Correction: there was a link error in last week’s essay. The part 1 of ‘Design is Mid’ can be read here.
The music and artist collective Balming Tiger have been [aving a lane of their own within the larger Korean music scene for years now. Utilizing the power of the collective to expand their reach and house a truly diverse range of creative output, the group is loosely lead by San Yawn (산얀). Balming Tiger currently consists of members Omega Sapien, sogumm, Mudd the student, bjwnjn, Unsinkable, Lee Suho 이수호, Hong Chanhi 홍찬희, Hansen 헨슨, Jan Qui 잔퀴 and Abyss 어비스. Like many artists of their generation, they are multihypenates but their activities involve the multifaceted business of music from videos, fashion, graphic design and of course singing, rapping and making beats.
The group formed like Voltron over the years through San Yawn’s Seoul Community Radio residency and his talents as a former A&R at HiGround. It’s hard to pin down the group’s exact aesthetic as they move like playful cultural tricksters. To label Balming Tiger as either underground or mainstream is an injustice to their creativity. An example of their multi-armed reach, member Mudd the student gained attention from the wider Korean public on his appearnce of the long-running hip hop audition show “Show me the Money” in 2021. Immediately, Mudd’s performances spread virally across the internet for his rapping talents, strange bowlcut and nerdy dress. The legend goes that this appearance, where Mudd placed in the top 5, was a dare from San Yawn, invoking a youthful dream of the student. Regardless, it’s this type of media savvy that shows how Balming Tiger can traverse the various worlds and spaces they occupy.
The group released “Greatest Hits” last year with cover art that looks equal parts iPod ad, Cowboy Bebop fan art and a Fleetwood Mac cover. The album consists of five tracks and I only recognize “Spirit Chaebol” as an older release that could be classified as a hit. Along with the album release, the group put out a music video for the track “Big Butt”, which my friends, is a true artifact.
The video opens to member Omega Sapien, Mudd the student, Hong Chanhi, bjwnjn and San Yawn as they emerge from a white background. The lens has a classic 90s feathered glow reminiscent of ‘Dreams Come True’. The nostalgic references don’t stop there and they are not relegated to just Korean pop. While Omega Sapien rap-sings the first verse, a collage of his sentimental moves overlap over each other, then we’re hit with a splash back to the iconic 2004 Apple iPod campaign. When the five male-member ensemble appears in front of a serene cloud-filled sunset, they wear distressed jeans and odd fitting, bedazzled shirts straight out of Crazy Town or N’Sync’s wardrobes. At the middle mark, the sole female Balming Tiger member sogumm makes a shy cameo appearance after Hong Chanhi’s sunrise shot echos Kim and Kanye easyriding. The video is a reflection of how easy it is to recreate these visual effects, that themselves have become memes, thanks to countless tutorials. Balming Tiger doesn’t shy away from this type of technical or cultural accessibility, they flaunt it.
The video, directed by member Jan Qui, doesn’t have as clear a narrative concept as the groups’ other videos, but it is representative of Balming Tiger’s two superpowers: irreverent cultural reference and an economy-of-means production quality. To unpack the first quality, a brief look into the backgrounds of the members is helpful. Balming Tiger’s members were all born in the early to mid-90s, a period of globalization, democratization, and economic boom-and-bust in Korea. The early 2000s also saw a number of middle class Korean families seeking to educate their children abroad. The members of Balming Tiger are of this generation, and although not all members spent time overseas, this border-less attitude runs through their work (only Omega Sapien and Lee Suho grew up internationally).
The group is also of the Soundcloud, bedroom production and social media generation, which brought together several members during their youth before Balming Tiger formed. And although the whole Soundcloud-tumblr-twitter-genre-breaking story is tired, it is a strong explanation for how Balming Tiger can be mix J-Horror, Korean revenge movies and high school comics on top of a sparse backpack beat with little awkwardness.
Personally, the musical style of Balming Tiger has rarely caught my ear, but I have been admiring their confidence and independence over the years. I believe that part of their success comes from making very few excuses for what they make. In a culture where perfection is constantly demanded and expected, where individuality or weirdness is highly condemned, Balming Tiger has built a catalog of work where they just DGAF. Although their tone is not as brash as Odd Future, their multihyphenate output has a similar defiance and the resulting style is incredibly fun to watch.
‘Sexy Nukim’ probably caught the most eyes and ears due to a feature from BTS member RM, but even with such star backing the music video, performance video and album packaging are consistent with the group’s self-made methods and approach. Balming Tiger, to me as a Korean American, is profoundly striking to me because they do not feel at all ashamed to be Korean. They don’t shy away from the domestic similarities to Japanese culture, or glorify the destructive sides of Korean life. Rather, they explore their city of Seoul with genuine appreciation and curiosity, seeking out details with humorous critical distance. A distance that is just far enough for them to laugh at it all.