Still all K-pop, although I did manage to fit in a David Bowie track from his last album; that was going to happen no matter what. I was concerned that it would stick out like a sore thumb, but I think I put it in a sequence of songs (the last five actually, with their minor feels) that creates an appropriate atmosphere without getting depressing. That song is probably the most emotional regarding his cancer and facing dying.
If I do this again for 2017, I think I'll make all effort to make it a single disc or not at all. I don't even know if that's even feasible. Looking at the rejected songs for 2016, they could fill a third CD and it still would have been pretty strong by my estimation. That's why it's hard to say I'm fully satisfied with the end result, a lot was left off.
The "unofficial stage mix" videos that are linked are fan made so it is left to be seen whether they get deleted in the long run. Still, they are so brilliantly done by this particular user that I thought they are worth linking at this point.
The transitions are so smooth that it's like watching a magic show. What's astounding is how the editor matched shots from multiple performances from different music programs (different camera crews and directors) and made the transitions look more like morphs.
2016 mix CD, part one (zip download):
1. Russian Roulette (Red Velvet) (full stage camcorder, Seulgi focus fancam, 2x speed version for people short on time)
2. Jealous 질투 (U Sung Eun x Kisum)
3. Sting 찔려 (Stellar) (choreography version)
4. No Oh Oh 아니야 (CLC) (choreography version)
5. Good Luck (AoA) (full stage camcorder)
6. Very Very Very (I.O.I) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
7. Help Me (Brave Girls) (lyric video) (audio only)
8. To the Beautiful You (Wonder Girls)
9. So Good (Hyosung (Secret)) (lyric video) (audio only)
10. The Rain (Ladies' Code) (full stage camcorder)
11. Bambamhae (feat. Mad Clown/prod. by Gil (LeeSsang) (Yuk Ji Dam)
12. Day of Excess (Miryo (Brown Eyed Girls)) (lyric video) (audio only)
13. Free Time (Kisum) (audio only)
14. Are You Hungry? (EXID)
15. Next Page (Twice) (lyric video) (official audio)
16. Lip 2 Lip (Nine Muses A)
17. ViViD (HeeJin (LOOΠΔ))
18. Come In (Two X) (lyric video) (audio only)
19. Secret (Cosmic Girls)
20. Love Like This (Hyolin (Sistar))
21. I Do (Jeon Ji Yoon (ex-4minute))
22. Dollar Days (David Bowie) (official audio)
23. Missing U (Lee Hi) (official audio)
2016 mix CD, part two:
1. Magnet (Jeon Ji Yoon (ex-4minute))
2. Windy Day (Oh My Girl) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
3. You Are the Moon (DIA (BinChaenHyunSeu))
4. High Heels (Brave Girls)
5. I'm Jelly Baby (AoA Cream) (full stage camcorder)
6. Around You (HyunJin (LOOΠΔ))
7. You're the Best (Mamamoo) (adlib compilation, full stage camcorder)
8. Keep On Doin' (Luna (f(x))
9. Shooting Love (Laboum) (unofficial stage mix, full stage camcorder)
10. Hate (Melody Day) (audio only)
11. Why So Lonely? (Wonder Girls)
12. Do As I Say (I.O.I) (lyric video) (audio only)
13. And July (feat. Dean, DJ Friz) (Heize)
14. 13 months, 32 Days (DIA (L.U.B.))
15. Only One (EXID) (lyric video) (Solji x Hani audio only)
16. Let Me In (HaSeul (LOOΠΔ))
17. Hoo Hoo Hoo (NC.A) (lyric video) (official audio)
18. I Like That (Sistar)
19. Ya Heart (Dal Shabet) (audio only)
20. Walkak (Baechigi) (audio only)
21. Smile (Jeon So Yeon)
22. TT (Twice) (full stage camcorder, unofficial stage mix)
2015 mix CD, part 2
The trend in K-pop girl groups has been groups disbanding. A slew of girl groups, including top groups (2NE1, SISTAR, 4minute, Kara, Wonder Girls), have disbanded leaving fans shocked.
Lesser groups as well, and others are feared to be facing it after years of inactivity and/or inability to break through with a hit, or members leaving. Girl group woes have been epidemic.
I'm not particularly bothered when I hear a popular or favorite girl group has quit. It's not like they created their content. I've long held that they are cults of personality; they present the content and fans love them for superficial reasons. Their fandom can turn on a dime with just the right misreported scandal.
And sometimes it's not such a bad thing. 4minute quit and then member Jiyoon released a 2-song single and both songs made it onto these mixes. Sometimes the groups or the agencies behind them hold back the individuals. Minzy of 2NE1 also might be blossoming after quitting the group before their demise.
Furthermore, the content is created by songwriters and composers and producers who will continue making the great tracks that make up K-pop. If a great song, idea or inspiration is now not going to one of the disbanded groups, it might go to some other group and still be a great song. Theoretically, at least.
Groups continue to be formed. Another trend might be a tendency towards "mob" groups; groups with so many members that I can't be bothered to learn all their names or to get dragged into their cults of personality. Once it's a 10 or more member group, I consider it a mob group.
I still just listen. If it's a mob group that releases a good song or EP, I'll still get into the music without necessarily getting into them. But unlike being a fan of cults of personality, I won't just automatically add them to my collection. Whatever they release I'll listen to first before adding them.
Cosmic Girls, at 13 members, are the only mob group on these mixes. I have no intention of trying to learn all the members, but they keep releasing material that is catchy and fun. I.O.I technically was a mob group, but they were a project group made from a TV competition that has already disbanded.
The group Loona, at 12 members, will be a mob group once they debut, but by the time they debut, I will likely already know and love each and every member.
Loona's agency originally announced that the group members would be rolled out once a month for 12 months and then the group would debut as a whole. I thought that was lame and there was no way interest would be kept over such a long period.
But when they introduced the first member in October (Heejin), I thought the song and video were incredible. It was quirky and catchy and by no means low budget or half-assed, and the song immediately became a candidate for these mixes.
The November and December "Girls of the Month" released singles, and both were captivating and beautiful and I no longer thought the concept was lame. On principle I wasn't going to include their songs on the mixes, but ultimately they made it, despite being ballads.
The agency didn't strictly stick with the "Girl of the Month" concept in 2017, but continued to roll out members and mixing and matching them and even formed a sub-unit (Loona 1/3) before the whole unit was formed.
I haven't been disappointed by any of their releases or any of the newly introduced members (eight have been introduced to date). They've already released more songs than an average girl group would release in a year.
I don't know how their agency has the money to maintain the quality of so many releases and videos without the group having debuted and actively promoting. I do hope they become a major group as a result of the quality.
Some songs that didn't make it:
1cm (Taller Than You) (Mamamoo) (unofficial best live upload)
Recipe (Mamamoo)
Liar Liar (Oh My Girl) (Seunghee absent version, i.e., how members tell you you're irreplaceable)
Woohoo (Twice) (lyric video)
Apple Pie (Fiestar)
Mirror (Fiestar)
High Heels (CLC)
L.I.E. (EXID)
Fri.Sat.Sun (Dal Shabet)
No Jam (Kisum)
Ocktabbang (Kisum)
2Beer (Kisum)
Don't Come Back (Heize)
Decalcomanie (Mamamoo)
Galaxy (Ladies' Code)
Don't Believe (Berry Good)
Bobby Doll (Song Jieun (Secret))
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