NEXT (Korean band)
NEXT (Hangul: 넥스트; stylized as N.EX.T as an abbreviation for New EXperiment Team) was a South Korean rock band known for its provocative songs that critiqued social injustice.[1] The band was formed by iconic Korean experimental rock singer Shin Hae-chul and debuted in 1992 with the album Home.[2] NEXT went through several line-up changes over the years and has been inactive since Shin's death in 2014.[3][1]
NEXT | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Seoul, South Korea |
| Genres | |
| Years active |
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| Labels | Danal Entertainment |
| Past members |
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History
NEXT (New EXperiment Team) was the band of singer/songwriter Shin Hae Chul (신해철). The group split up following the 1997 release of Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera, and the instrumentalists formed the alternative metal band Novasonic with rapper Kim Jun Pyo.
N.EX.T reformed around 2003 following the disbanding of Novasonic, and they released the soundtrack to Guilty Gear XX #Reload. A few of its instrumental songs were re-worked into songs with vocals on the following album, The Return Of N.EX.T Part 3: The Book of War/The Diary of a Soldier. The Return of N.EX.T Part 3 included the song "Dear America" which featured many prominent Korean vocalists such as Kim Jun Pyo and Crash's Ahn Heung-Chan. Guitarist Kim Se-hwang released his first solo album, Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, on June 27, 2011.
In 2014, group leader Shin Hae-chul passed away after poor medical treatment for cardiac arrest. On August 8, 2015, the band made their last appearance at the Pentaport Rock Festival, along with other musicians, for a special memorial stage for Shin.[4] Since then, NEXT has been considered to be on hiatus.
Themes
NEXT's songs contain many cultural criticisms, with "Turn Off the T.V." and "Money" pointing to mediation and consumerism. Criticism of human disregard for the environment can be found in "Lazenca, Save Us" and "The World We Made," which creates musical contrasts between a pleasant, natural world and a terrifying, industrial, human-influenced world. "Cyber Budha Company Ltd." tells of a dark future in which humans can purchase small amounts of divinity through the use of machines and credit cards.
Members
NEXT went through multiple line-up changes between 1992 and 2014.[2]
- Shin Hae-chul (1992–2014) – vocals
- Jeong Gi-song (1992) – guitar
- Lee Dong-gyu (1992–1994) – drums, bass guitar
- Im Chang-su (1994) – guitar
- Lee Su-yong (1994–1997, 2006) – drums
- Kim Se-hwang (1994–1997, 2005–2014) – guitar
- Kim Yeong-seok (1995–1997, 2006) – bass guitar
- Won San-guk (2003–2005) – bass guitar
- Devin Lee (2003–2006) – guitar
- Dr. Juny (2003–2005) – drums
- Dong Hyeok (2003–2005) – keyboard
- Ji Hyeon-su (2006–2014) – keyboard
- Yun Te-ra (2007–2008) – drums
- Jade (2007–2014) – bass guitar
- Kim Dan (2008–2014) – drums
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR [5] | |||
| Home |
|
— | — |
| The Return of N.EX.T Part I: The Being? |
| ||
| The Return of N·EX·T Part II: The World |
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| Lazenca- A Space Rock Opera |
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| Guilty Gear XX #Reload Korean Version Original Sound Track |
|
- | - |
| The Return of N.EX.T Part III: Republic of Korea |
|
6 |
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| Regame? |
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15 |
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| 666 Trilogy Part I |
|
— | — |
Compilation and live albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Live Concert Chapter 1 |
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| Live Concert Chapter 2 |
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| N.EX.T Is Alive |
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| The First Fan Service: Live 2 |
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Soundtrack albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| We Must Go To Apgujung-Dong On Windy Days |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions |
Sales | Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | ||||
| "Here I Stand For You" | 1997 | — | — | Here I Stand For You single album |
| "I Want It All (Demo 0.7)" | 2014 | — | — | Non-album single |
| "—" denotes releases that did not chart. | ||||
See also
References
- "N.EX.T (넥스트)". KBS World Radio. Archived from the original on 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- "넥스트 소개" [N.EX.T Profile]. Mnet (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2018-01-31. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- "Singer Shin Hae-chul Dead at 46". The Chosun Ilbo. 2014-10-28. Retrieved 2018-01-31.
- Kim, Bo-kyung (June 8, 2015). "'펜타포트 록페스티벌'서 신해철 추모콘서트 열린다". Yonhap (in Korean). Retrieved November 17, 2018.
- "K-Pop Record Sales". Music Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). Archived from the original on 2009-02-19. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- "8월 국내음반 판매량집계" [August Korean Record Sales Data]. Music Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). September 2004. Archived from the original on 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2018-02-01.
- "3월 가요음반 판매량집계" [March Korean Record Sales Data]. Music Industry Association of Korea (in Korean). March 2006. Archived from the original on 2009-05-18. Retrieved 2018-02-01.