Epaksa

Infobox musical artist
Name = Epaksa (이박사)


Born = Birth date and age|1954|10|5|df=y
Origin = Gyeonggi, Korea
Genre = modernised Pansori,
Techno
Years_active = 1969–Present

Epaksa (이박사) is a Korean entertainer who has recently risen to super stardom in Japan. Born October 5, 1954 in Gyeonggi-do, his birth name is Yong-sug Lee (이용석).

History

While growing up, his parents taught him pansori, which he has contemporized by incorporating modern, often Western, pop hooks. His reputation started to build based on his unique way of entertaining. While singing, he would imitate the sound of all of the instruments used in the prelude and interlude, and even the sound of the whistle used to gather the tourists.

After almost 20 years of performing on a tour bus, in 1989, the owner of a renowned nightclub who was also a producer offered him a deal with total creative control. His first album, Sinbaram Epaksa Vol. 1, (the Elation of Epaksa) was an instant hit. Over 1,000,000 cassettes were sold and Epaksa became a hot new sensation for the Korean middle class. His fame earned him a spot on a popular program at the time, Inganshidae (인간시대) on MBC. Following various guest spots on talk shows, he served for one whole year as co-host on an MBC daytime program, Naegohyangsohshic (내고향소식) (“News from my hometown”). Fueled by the heat of his first album’s success, he released 19 more cassettes in the same year selling millions of copies. To this date he has released 25 albums.

His music often overlooked by Korean teenagers, Epaksa and his team decided to target the Japanese market. Up until that time no Korean artist had boomed in Japan and distributors were looking for something new. Around the Fall of 1995, a small indie Japanese label introduced Epaksa to Japan with a CD of his signature style vocals accompanied by his synthesizer beats. Fortunately, the president of Sony Music Japan was a fan and pushed for an album to be produced in Japan.

In the Spring of 1996 "Encyclopedia of Pon-Chak Party 1 & 2" was released. Here his music style changed, singing words and lyrics as opposed to just sounds and vocalizations. Released later that same year was "2002 E-Pak-Sa’s Space Odyssey" and "5cm Higher and Rising!". Sales were initially slow, but steady. Sony’s package as “Korea’s Disco Emperor” enabled him to land a gig as spokes-model for a large cosmetics company in Japan. Epaksa's appearance in the commercial as a foreigner singing in his native tongue was unprecedented, and launched him into superstardom in Japan.

Discography

*Sinbaram Epaksa Vol. 1 (1989)
*Encyclopedia of Pon-Chak Party 1 & 2 (1996)
*2002 E-Pak-Sa's Space Odyssey (1996)
*5cm Higher and Rising! (1996)
*Space Fantasy 2000 (1999)
*Pon-Chak Revolution (2001)
*Pak Sa Revolution (2001)
*Pak Sa Emotion (2001)
*Winter Techno-Pon (2001)

Trivia

*His nickname, Dr. E, came from his broad knowledge of various styles of songs.
*His music is featured in the rhythm video game series Pump It Up.
*The song "Young Man" off his album "Encyclopedia of Pon-Chak" is a cover of the song YMCA by The Village People

External links

* [http://fancymag.com/epaksa.html Magazine article on Epaksa in English]
* [http://www.orcaland.gr.jp/~morris/epaksa/ Fan site in Japanese]