ADG7 (Ak Dan Gwang Chil): Korean Shamanic Folk-Pop
“A most astonishing show musically and immensely entertaining- Ak Dan Gwang Chil from South Korea. WOW!!!” (Bob Boilen, NPR Music)
“The nine-member ensemble presents itself not as earnest traditionalists, but as a giddy show band with all the trappings of K-pop — choreographed singers, candy-colored costumes and bouncy, upbeat, often swinging songs that link the concision of folk tunes to the catchy repetition of pop, with brash cymbals for drive and flute and zither lines for instrumental hooks.” (The New York Times)
“There’s a flowering folk-roots revival in South Korea – but no band combines virtuosity, charisma, and pure energy like Ak Dan Gwang Chil” (WFMU)
“a band of outrageously dressed superheroes playing a dynamic amalgam of every perfect dance style ever invented with such an infectious lack of self-restraint that you fear autocratic governments the world over will proscribe them before their citizens can be contaminated. Would that fly?” The good news for Tinseltown is that such a group already exists, they come from Korea and they are called Ak Dan Gwang Chil (or ADG7). You’ll believe this band can fly.” (Songlines Magazine)
With one foot in the world of tradition and another in glitzy upbeat pop, ADG7 (Ak Dan Gwang Chil) is a multi-award winning group featuring three powerhouse female folk singers and a rich repertoire inspired by Korea’s sacred, shamanic ritual music (gut) and beloved folk songs (minyo) of Hwanghae Province in the northern reaches of the Peninsula. Their powerful performances engage and immerse like no other, presenting the spiritual blessings and positive energy of traditional music in a thoroughly modern and often comical style.
ADG7 was organized in 2015, the year Korea commemorated its 70th anniversary of national liberation. By reconnecting with and reimaging shared Korean cultural roots, ADG7 expresses the true meaning of liberation and the desire for unification. The group’s recognitions include Best Group at the 2018 KBS Korean Traditional Music Awards and the Sori Frontier Award at the 2017 Jeongju International Sori Festival, plus recent performances at WOMEX (World Music Expo) 2019 and globalFEST 2020 as an official artists and as a grantee of Mid Atlantic Tours’ artist roster in 2021-2022.
Band Members: Kim Yak Dae (Daeguem), Lee Man Wol (Piri & Saenghwang), Donghoon Kim (Ajaeng), Won Meondongmaru (Gayaguem), Chun Gung Dal (Percussion), Sunwoo Barabarabarabam (Percussion), Hong Ok (Singer), Myeong Wol (Singer), and Yoo Wol (Singer)
Staff: Chun Jae Hyun (Director), Jung Sae Rom (Sound Engineer), and Bae Sang Hee (Producer)
