The Infinite Loop 008

Featuring: Esthero & Jang Pil Soon

Jan 20, 2025

Hey Friends!

I hope y’all are doing well. I’ve been keeping busy! My grandma is gunna be staying at my place for a bit, and I’m slowly adjusting to that. I’m also working on a product that I’m hoping to launch sometime this week! Hopefully, I’ll have more info on that soon.

While working last week, I found myself coming back to trip hop repeatedly. In this week’s newsletter, I want to highlight one of my favorite trip hop songs as of late and some Korean city pop I’ve been enjoying recently. Hope you enjoy!

Trip Hop Vol. 2

I didn’t think I’d be revisiting this topic so soon! But I love the worlds Trip Hop transports me to. The surreal soundscape of “The Sea of Core Experience” by Single Gun Theory and the chill yet distinctly melancholic feeling of “Lounge” by Esthero have been seriously addictive these past weeks.

Beyond the music, the sheer amount of work that went into these older tracks continues to impress me. There’s something romantic about the process of creating sample-based music. I imagine these artists finding the perfect sample and feeling the rush of joy when they knew they had “the one.” They must have had an incredible time chopping drum breaks on a behemoth like the SP-1200 or similar gear.

“Lounge” – Esthero

Esthero is a group formed by Jenny-Bea Englishman and Doc McKinney. “Lounge” is the 8th track from their debut album, “Breath From Another.” Released in 1998, some of my other favorites from the album are “Breath From Another,” “Heaven Sent,” and “Superheroes.”

Korean City Pop

While going through Rate Your Music’s top trip hop albums a couple of days ago, I came across a funny coincidence. Jang Pil Soon’s 2002 album, “Soony 6,” appeared on the list. I really like that album, but I was curious to hear her earlier work. Little did I know that her first albums were essentially Korean city pop. I’d heard of Yukika, a newer Korean artist making city pop, but I had no idea Korea had city pop artists in the ’80s.

In terms of arrangement and sound, it’s nearly identical to Japanese city pop. For fans of the genre, this is fantastic. There’s a whole new world of great albums and EPs to explore and enjoy. Check out Nami and Yang Soo Kyung if you’re interested in diving deeper into this sound!

“점점 더” – Jang Pil Soon

Released in 1989, Jang Pil Soon’s self-titled debut has a ton of great tracks, but I wanted to highlight the third track of the project. Airy and bright with a slightly goofy synth lead, “점점 더” is a classic breezy city pop ballad.

Spotify Playlist

Thanks for checking out this week’s newsletter. I’m really appreciative that you’ve taken time out of your day to read what I have to share. I hope you have a great week, and I’ll talk to you soon. ✌🏾

The Infinite Loop