RAINBOW99 is a prolific electronic artist. For over 10 years, he’s consistently released new music and stayed under the surface of general knowledge. He’s a musician that people know if they explore the electronic genre. But OXFORD DROPKICK was a project that I didn’t hear about until UPSIDE DOWN. And it turns out that RAINBOW99 and visual artist Gahyun Kim worked together on a first album called Poppo.
The core that comprises OXFORD DROPKICK is taking the pair’s individual skills and merging them together. R99 (RAINBOW99) creates the audio and G99 (Gahyun Kim) creates the visuals. So OXFORD DROPKICK requires two senses to appreciate the effort.
I haven’t kept up with RAINBOW99’s music but there was definitely a progression, exploration, and combination of electronic music with other elements. I’m not sure if OXFORD DROPKICK is an offshoot of the current space he’s in or something new. But it’s clear that G99’s work is necessary to appreciate the sights and sounds.
There’s only one music video right now for “New Planetary Exploration.” If the duo performed live, I can imagine a full audio/visual experience that brings both sides to life. But leaning towards audio only, UPSIDE DOWN Is a mellow and evenly-paced album. It’s a soundtrack to a non-existent movie.
When I first heard UPSIDE DOWN, I thought that it sounded similar to RAINBOW99 but I wasn’t sure with the large amount of new electronic artists rising up. But I’m glad he’s creating more music and adding the collaborative element to create something larger. I do want to also see more of G99’s addition to the album, hopefully, the entire album is supported by the visual work.
OXFORD DROPKICK sounds a lot more aggressive than the experience actually is. The album is a great background listen too. A start to finish short film would be excellent.
Instagram | Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music
Written by Chris P for Korean Indie.