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Korea – Culinary Percussion

For centuries the traditional drumming rhythms of Samulnori have inspired Koreans but the influx of western music is drawing young Koreans away from their roots. Whiz kid musical impresario ‘Song’ wants to change all that and his blend of traditional percussion with rock and roll and techno has created a storm of interest.

Known as ‘Nanta’, it’s largely produced with pots, pans and other kitchen utensils and has already sold out at the Edinburgh Festival and tours are planned for New York and Sydney. Evan Williams meets the King of Nanta and profiles this latest delicacy from the Korean kitchen for this week’s postcard.

Drummers

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20:00

Williams: From the mists of its early history, Korean culture has taken its rhythm from the beat of the drum.

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For thousands of years the hypnotic percussion of temple rites has inspired monk and musician alike.

20:20

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Cooks drumming with pots and pans

And lately, cooks and kitchen hands.

20:28

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They call this Nanta.

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It means crazy beat and it is, but crazier still are the instruments. Pots and pans, cutlery and can-openers anything else calling itself cookware.

Song

Super: Song

Nanta Originator

Song: In Korea the traditional rhythms of Samulnori are very popular.

21:06

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21:08

Song: They’re found most frequently in the kitchen because of all the utensils. One day when we were having a lunch break, we started to drum and that was the beginning of Nanta.

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Williams: Maybe this is a case of too many cooks spoiling the drum as we know it, or at least murdering traditional Samulnori.

21:46

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Song: The audience would be bored if they only heard the traditional rhythms because they’re used to Western culture as well.

21:57

Song

So I’ve tried to combine Samulnori with rock and roll and techno, so both young and old can enjoy it.

22:10

Traditional dance class

Williams: But there’s at least one old muso who’s clearly not enjoying the new beat.

22:30

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At 75 Professor Yi Mae Bang has been certified a national living treasure for his contribution to national dance and traditional drumming. But don’t get him started on Nanta.

22:40

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Bang

Bang: It may be art to them but for me it seems very strange… what are they trying to do with knives and plates.

22:56

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Bang: Our culture should be kept pure and handed down to our next generation without any change.

Williams with Song

Williams: The creative force behind Nanta is part kitchen whiz, part whiz kid impresario.

23:30

He’s a one man band with one name, Song, Korean percussion’s aspiring Prince or Madonna. Song has a fast-growing production company with four groups of Nanta players on tour.

Song

Song: Today there is no distinction of cultures between nations so to deal with that we are trying to combine foreign culture with local tradition.

23:52

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Song: Through Nanta I wanted to show how Korean and Western cultures are meeting and represent the feeling of the generation of this new century.

24:19

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Touring posters

Williams: And so on to the world, this Nanta troupe has just returned from sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Tours are planned for New York and Sydney.

24:42

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If you find yourself in the front row, take care and keep your eyes peeled.

Applause

Nanta guy

Nanta guy: The most worrying thing is the knife When I use it to chop vegetables, if it separates from the handle either I or the audience can be injured.

25:07

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Nanta guy: Very often I have to change the knife to prevent an accident.

25:30

Nanta performance

Williams: In the new Korea this strange boom crash opera with the pots and plates is clearly not for everyone, but Song is hoping for the same rapturous applause that erupted for the American production Stomp and its ghetto orchestra of trash cans and industrial cast offs, except this time he’d like it to have a particularly Korean flavour.

25:39

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Credits

Korea – Culinary Percussion

Reporter: Evan Williams

Camera: Ron Ekkel

Editor: Garth Thomas

Producer: Alison Rourke