DJ 250: From K-pop Producer to BIFAN with his 7-year Passion Project 'PPong' - 'PPong' Album is a Better Success Than NewJeans
DJ and producer 250, real name Lee Ho-Hyung, is being hailed as the BTS of Korean producers. Having worked with illustrious K-pop groups such as BoA, NCT 127, and ITZY, he garnered significant attention last year with his work on the debut girl group NewJeans' songs 'Attention', 'Hype Boy', and 'Dito'. Among NewJeans' fans, he's fondly referred to as 'NewJins' Dad'.
But that's not all. His first album 'PPong', released under his own name in March last year, won four awards, including 'Album of the Year' at the Korean Music Awards this past March. This is the first time a quadruple crown has been won at the awards since Jang Kiha and Faces in 2012.
Riding this wave of success, 250 has even branched out into film festivals. At the 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival, a making-of documentary about his 'Bong' album, called 'In Search of Bong', was screened, and he appeared for a 'Geust Visit' (GV) as a main character. It's rare even for actors, whose primary job is acting, to have such a GV.
The five-part road movie 'In Search of PPong', released through YouTube 'BANA TV' in 2017, depicts 250's journey in search of 'PPong' from the Hwanghak-dong flea market in Seoul to KBS National Singing Contest, Yeongdeungpo's social dance academy, and a Hapcheon EDM party in Gyeongnam.
In this documentary, 250 introspects what 'Bong' is while introducing himself as a dance music creator, 250. Although it's reminiscent of a B-grade fake documentary like 'God of Music', if you look a little deeper, you'll realize that 'Bong' is an emotion that exists around us.
When asked which album, the popular NewJeans or his personal album 'PPong', has brought him more success, he took a moment to think and then answered with a laugh, "Still, the 'PPong' album is myself."
The follow-up to his adventure in search of 'PPong' is 'America', for which the documentary 'Made in America' is also in the works.
He explained, "I want to explore vocal-centric music from the '80s and '90s. Not music where electronic instrument sounds interfere with the vocals, but music where you can hear the voice clearly."
As to whether this new album will also take 7 years, he anticipates not, "Because 'PPong' was a deep dive into my past, but 'America' will be based on my current self, it won't take as long."
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