Q. Hello, please introduce yourself to our readers.
A: Hello. YongLee & the DOLTANG is a group that presents original songs based on post-rock sound and improvisation.
Q. Congratulations on being nominated for the Korean Music Awards. I would like to ask you how you feel about being nominated.
A. (YongLee) First of all, I’m really happy. The Korean Music Awards has been an award that has been a goal in my mind for a long time, and I consider it a great honor to be able to put my name on the nomination list, which is the first step. Our music may not be what you would call popular music, but we are even more grateful because it feels like support for the direction and actions we have chosen so far.
Q. I think it would be a good idea to start by first looking at each member’s individual activities. How have you been, Yechan?
A. (Yechan) Hello. This is Cho Ye-chan, who plays guitar in YongLee & the DOLTANG. I am the host of Evans Urban Jam Day every Tuesday, and I went on an Asian tour with a singer named Kyuhyun from January to May last year. I am currently engaged in recording and performing activities.
Q. I saw YongLee recently preparing for the Max Light Quartet performance with Dayeon. What kind of team is the Max Light Quartet?
A. (YongLee) Max Light Quartet is a team based on New York’s unique energy and high-density improvisation. It was meaningful to be able to participate in the first Korean tour of guitarist Max Light, who took second place at the 2019 Herbie Hancock Competition, and it was a time when I was able to grow a lot musically. I have maintained a relationship with Max since he was my graduate school classmate and we worked together on our first album.
Q. I saw that Dayeon also participated in the ‘There Was No Jungle’ activity last year. Please introduce what kind of team ‘There Was No Jungle’ is.
A. (Dayeon) Hello, this is drummer Seok Dayeon. ‘There Was No Jungle’ is a trio formed on the occasion of the 2024 SS:umic Festival, with guitarist Seongho Choi and vocalist Helen Oh. All three members work based on improvisation, but more than anything, they are a team that values the moments of sharing music with the audience.
By making music on stage every time without a set song or structure, we aim to create sensuous music that anyone can naturally accept, rather than making improvisation difficult.
Q. Hwansu performed with Okoye on stage at the Seoul Jazz Festival last year. How did it feel to watch the rapid growth of new musicians?
A. (Hwansu) I formed a relationship with Okoye while recording the first full-length album and preparing for the release show, and I was more impressed by the persistent effort shown behind the stage than the perfection on stage. Is it like a swan that is graceful on the water but moves ceaselessly in the water? I think that attitude ultimately led to our performance at the Seoul Jazz Festival and our nomination for the Korean Music Awards.
The prodigals who returned after watching the process also received great sympathy and stimulation from the fact that they had turned the vision that seemed vague at first into reality one by one.
Q. Last year, Youngwoo released an album with guitarist Song Junho under the name R01 Parlour. Please also introduce R01 Parlour.
A. (Youngwoo) R01 Parlour is a duo project that started between guitarist Song Jun-ho and long-time friends who have been sharing their musical concerns since their early 20s. Based on the experiences we have accumulated in different environments in Europe and the United States, we have continued to collaborate with a focus on the texture and structure of sound.
While the early works focused on recording the texture of sound, the recently released “Unusual but Familiar” attempted a more narrative approach by expanding to melody and composition. Another characteristic of this team is that it is a project that considers not only performance but also production and engineering.
Q. The members’ musical backgrounds are very different. YongLee, what made you decide to make these five members of YongLee & the DOLTANG? I’m curious about the team formation process.
A. (YongLee) As the members who were scattered all over the world gathered in Seoul due to COVID-19, they naturally shared each other’s musical backgrounds and concerns. Rather than being a “team that plays well” in a specific genre, I think of YongLee & the DOLTANG as a team that is constantly being updated based on the same critical awareness. So, when forming members, I thought the most important thing was trust and a sense of being able to grow together over a long period of time rather than playing style. Additionally, since this is a team that spends a lot of time together, individual drinking volume was also an important criterion.
Q. You went to <2024 Jazzahead> under the name of YongLee & the DOLTANG at a time when there were no albums or singles. For those who are not familiar with it, please introduce what Jazzahead is.
A. (YongLee) Rather than a regular festival, Jazz Ahead is an event closer to an expo where jazz officials from around the world gather in one place once a year. Festival directors, venue operators, reporters, and artists come together to interact, and every year, 30 to 40 teams of showcase artists are selected to perform on stage.
Thankfully, YongLee & the DOLTANG was the only Asian team selected and was able to perform on the showcase stage with self-composed songs that had not yet been released at the time.
Q. I’m also curious about the process of being invited to Jazzahead in 2024. I understand that you also conducted a tour at the time. How did you organize your tour schedule?
A. (YongLee) A contest is held every year. I remember only posting three things: a brief team description, photos, and a performance video. At the time, we didn’t have enough videos or photos, so we quickly took photos and videos and submitted them a week before the deadline. And two months later, an invitation came by email. Starting with Jazz Ahead in 2024, they performed in Berlin, Vienna, and Budapest.
Q. Subsequently, you went on a European tour in 2025, including the Jazzahead stage. How was last year’s tour?
A. (YongLee) It was physically difficult because I had to travel about 5 hours by plane or train almost every day, but musically it was a very refreshing experience. Can you imagine what it feels like to perform the same repertoire 11 times in two weeks? I think I’ve tried everything imaginable. (laugh)
Q. Please also introduce Hyojin, who was in charge of filming the content.
A. (YongLee) You have been with us since 2024. We are introducing various jazz-related contents through a channel called ‘Jazz Avenue’, and these days, you are communicating with many people as a lecturer and musician.
Q. Are there any memorable episodes or venues during the tour?
A. (Hwansu) Personally, I especially remember a venue called Sounds in Brussels. The stage was very small, so the members gathered together to perform, but the music made at that time had a density and energy that was different from usual. It was a stage where I naturally continued to try new things. I think I will remember the attic-like waiting room with a view of the roof for a long time.
Q. Now I think it would be good to talk about the album. First of all, the album cover catches my eye. Who did the work?
A. (YongLee) A designer (Stephanie) who works at our label Unit Records saw our profile picture and created it. I think it goes well with the energy we want to express.
Q. The literal translation of the title is “Transparent Workers.” When I looked at the cover with the album title and track list overlaid, there seemed to be a clear message. What did you want to say through the album?
A. (YongLee) This is my personal experience. Since I returned to Korea about 5 years ago and had to make a living, I took on any number of gigs I could find. But no matter how hard I worked, I couldn’t gain fans or become wealthy. I felt exhausted, and although I was making music, I felt like I was invisible.
Then I suddenly thought, “This is not why I started making music,” and I decided to put everything aside for a while and make music the way I wanted to. The songs I composed with such concentration came together to create the current album, Invisible Worker.
Q. There was a strong sense of experimental color in the music overall. I got the impression of ‘moving forward while stumbling’. I’m curious why you chose this way of expressing yourself.
A. (YongLee) I wanted to create a rhythm that would challenge myself. I found that when I played on a slightly staggered structure rather than a stable groove, the flow of melody and rhythm changed more freely and interestingly. I felt that this sense of instability created new tension and momentum in improvisation, and I wanted to capture that impression in the music.
Q. Tracks 1 and 2, “S50und P61ant7” and “Pay Day,” were impressive. What do the titles of the two tracks mean?
A. (YongLee) “S50und P61ant7” contains both the number 50617 and the meaning of ‘Sound Plant.’ 50617 was the number of members of the Performing Artists Association at the time the title was given, and I wanted to include at the beginning of the album like a password my desire to dedicate this album to all my colleagues who are making music in Korea.
Q. “Fluorescent Light” was impressive with a piano that looked like a flickering fluorescent light. What does this song describe? (+I’m also curious about the life of performers living in Korea.)
A. (YongLee) That’s right. It’s not just a song that describes fluorescent lights. It started from one day when I was exhausted because I couldn’t come up with any ideas while chasing the deadline for the arrangement work. While I was lying on the sofa, a fly came in from outside and desperately flew towards the fluorescent light. As I watched that scene, the contrast between myself standing still, unable to do anything, and the fly continuously flapping its wings towards the light remained strong.
At that moment, I went to the piano and wrote this song, and Fluorescent Light became a song about the state of helplessness and survival instinct coexisting at the same time. Despite the fatigue and anxiety I feel as a performer in Korea, I think the desire to continue pursuing music is naturally instilled in me.
Q. “Dopamine Rush” was a song that gave the impression of a roller coaster with its constantly changing speed and irregular beat. What images did you work with? (+I’m also curious about how trends like ‘dopamine cocktail’ manifest themselves in the jazz scene.)
A. (YongLee) “Dopamine Rush” is a song that reminds me of our daily lives exposed to short-form content and the dopamine circuit that repeatedly consumes that stimulation. I wanted to express the sense of speed and excessive information that changes every time you turn the screen through rapid changes in rhythm and tempo.
I feel like a similar trend of excess is manifesting itself in different ways in the jazz scene. There is a growing tendency for music to be consumed in small pieces, like tutorials or quick videos, rather than as a single piece of work. This song is also a question about what we are losing in such an environment.
Q. As I moved past “Dopamine Rush” and into “March of the Invisibles,” I felt comfortable again. What does ‘March of the Invisible’ mean, and was there a reason why comfortable progress was needed on this track?
A. (YongLee) Considering the overall flow of the album, I felt I needed to take a breather at this point. I needed a scene that naturally slowed down the pace and calmed down the emotions.
“March of the Invisibles” is a song I wrote while thinking of myself returning home exhausted after a day of musical labor, and of my colleagues going through similar times. So, I deliberately chose a comfortable and simple progression, and hoped that the slow march would play a role in reorganizing the breath of the entire album.
Q. I think it would be good if you could also introduce Song Song, the only vocalist who participated in the album. Who are you?
A. (YongLee) Song Song is a vocalist based in Berlin and active in Europe. He is a world-class artist who was selected as a genius in the music field by Rolex last year. Guitarist Yechan was unable to join us for part of the 2024 tour, so rather than hiring another guitarist, we thought it would be a good idea to switch to a vocalist, so we performed together for a few shows. We liked it so much that we asked him to feature in ‘Fluorescent Light’ and ‘Dopamine Rush’ on the album.
Q. I’m curious about YongLee & the DOLTANG’s future activity plans.
A. (YongLee) I think I will go to Germany to attend another awards ceremony in April, and a performance at a domestic festival is scheduled in May. We plan to continue performing at festivals and venues in other parts of Europe in June and July, respectively. I also work on new songs in my spare time, so I hope to come back with an EP or full-length album around the end of this year.
Q. Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to those watching the interview?
A. (Hwansu) I know very well that the music of YongLee & the DOLTANG is not for all listeners. I think it may even be difficult. However, if you listen with an open mind, you will be able to feel the rich cheonggukjang that can comfort the weary soul. (heart)
A. (YongLee) If you come across our music someday, I hope you will put aside your doubts and mental walls and accept it not only with your ears, but with your whole body and senses. I believe that if you listen like that, you will be able to approach each person in a different way and with a more three-dimensional experience. Thank you for reading the long interview.
Q. This concludes the interview. thank you.