yonglee & the DOLTANG
yonglee & the DOLTANG is a progressive rock and improvisational music group that has gained significant recognition within the Korean jazz scene. Led by pianist and composer yonglee, their music satirically explores the complex desires and absurdities of modern society.
DOLTANG’s sound fuses structural elegance with emotionally charged improvisation, balancing complexity and simplicity. Their music blends a wide range of contemporary genres, including rock, pop, contemporary jazz, and improvisation, resulting in experimental and innovative compositions. The integration of electronic instruments, sonic experimentation, and layered rhythms creates an immersive sound that sets them apart with its unique quality.
The group has performed on prestigious international stages, including Jazzahead! 2024 (DE), the Jarasum Jazz Festival (KR), and Opus Jazz Club (HU). Following the release of their debut album Invisible Worker (Unit Records, 1/5/2025), they are set to perform at the Bimhuis (NL), Enter Enea Jazz Festival (PL), KAAP (BE), and Jassmine (PL).
The music of yonglee & the DOLTANG, in collaboration with Youngwoo(synth), Yechan(guitar), Hwansu(bass), and Dayeon(drums), is distinguished by its intellectual depth and emotional resonance, establishing a unique and influential position in today’s jazz scene.
DOLTANG’s sound fuses structural elegance with emotionally charged improvisation, balancing complexity and simplicity. Their music blends a wide range of contemporary genres, including rock, pop, contemporary jazz, and improvisation, resulting in experimental and innovative compositions. The integration of electronic instruments, sonic experimentation, and layered rhythms creates an immersive sound that sets them apart with its unique quality.
The group has performed on prestigious international stages, including Jazzahead! 2024 (DE), the Jarasum Jazz Festival (KR), and Opus Jazz Club (HU). Following the release of their debut album Invisible Worker (Unit Records, 1/5/2025), they are set to perform at the Bimhuis (NL), Enter Enea Jazz Festival (PL), KAAP (BE), and Jassmine (PL).
The music of yonglee & the DOLTANG, in collaboration with Youngwoo(synth), Yechan(guitar), Hwansu(bass), and Dayeon(drums), is distinguished by its intellectual depth and emotional resonance, establishing a unique and influential position in today’s jazz scene.
yonglee & the DOLTANG ist eine progressive Rock- und Improvisationsmusikgruppe, die in der koreanischen Jazzszene große Anerkennung gefunden hat. Unter der Leitung des Pianisten und Komponisten Yonglee erforscht ihre Musik auf satirische Weise die komplexen Sehnsüchte und Absurditäten der modernen Gesellschaft.
Der Sound von DOLTANG verbindet strukturelle Eleganz mit gefühlsbetonter Improvisation und schafft ein Gleichgewicht zwischen Komplexität und Einfachheit. Ihre Musik vermischt eine Vielzahl zeitgenössischer Genres, darunter Rock, Pop, zeitgenössischer Jazz und Improvisation, was zu experimentellen und innovativen Kompositionen führt. Die Integration von elektronischen Instrumenten, Klangexperimenten und sich überlagernden Rhythmen schafft einen mitreißenden Sound, der die Gruppe durch seine einzigartige Qualität auszeichnet.
Die Gruppe ist bereits auf renommierten internationalen Bühnen aufgetreten, darunter Jazzahead! 2024 (DE), dem Jarasum Jazz Festival (KR) und dem Opus Jazz Club (HU). Nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbums Invisible Worker (Unit Records, 1.5.2025) stehen Auftritte im Bimhuis (NL), Enter Enea Jazz Festival (PL), KAAP (BE) und Jassmine (PL) an.
Die Musik von yonglee & the DOLTANG, in Zusammenarbeit mit Youngwoo (Synthesizer), Yechan (Gitarre), Hwansu (Bass) und Dayeon (Schlagzeug), zeichnet sich durch intellektuelle Tiefe und emotionale Resonanz aus und nimmt eine einzigartige und einflussreiche Position in der heutigen Jazzszene ein.
Der Sound von DOLTANG verbindet strukturelle Eleganz mit gefühlsbetonter Improvisation und schafft ein Gleichgewicht zwischen Komplexität und Einfachheit. Ihre Musik vermischt eine Vielzahl zeitgenössischer Genres, darunter Rock, Pop, zeitgenössischer Jazz und Improvisation, was zu experimentellen und innovativen Kompositionen führt. Die Integration von elektronischen Instrumenten, Klangexperimenten und sich überlagernden Rhythmen schafft einen mitreißenden Sound, der die Gruppe durch seine einzigartige Qualität auszeichnet.
Die Gruppe ist bereits auf renommierten internationalen Bühnen aufgetreten, darunter Jazzahead! 2024 (DE), dem Jarasum Jazz Festival (KR) und dem Opus Jazz Club (HU). Nach der Veröffentlichung ihres Debütalbums Invisible Worker (Unit Records, 1.5.2025) stehen Auftritte im Bimhuis (NL), Enter Enea Jazz Festival (PL), KAAP (BE) und Jassmine (PL) an.
Die Musik von yonglee & the DOLTANG, in Zusammenarbeit mit Youngwoo (Synthesizer), Yechan (Gitarre), Hwansu (Bass) und Dayeon (Schlagzeug), zeichnet sich durch intellektuelle Tiefe und emotionale Resonanz aus und nimmt eine einzigartige und einflussreiche Position in der heutigen Jazzszene ein.
RELEASES
Lineup
yonglee & the DOLTANG
Yonglee – piano
Yechan Jo – guitar
Youngwoo Lee – synth, electronics
Hwansu Kang – bass
Dayeon Seok – drums
Song Yi Jeon – vocals on track 4 and 7
Yonglee – piano
Yechan Jo – guitar
Youngwoo Lee – synth, electronics
Hwansu Kang – bass
Dayeon Seok – drums
Song Yi Jeon – vocals on track 4 and 7
Details
Catalogue Number
UTR 5208
Recording Engineer
Dong Hee Lee
Mixing Engineer
Alistair Payne
Mastering Engineer
Alistair Payne
Album Duration
Genre
Jazz
Release Date
01.05.2025
Description
Invisible Worker is the groundbreaking debut studio album of yonglee & the DOLTANG, a band that has captured the attention not only across Korea but on a global scale. Spearheaded by the visionary pianist and composer yonglee, the album brings together the talents of Youngwoo (synthesizer, electronics), Yechan (guitar), Hwansu (bass), Dayeon (drums), and guest vocalist Jeon Song Yi, as they unite their forces to create a stunning collection of 9 captivating tracks.
The journey of their debut album began when five individuals, once dispersed across different corners of the world, finally came together in Seoul, sparking a creative energy unlike any other. This album is not just a collection of music; it is a testament to the struggles of artists who, despite their dreams of becoming musicians, find themselves trapped in the ceaseless grind of artistic labor—an experience that mirrors the struggles faced by anyone seeking to escape the relentless pressures of modern life. In the midst of the emotional exhaustion that comes with the demands of music, composer yonglee found himself yearning for a return to the pure, unblemished love for music that he once knew. Long before he became a professional musician, he sought refuge in the rock music that first captured his heart. Through layered rhythms, reflecting the complexities of today’s world, he poured out the raw emotions tied to the delicate intersection of society and personal identity. The harsh electronic textures of guitar and bass, powerful drumming, and nostalgic synths from the '90s and 2000s blend seamlessly with their intricate performances, crafting a sound that transcends mere retro, offering an evocative modernity with intellectual depth.
The album features tracks such as "Pay Day", which expresses the emotional turmoil before payday, "Fluorescent Light", which contrasts the sense of helplessness of lying under the pressure of a deadline with the desperate determination of a bug flying towards a fluorescent light, "Drops", inspired by the graph of a stock investment portfolio, symbolizing the flow of complex modern society, and "Shell", which speaks to the desire to break free from constraints and move toward freedom. Through these songs, yonglee & the DOLTANG captures the collective portrait of all the souls living in today's society. They hope that their story will serve as a mirror, offering comfort and courage to those who listen.
The journey of their debut album began when five individuals, once dispersed across different corners of the world, finally came together in Seoul, sparking a creative energy unlike any other. This album is not just a collection of music; it is a testament to the struggles of artists who, despite their dreams of becoming musicians, find themselves trapped in the ceaseless grind of artistic labor—an experience that mirrors the struggles faced by anyone seeking to escape the relentless pressures of modern life. In the midst of the emotional exhaustion that comes with the demands of music, composer yonglee found himself yearning for a return to the pure, unblemished love for music that he once knew. Long before he became a professional musician, he sought refuge in the rock music that first captured his heart. Through layered rhythms, reflecting the complexities of today’s world, he poured out the raw emotions tied to the delicate intersection of society and personal identity. The harsh electronic textures of guitar and bass, powerful drumming, and nostalgic synths from the '90s and 2000s blend seamlessly with their intricate performances, crafting a sound that transcends mere retro, offering an evocative modernity with intellectual depth.
The album features tracks such as "Pay Day", which expresses the emotional turmoil before payday, "Fluorescent Light", which contrasts the sense of helplessness of lying under the pressure of a deadline with the desperate determination of a bug flying towards a fluorescent light, "Drops", inspired by the graph of a stock investment portfolio, symbolizing the flow of complex modern society, and "Shell", which speaks to the desire to break free from constraints and move toward freedom. Through these songs, yonglee & the DOLTANG captures the collective portrait of all the souls living in today's society. They hope that their story will serve as a mirror, offering comfort and courage to those who listen.
Invisible Worker
The original sound of jazz was the sound of military instruments, transfigured to overtake violence with romance, sensuality, and the blues. Hard metal battle horns melted into honey. An imposing drum line folded into a single puppet-master. The sound moved north, up the river, then found its home in New York City, where hot air moves fast and loud. But Black American genius did not only give us the sound of jazz; it revived a crumbling European tradition of storytelling-through-tonal-harmony. Jazz as a game of harmony-geometry played on the checkerboard of a swung beat.
One can play this game without the huff-and-puff, cigarette-in-the-rain sound of city jazz. Music provides endless puzzles that the bravest musicians — jazz musicians — attempt to solve live without premeditation. Why not try to solve them with new tools? The pedalboard beneath an electric guitar; the knobs on a synthesizer. Vibrate the air with electricity; listen to the sound of transistors and capacitors.
yonglee speaks two languages at once. One: the old tradition of harmony and counterpoint, as expressed on the centuries-old interface, so perfect as to never change: the keyboard. Two: the kinetic power of rock music, where amplifiers pump muscular energy into the guts of young people hungry for sounds that capture at once their exuberance and their rage. The gameplay of jazz — its harmonic and rhythmic openness that permits more and more extension — mediates the two languages so that the result — a tight yet edgy record of composition and improvisation — strikes us as progressive in the sense of making progress: solving new puzzles, pulling off new gymnastics.
DOLTANG backs up the vision. A progressive fusion band always tempts the danger of playing too clean. Without the microscopic fractal rub of notes felt ever-so-slightly apart, sophisticated jazz harmony sounds excessive and poindexterish. But the budget for slop is not so high either. A soaring, twisting improvisation over romantic chords has no place in adolescent punk music, so avoided this too must be. DOLTANG finds the sweet spot. Just enough roughness to preemptively defeat accusations of nerdiness; enough grace to convince us that these big beautiful chords come from real places in a real sentimental heart. The frank tenderness of "Do Plastic Bags Dream About Sunset" offsets the misty avant-garde slant of "Drops." "Chit-Kong" juxtaposes gossamer airiness with ophiological sludge. You can listen to Invisible Worker with an ear for kinetic fun, or high-brow elegance, or sentimental nostalgia for a just-bygone era of techno-optimistic glow. In that sense, it is a complete album with a wide span but a deep soul. Jazz continues to progress. Electric light. Electric heat. Fire, well-wielded, flowing through wires and tubes, never out-of-control but always burning.
Seymour Euge
Sylmar, California
Winter 2025
The original sound of jazz was the sound of military instruments, transfigured to overtake violence with romance, sensuality, and the blues. Hard metal battle horns melted into honey. An imposing drum line folded into a single puppet-master. The sound moved north, up the river, then found its home in New York City, where hot air moves fast and loud. But Black American genius did not only give us the sound of jazz; it revived a crumbling European tradition of storytelling-through-tonal-harmony. Jazz as a game of harmony-geometry played on the checkerboard of a swung beat.
One can play this game without the huff-and-puff, cigarette-in-the-rain sound of city jazz. Music provides endless puzzles that the bravest musicians — jazz musicians — attempt to solve live without premeditation. Why not try to solve them with new tools? The pedalboard beneath an electric guitar; the knobs on a synthesizer. Vibrate the air with electricity; listen to the sound of transistors and capacitors.
yonglee speaks two languages at once. One: the old tradition of harmony and counterpoint, as expressed on the centuries-old interface, so perfect as to never change: the keyboard. Two: the kinetic power of rock music, where amplifiers pump muscular energy into the guts of young people hungry for sounds that capture at once their exuberance and their rage. The gameplay of jazz — its harmonic and rhythmic openness that permits more and more extension — mediates the two languages so that the result — a tight yet edgy record of composition and improvisation — strikes us as progressive in the sense of making progress: solving new puzzles, pulling off new gymnastics.
DOLTANG backs up the vision. A progressive fusion band always tempts the danger of playing too clean. Without the microscopic fractal rub of notes felt ever-so-slightly apart, sophisticated jazz harmony sounds excessive and poindexterish. But the budget for slop is not so high either. A soaring, twisting improvisation over romantic chords has no place in adolescent punk music, so avoided this too must be. DOLTANG finds the sweet spot. Just enough roughness to preemptively defeat accusations of nerdiness; enough grace to convince us that these big beautiful chords come from real places in a real sentimental heart. The frank tenderness of "Do Plastic Bags Dream About Sunset" offsets the misty avant-garde slant of "Drops." "Chit-Kong" juxtaposes gossamer airiness with ophiological sludge. You can listen to Invisible Worker with an ear for kinetic fun, or high-brow elegance, or sentimental nostalgia for a just-bygone era of techno-optimistic glow. In that sense, it is a complete album with a wide span but a deep soul. Jazz continues to progress. Electric light. Electric heat. Fire, well-wielded, flowing through wires and tubes, never out-of-control but always burning.
Seymour Euge
Sylmar, California
Winter 2025
Die in Seoul beheimatete Progressive-Rock/Jazz-Formation yonglee & the DOLTANG hat sich in der koreanischen und europäischen Jazzszene schnell als kreative Kraft etabliert, die Grenzen überschreitet. Unter der Leitung des Pianisten und Komponisten yonglee erforscht die Gruppe mit ihrem energiegeladenen Sound auf satirische Weise die Komplexität, Absurdität und Widersprüche der modernen Gesellschaft.
Invisible Worker" ist eine Mischung aus progressivem Rock, Pop, zeitgenössischem Jazz, freier Improvisation und elektronischen Experimenten und ist ein Beweis für die genreübergreifende Vision der Gruppe. Das Album ist geprägt von komplexen Schichten aus verblüffenden Rhythmen, komplexer zeitgenössischer Harmonie, rockigen, verzerrten Gitarren und emotionsgeladenen Improvisationen und zeigt einen Sound, der ebenso aufregend wie anregend ist.
Entstanden aus der kreativen Synergie von fünf Musikern, die sich nach jahrelanger Trennung in Seoul wieder zusammenfanden, spiegelt die Arbeit des Ensembles den Kampf von Künstlern wider, die sich mit den unerbittlichen Anforderungen ihres Handwerks auseinandersetzen. Die neun Originaltitel des Albums fangen die Spannung zwischen kreativer Leidenschaft und dem Druck der modernen Existenz ein. Von der rohen Energie rauer elektronischer Texturen bis hin zur nostalgischen Wärme von Synthesizern aus den 90er und 2000er Jahren kanalisiert jedes Stück die komplexe Schnittmenge von persönlicher Identität und gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen.
Während sie sich einen unverwechselbaren Platz in der Jazz- und Progressive-Rock-Landschaft erobern, ist "Invisible Worker" ein kühnes Statement einer künstlerischen Vision und einer menschlichen Verbindung. Die Band hält der zeitgenössischen Existenz einen klanglichen Spiegel vor und hofft, dass ihre Geschichte denjenigen, die zuhören, Trost und Mut spendet.
Invisible Worker" ist eine Mischung aus progressivem Rock, Pop, zeitgenössischem Jazz, freier Improvisation und elektronischen Experimenten und ist ein Beweis für die genreübergreifende Vision der Gruppe. Das Album ist geprägt von komplexen Schichten aus verblüffenden Rhythmen, komplexer zeitgenössischer Harmonie, rockigen, verzerrten Gitarren und emotionsgeladenen Improvisationen und zeigt einen Sound, der ebenso aufregend wie anregend ist.
Entstanden aus der kreativen Synergie von fünf Musikern, die sich nach jahrelanger Trennung in Seoul wieder zusammenfanden, spiegelt die Arbeit des Ensembles den Kampf von Künstlern wider, die sich mit den unerbittlichen Anforderungen ihres Handwerks auseinandersetzen. Die neun Originaltitel des Albums fangen die Spannung zwischen kreativer Leidenschaft und dem Druck der modernen Existenz ein. Von der rohen Energie rauer elektronischer Texturen bis hin zur nostalgischen Wärme von Synthesizern aus den 90er und 2000er Jahren kanalisiert jedes Stück die komplexe Schnittmenge von persönlicher Identität und gesellschaftlichen Erwartungen.
Während sie sich einen unverwechselbaren Platz in der Jazz- und Progressive-Rock-Landschaft erobern, ist "Invisible Worker" ein kühnes Statement einer künstlerischen Vision und einer menschlichen Verbindung. Die Band hält der zeitgenössischen Existenz einen klanglichen Spiegel vor und hofft, dass ihre Geschichte denjenigen, die zuhören, Trost und Mut spendet.
