SmartShanghai | Interview: Sighborg

Interview: Sighborg

By Morgan Short, Mar 30th, 2011 | In Nightlife

Sighborg is Ssighborgg is Sssighborggg is Ssssighborgggg -- a one-man gronk and pony show from producer/player/promoter Sean Maylone, based in Seoul, South Korea.

Coming off a big ole China tour in 2009, Sighborg returns to the PRC for two scoops this Friday night at Yuyintang. They’re in their two-man iteration again with live drums -- thunderous, thunderous drums -- backing up Maylone’s electro broken and bleeding, 8-bit slash math rock-influenced guitar, samples, and keyboard compositions.

It's far out. Have a taste:

Please install Flash Player

And here's the links: Myspace; ReverbNation.

SmartShanghai talked to Sighborg about China, Korea, and what the kids are into these days.

***

SmSh: Who is Sighborg? Where do you come from and what does Sssighborgggg sound like?

Sighborg: Yooo. I’m Sighborggg and other people join in. In China, I’ll have my friend playing drums and samplers too. Sighborggg sounds like a mush of math rock and electronic music. People who know Nice Nice or Battles would be into it.

SmSh: We understand you were last in China last year on a tour. How did that go? Any good anecdotes or war stories from that one?

Sighborg: We had a lot of fun with the Antidote people, and Wuhan/Dostav. Was really impressed by the people on stage and behind the scenes in China.

SmSh: How extensive is your tour this time around?

Sighborg: Pretty good, its playing five cities in eight days -- a lot of small cities.

[Ed's Note: Check Sighborg's MySpace page for their full China schedule.]

SmSh: What was your impression of China in general? Did you get a chance to listen to any music coming out of this country?

Sighborg: It’s very inspiring, but for some bad reasons too. Some of the adversity facing poverty and the political pressures are amazing -- but that’s a bummer too in a way? China somehow got way ahead of Korea in a lot of ways with more of an uphill ahead of them. It could have easily been like North Korea in China right now, but it’s a lot better.

SmSh: What’s shit in Korea like? How would you describe Korean music? What are the kids into over there?

Sighborg: Dude, the old psyche stuff from the ‘60s-‘80s would blow your mind. Some new indie is disappointing, a few years behind. There is a handful of new bands doing rad twee and grindcore. There are many Oasis/Pavement-sounding bands.

SmSh: How often do you play out in Korea and what sorts of shows are you guys doing over there?

Sighborg: We do collaborative stuff, like multiple drummers, or jam with ITTA and this Pansori singer (traditional Korean opera). We do flat out party gigs which are less noisy and ambient. We play one once a month in Seoul, and other cities every 2 months. Try to keep from overdoing it.

SmSh: What’s your live set-up these days?

Sighborg: I use a guitar rig, MIDI/laptop, toy keyboard, mic. There is a drummer with sampling setup drawing from keyboards, my mic and mics on his kit. We will build loops off stuff all over stage for improv, or play to sequencing.

SmSh: We understand that you’re also a promoter in Korea. Can you describe what sorts of shows you put on? What are the biggest challenges facing independent promoters in that country?

Sighborg: Yeah, we work with many people here -- did Caribou, CocoRosie, Do Make Say Think, Four Tet, recently. Radio Dept and French Horn Rebellion are coming up. As well as the ongoing concept shows, such as Round Robin (all bands in circle around audience, playing song at a time) etc.

Korean indie kids are very subdued. The “shoegaze” image applies, head down -- not drinking, acting awkward/intellectual, the whole show over by 11pm. Also, they haven’t reached to new bands yet. There is a simple indie canon -- without a constant flow new music. There is no big indie source (Pitchfork, etc.) getting kids into new bands, so well-established indie bands (like 4 years running or more) tend to reach everyone.

SmSh: Saw on the Facebook that you recently had one of your shows axed by the filth. What happened? Is that a common situation in Korea? Im sure it’s something that resonates with people putting on shows here…

Sighborg: That is NOT common, I always felt hairy about how China promoters go up against that a lot. The government came down on us, but at the behest of a bigger promoter trying to fuck with us. They shutdown a tour on dumb technicality having to do with the Korean movie board needing to review concerts, which they usually don’t.

The established promoters will put on like MGMT for 90USD, and we do our shows usually half the price, so we’ve showing them up for being overpriced and stepping in as competition on the high level. So that was their little ploy…

SmSh: So what sorts of things musically has ssssisssiighhhborrgg been up to since we saw you last? How would you say your sound has evolved over the last little while?

Sighborg: The improv stuff is way out there, sometimes most of the set is mathy improv or goes trance. Been into a lot of the fuck buttons and holy fuck! setups.

SmSh: What sorts of releases are out there of your material and do you have plans for future releases?

Sighborg: I signed to a Korean label, I think I’m the only foreigner to do that -- live in Korea as a musician under that visa, so I’ll be recording with my friend Robby, who recorded Bitte Orca Dirty Projectors, an album here using some Korean collaborators.

SmSh: What sorts of music is coming out in Korea right now that people in China should hear?

Sighborg: Bamseom Pirates are fun 2-man grindcore -- they pretend to be ultra conservative, some old psyche records are being re-issued. Wagwak is fun acoustic twee.

SmSh: What sorts of music coming from anywhere is coming out right now that people should hear?

Sighborg: Jeez, large question -- Bear Hands are kind of a guilty pleasure, Cursed Kids have this one track out of nowhere, The Informations.

SmSh: Anything else to add?

Sighborg: Don’t fake the funk on a nasty dunk.