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| Octopoulpe performs at GBN Live House in southern Seoul's Mullae-dong, Jan. 21, 2017. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar |
By Jon Dunbar
After years of wandering the earth, the hideous beast known as Octopoulpe returns to the shores of Korea, the land where it was conceived.
"Even though I'm French and I live in Mexico, I keep saying that Octopoulpe is a Korean project," said JP, the one member of Octopoulpe who lived in Korea for several years in the 2010s. In 2014 he created the one-man band Octopoulpe playing music like math rock and hardcore punk.
A computer whiz, he came up with a unique interface enabling drum input to guide a computer program, resulting in interactive performances. Audiences can see JP himself playing drums, while clad only in an octopus mask and his underwear, accompanied by a screen playing prerecorded videos. Although he's a one-man act, this system lets him play multiple instruments all at once simply by playing different drum sequences. He can also control the video and the lighting.
"There's another very new thing I started for the first time some months ago in South America," he said. "It's a more theatrical version of Octopoulpe, where a show can be a 'story' with an introduction, some interactions in the middle and an ending."
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| Octopoulpe performs in Ruailrock near Hongik University in western Seoul, Nov. 14, 2015. JP, its only member, plays the drums along with a prerecorded video of himself on guitar. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar |
His stage costume is a little revealing, and he admitted it's gotten him in trouble a few times, but only in Europe. "There has never been any serious problem," he said, "I just had to wear a T-shirt, a bra or put some tape on my nipples, that's it."
After moving away from Korea in 2019, he's toured most of the world, playing at least 500 shows across four continents and becoming one of the most-traveled music acts to ever come out of Korea. He recently toured South America, expanding the list of countries he's played by even more.
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| Octopoulpe appears alongside the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the 2021 music video for "Piece of Crap." / Courtesy of Octopoulpe |
To save time, he listed the places he hasn't played yet: Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Iceland, Russia, the Middle East, India and North Korea. "The next one should be Australia in 2024," he said. "I had to cancel my tour in Russia in 2020. Now I think I'll have to wait quite a few years before going there."
Wherever he goes, he rates the toilets he uses, leaving a personalized sticker with a score and a short comment pasted where later toilet users can see. Some have even invited him back in order to re-evaluate their toilets. A few of his stickers are likely still viewable in venue washrooms across Seoul.
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| Octopoulpe gave a poor rating to the washroom at GBN Live Hall in southern Seoul's Mullae-dong in 2018. It was later renovated. / Korea Times photo by Jon Dunbar |
After releasing a demo titled "Squid Korea" in 2015, he's also put out three full-length albums: "Man won" (2017), "Kichompre" (2020) and most recently "Alt-164."
He'll likely have copies of that one with him when he's back in Korea this week. He's scheduled to play at Busan's HQ Bar on Friday, then headline IT'S A FEST! on Saturday at Hanagae Beach on Incheon's Muui Island, and on Sunday he'll play at Club FF near Hongik University in western Seoul, along with other hardcore bands like No Shelter and FLUSH!!
Entry to the beach festival is free. Visit wdikorea.com or follow @itsafestkorea on Instagram for details on the show, or iamoctopoulpe.com for more information about the band.
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