10 Teams Overcoming 40:1 Competition, Mapo Music Creation Center's '2023 M Indie Battle' Stage

8 Performances from July 8 to November 18

Seoul Mapo Music Creation Center will sequentially showcase performances by 10 teams selected through the '2023 M Indie Battle' contest.

2023 M Indie Yeoljeon Participating Musicians: Sunset on the Bridge, Summer, Lee Aram, Diversity.
[Photo by Mapo Cultural Foundation]

The performances will be held eight times from the 8th of this month until November 18th at the Seoul Mapo Music Creation Center Live Hall.

Started in 2019 and now in its fifth edition, the 'M Indie Battle' is a support project that provides a stage for musicians active without agencies across genres such as popular music, traditional Korean music (gugak), and crossover. This year, a total of 402 teams participated in the contest, and 10 teams were selected after overcoming the highest competition rate ever of 40:1.

The first stage will open with a solo performance by the band Sunset On The Bridge. Sunset On The Bridge is a four-member hard rock band consisting of vocals, guitar, bass, and drums. On this day, they will perform live for the first time songs from their EP album 'Freedom Train,' released in April this year.

Kim Hyun-woo, the vocalist of Sunset On The Bridge, is the son of the late Kim Myung-gil, who was the leader of the top group sound Devils in the 1970s. At this performance, the audience can hear the band's remake of the Devils' representative song 'Geuriwongeon Neo' (I Miss You) in Sunset On The Bridge's own style.

The second performance on the 22nd will be presented by two female singer-songwriters, Summer and Lee Aram. Music journalist Lim Hee-yoon, known as the 'maverick of the journalism world,' will participate as the MC. On August 26th, the modern rock band Dayangseong will take the stage. Dayangseong is a band of four MZ generation members?vocals, guitar, drums, and bass?who first met at the same university and debuted in 2021 with the single album '17.'

2023 M Indie Yeoljeon Participating Musicians. Obut, A.TRAIN, 3.14, Somda, DUSKY80
Photo by Mapo Cultural Foundation

On September 9th, the band Obut, known for their psychedelic synth sounds and intense guitar tones delivering mysterious and dreamy music, will perform. On the 23rd, musician A.TRAIN, who won the 2023 Korean Popular Music Awards for Best R&B & Soul Album, will take the stage. On October 14th, the band 3.14, featuring three members who have long collaborated and whose sound stands out, will perform.

The seventh performance on November 3rd will feature world music musicians Somda and DUSKY80. Following that, on November 18th, the band Gyeonggi Nambu Jazz, known for their harmonious play of saxophone, piano, cello, and drums along with experimental sounds, will hold a solo concert to close the 'M Indie Battle.'

On December 8th and 9th, a festival-style live concert featuring all 10 musicians from the '2023 M Indie Battle' will be held at the Mapo Arts Center Art Hall Mac Grand Theater. This will provide musicians with a new experience on a stage with a capacity of 1,004 seats.

All performances of the '2023 M Indie Battle' are free of charge, and advance applications are accepted via email for each performance.

Song Je-yong, CEO of the Mapo Cultural Foundation, stated, “Over the past five years, the '2023 M Indie Battle' has been a nourishing support project for talented musicians who have been thirsty for a stage. This year, not only the Music Creation Center but also the opportunity to perform in a 1,004-seat grand theater is provided, so we look forward to the lively and creative stages of musicians showing diverse charms with fresh music regardless of genre.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.