What is ‘noise music’ in kpop, actually?

*pots and pans clanking together*

Chapters
00:00 Intended to challenge to what we call ‘music’
02:08 That’s not what we talk about in kpop, though
03:24 I’ve been pleasantly surprised by bg discographies this year
04:09 “Noise music” title as a weapon

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#kpop #kpopsongs #kpopopinions #kpopcommentary #kpopanalysis #choujimi

[skyofbob]

stray kids entire discography being misconstrued as one flavor of noise music actually pisses me off because it’s incredibly patronizing to the different edm and hip hop genres they pull from and reference… chk chk boom exists in an entirely ballpark from lalalala, dont pmo

[Leavemeastray]

For being a group that's label to be noisy, skz, in my humble opinion, have some of the best soft/Ballad songs I've heard in kpop

[Sanatizer_]

Kpop stans when they see a bg making music that hits hard: OMG THAT'S NOISE MUSIC!! 👹

[saragh]

Skz being known as a noisy group, has one of the BEST ballads. Their soft songs are beautiful. I love them so much. Secret secret, cover me, leave, twilight, untitled, ex, sorry i love you and sooo many more gorgeous songs.

[theonewiththeflowericon]

before i was a kpop fan i listened to a lot of hyperpop and stuff on the more experimental side so i have a lot of appreciation for what people call noise in kpop! I think it's nice to get weird and challenging and i like that these sounds are embraced by some groups, we just don't get as much stuff like that in the west. kpop needs variety and i welcome these more abrasive sounds

[jaytch]

If you're someone who gets a knee jerk reaction to music that lots of people seem to enjoy, and you dont understand why, I suggest looking into "producer reacts" "musician reacts" etc type videos, so they can break down the things you may be missing as someone new to the genre.

I initially hated Nmixx's O.O and didnt understand how anyone thought it was a good idea to release it. I saw a video titled something like "jazz musicians react to O.O" expecting these refined REAL musicians to trash this trendy nonsense, but to my surprise, they were really into it! Their trained ears were able to pick up the interesting production quirks, they were delighted by the unusual time signature and beat changes, and their joyful appreciation was truly infectious.

Knowing what it is youre listening to can really enrich your listening experience, but we dont all have those trained ears capable of appreciating what gets put into a song. Having it broken down for you by someone familiar with the craft can really help make you less annoying on twitter any time Stray Kids releases one of the most mild title tracks in their discography.
(I mean honestly, in what universe is chk chk boom noise? Side Effects would give you nerds a nose bleed.)

[overthinkingkpop]

Stray Kids and ATEEZ are the only boy groups I stan 😂 Love me some quote unquote "noise music"

[Shrekteez]

Never understood the burning unreasonable hate against "noise music". There are songs that are just really good, why would you absolutely refuse to listen just because some other uneducated stans label it as nothing than "annoying noise"😭

[IndigoDetry]

another example of K-pop stans not knowing anything. stans say a song is noise music if they don’t like it and it’s used in a negative way. like you said, there’s actually a genre of noise music and when you listen to the actual genre, you’ll realize that very few if any K-pop songs actually classify as noise music.

what I like about stray kids is that stray kids itself is a genre of music. they never do what’s trending and if they do, they put their own spin on it (the entire ate album)

I think about groups that are super popular now and think back to the amount of hate they received. It seems there’s a correlation that the more hate groups the more successful they become. I feel like stray kids and always gets shit on, even though they have such a diverse discography like you said. I think it’s also interesting to me that a lot of people complain that K-pop sounds the same, but when groups DO try different things people hate on it immediately.

[toxel]

people insulting nct 127 for "noise music" pisses me off so much, first of all noise music ≠ bad music and second of all you clearly haven't actually listened to their discography beyond sticker (which is a good song). honestly most people don't listen to groups beyond the title track and that's such a disservice to their music. to me it just seems like most kpop listeners don't know and aren't interested in actual music and genres etc.

[sarah_]

stray kids were my gateway group to kpop, and as I was so young when I discovered them, I had yet to develop a genuine music taste. My most listened to artists were a lot of the biggest names in pop such as Taylor Swift, which is not a bad thing at all, I just think it's telling that I was so attracted to a style of music so different to what I was familiar with and used to back then. Since then they've been my most listened to every year and I've dived into many of the genres they've explored, which led me to realise that I really love rock/alt rock and a lot of louder music.

When it comes to the phrase noise music, at a point in time I accepted it as a characterisation of the stray kids music, especially with the 2023 released- the title fit well. But overtime, as you said, I've realised how harmful it's become, it puts these artists in a box of 'generally unlikable music, do not touch' and that's it. The phrase noise music now has a similar air to the word 'cringe', people alienated a style or a specific sound within kpop they disliked purely because it wasn't to their taste and I think it's quite sad

[SkyWireMashups]

Thank you so much for discussing this! This mischaracterisation has really bothered me for years honestly, and after starting an experimental university music course last year I'm really impressed to see that you touched on so much similar ground to us such as Russolo's philosophies.

[yeosangmybeloved]

it is so, SO unfortunate that ateez has been brushed off by so many people as "noise music". their b-sides the last couple of years have been some of the most uniquely stylish, extremely well-produced stuff that I have heard in k-pop maybe ever. They have been giving a completely new life to that video gamey/cyberpunky dark synthpop genre in a way that sounds so fresh, and it has taken such a far step away from the super trendy 'the weeknd' version of that kind of sound. they just feel so innovative, like I hear their songs in that style and I literally can't find anything else like it. so truly unique.

also not to mention, people are reeeeaaally missing out on the incredible creative direction (not only musically, but also visually and story-wise) that ateez offers. seeing their different eras playing out since like guerrilla has been the most exciting evolution I've experienced in k-pop.

[CatNagTaylorsVersion]

Loona, Red Velvet, Blackpink, and Chung Ha were all called noise music once, maybe we should take this as a sign we need to listen to “noise” music more

[smurfyboy]

I don’t know why people complain about noise music. It’s not as if K-Pop isn’t known for be loud and in your face. The K-Pop industry isn’t know for having a lot of Whitney Houston esque ballads

[MarisHouseOfChaos]

I've always thought that noise music just meant that random sounds (sirens, etc, ) were used in the making of the song, so thank you!

[gngrbrds]

it’s so refreshing to hear somebody on ktube say this #ChouJimiWeLoveYou

[Fearless.cat]

Noise music = kpop.
And that's why we like it.
Coz we all had a bad day

[queenlouicia]

thank you for this! seeing a ktuber defend skz or even talk about them at all is like finding a unicorn lmao. i assume you saw the tweet calling chk chk boom "just loud" when it's one of their least "loud" title tracks to date lmao. it just makes me sad that preconceived notions or just arbitrary hatred of a group so often causes people to miss out on really fun, innovative and just straight up good music. i know music taste is subjective but i honestly can't seem to figure out why complex production is so hated in kpop spaces. and groups like skz and ateez don't just make mindless noise; every melody, beat, and random sound effect usually has a purpose in the song, and they're able to make something cohesive out of sounds you might not expect to go together. that's an amazing talent if you ask me. i'm not familiar with all of ateez's discography, but in regards to skz, i almost always find that their songs sound full because there are so many layers to them, and their production skills are only getting better, in my opinion. they also explore so many different genres and put so much heart and thought into their concepts and lyrics, and yet the label of "noise" that they're given comes with the connotation that they're just randomly slapping sounds and words together.

[epls.]

Happy Holidays Choujimi, I love you for this video! As an Ateez fan we get that kind of every single day I don't think people actually think about it anymore they just say stuff to disresgard them, got to the point that I believe if they sing opera ( I don't doubt that could happen) people will still call that cause whatever lol I grew up listening to metal I like rock I am not found of r&b much still I can understand why so many people love it so much, still not for me, but I can totally get amazed by people doing it so well. Rock is also not for everybody, but is great, its a genre. No genre is better than the other they just different, like we are as people and what move us is never always the same. There is not one right way to love music. PS this comment section is a mess, I guess people will still weaponize this noise music stuff regardless. I mean you can always love your faves without shading or hating others, is a choice.