LEENALCHI: Live on KCRW

From the creator

Trying to neatly categorize LEENALCHI feels like a near impossible task — and that’s exactly the point. The Seoul-based band takes pansori, (Korea’s centuries-old tradition of powerful musical storytelling), and brings it starkly to the present, building a wildly kinetic sound, from elastic basslines (with not one, but TWO bassists), drums, and a chorus of voices and personalities that can move from whispering ideas to full-throated release in a matter of seconds. With minimal production, supported by two basses and drums laying down a deceptively deep pocket, LEENALCHI’s four vocalists trade phrases, emotions, answer one another, and occasionally collide in exhilarating bursts of harmony. The arrangements are brilliantly leave room for every rhythmic twist, but the perceived effect is anything but minimal. Voices bend and play around the beat while the rhythm section holds everything down, locked into a pocket that feels equal parts ancient ritual, psychedelic funk, and left-field pop. And although there’s a regimented through-line of intentioned grooves, there’s also a looseness to the group’s performance — playful glances exchanged, gestures tossed across the room, voices suddenly lunging forward - making you feel like you know exactly what they’re saying (even if you don’t know the language). LEENALCHI aren’t treating tradition as something preserved behind glass. They’re playing with it and showing us how it can be flipped, reverse engineered and renovated. Their br

Published 2026-08-19 · Watch on YouTube ↗
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