Maps of Music
Pieces, Part One (2008)
Where the lyrics of Pieces, Part One take you, and where it was really made.
Epik High's fifth album leaked in full one day before its release, and its title track 'One' takes its name from a character in the Korean word for salvation.
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Recording at Ark Studio, Seoul (2008)
Recording site Big Hit Studios, Seoul — The album was recorded at Ark Studio in Seoul over 2007 and 2008. Google Maps · Apple Maps
How to get there: Private company studio, not open to visitors.
Album story
Overview
- Pieces, Part One: fifth studio album by Korean hip-hop group Epik High
- Released 17 April 2008
- Title track: One
- Repackaged edition released with a remix of Love Love Love
- Theme of the album is salvation; the title track's name takes a character from the Korean word for salvation (구원)
- Full album leaked online one day before release, on 16 April
Background
- Preceded by Remapping the Human Soul, which followed the success of Swan Songs
- Success of the fourth album led the group to sweep year-end award shows
- Tablo said at a Cyworld Digital Music Awards appearance that the fifth album would contain spiritual content
- Group attended the Golden Disc Awards and held its first Christmas concert on 25 December
- Mithra Jin took his first solo MC role on television
- Countdown promotion began on 10 April 2008, a week before release
- Agency Woollim Entertainment took legal action after the leak
Recording
- Recorded in Seoul at Ark Studio, 2007–2008
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · ko.wikipedia.org
Tracklist
| 1 | Be | 3:32 |
| 2 | Breakdown | 3:20 |
| 3 | 서울, 1:13 AM (short piece) | 0:37 |
| 4 | One | 3:50 |
| 5 | 연필깎이 | 4:02 |
| 6 | Girl | 4:45 |
| 7 | Slave (short piece) | 0:48 |
| 8 | The Future | 4:01 |
| 9 | 20 Fingers (short piece) | 1:22 |
| 10 | Ignition | 4:01 |
| 11 | Eight by Eight | 4:23 |
| 12 | Décalcomanie | 3:48 |
| 13 | Icarus Walks (short piece) | 1:01 |
| 14 | 낙화 (落花) | 6:25 |
| 15 | 우산 | 5:01 |
| 16 | 당신의 조각들 | 6:37 |
| 17 | Breakdown (Supreme mix) | 2:35 |
| 18 | One (Planet Shiver remix) | 4:23 |
Sources: musicbrainz.org
Artist
Formation
- Formed in 2002 in South Korea, a hip-hop trio of rapper and producer Tablo, rapper and lyricist Mithra Jin, and DJ Tukutz.
- Tablo and Mithra Jin began performing together in the underground hip-hop scene with the Movement crew; DJ Tukutz joined in March 2002.
- Signed with Woollim Entertainment and released their debut album Map of the Human Soul in 2003.
Members
- Tablo: rapper, record producer, songwriter.
- Mithra Jin: rapper and lyricist.
- DJ Tukutz: DJ and beatmaker.
Career
- Swan Songs (2005) became a mainstream hit; its title track "Fly" reached number one on domestic charts.
- Remapping the Human Soul (2007) was censored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism over its lyrics and themes, yet sold well in Korea and Japan.
- Moved to YG Entertainment in 2012 and became the first South Korean act to play at Coachella (2016).
- Left YG in 2018, founded their own agency Ours Co., and released Epik High Is Here in 2021–2022.
- Their 20th-anniversary concerts sold out in December 2023, and their first mixtape Pump came out in 2024.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
Reception
At release
- Group began promotion with a showcase on the release day
- Kim Hee-chul and Yoon Ha attended the showcase to support the group, which drew attention
- Full album leaked online on 16 April, one day before release; Woollim Entertainment took legal action
- Estimated damage from the leak was about 1 billion won
- Pre-orders passed 50,000 copies within one week
- Taxi carrying Tablo and DJ Tukutz was hit by a drunk driver on 20 May and the car was badly damaged; both were hospitalised
- Music video for Breakdown was refused broadcast by three terrestrial networks over its violence, then aired after editing
Records
- Album sold about 90,000 copies
- Group swept online and offline music charts right after release
- Title track One and the Yoon Ha-featured Umbrella became popular
- On 11 May the group won Inkigayo's Mutizen Song award and earned its first number one since the comeback
- Follow-up single was Breakdown instead of the expected Umbrella
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
Trivia
- On 2 May 2008 the group appeared on Music Bank and competed with MC Mong for first place, but a subtitle error made it seem they had won; Music Bank later announced in subtitles that MC Mong was the real winner that day.
- On 7 July 2008 a Daum TV Pot post claimed that playing the first track, Be, backwards produced the word 'Jesus', and the claim was an issue for a while.
- The fifth album's track Be was caught up in the backmasking controversy while the follow-up promotion was still going on.
Sources: ko.wikipedia.org
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