attention.
There is something wonderfully aggressive about the way IDIOTAPE approach electronic music. Their sound brings together techno, electro, rock, punk and psychedelic influences, with the synthesizers occupying the space that guitars might normally take in a rock band. Then there is the drum kit, keeping everything grounded.
IDIOTAPE are a South Korean electronic rock trio from Seoul, built around two synthesists, Dguru and Zeze, and drummer DR. The band formed in Seoul around 2008 and quickly established themselves within South Korea’s electronic and alternative music scene. Their debut album, “11111101“, won Best Dance And Electronic Album at the 2012 Korean Music Awards. They followed it with “Tours” and “Dystopian“, with the latter also winning the same award in 2018.
And they have taken their strange electronic beast well beyond South Korea, appearing at festivals including Glastonbury, Sziget, Summer Sonic, Reeperbahn Festival and SXSW.
So here I am, having discovered a band I had somehow completely missed, thanks to three seconds of Facebook doing something useful for once.
