''Ultramania'' is the second studio album by Korean musician

Seo Taiji Jeong Hyeon-cheol (Korean: 정현철; born February 21, 1972), better known as Seo Taiji or Seo Tae-ji (서태지), is a South Korean singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. After dropping out of high school to pursue a music career, ...

. Although it is the second solo album by Seo, some refer to it as his sixth counting the four albums released by

Seo Taiji and Boys () was a South Korean music group active from 1992 to 1996. The three members of the boy band, Seo Taiji, Yang Hyun-suk and Lee Juno, experimented with many different genres of popular Western music. Seo Taiji and Boys was highly successful ...

. The album, with its

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...

sound, has sold over a million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums in South Korea. ''Ultramania'' spawned three number-one singles, "Ultramania", "Feel the Soul" and "Internet War".

Background

''Ultramania'' saw

resume musical activities in Korea for the first time since his retirement and the end of Seo Taiji and Boys in January 1996. Although he released '' Seo Tai Ji'' in 1998, he remained hidden and stayed in the United States. On his decision to end retirement and the fear of public opinion on his return, Seo said he thought it over many times and that it was not an easy decision to make. Awaiting his return, over a thousand fans waited at

Kimpo International Airport Gimpo International Airport (), commonly known as Gimpo Airport , formerly rendered in English as Kimpo International Airport, is located in the far western end of Seoul, some west of the Jung-gu, Seoul, Central District of Seoul. Gimpo was t ...

in August 2000, with 900 policemen dispatched to control the chaos. Seo held his "comeback" concert on September 9, 2000 at the Fencing Stadium within the

Olympic Park An Olympic Park is a sports campus for hosting the Olympic Games. Typically it contains the Olympic Stadium and the International Broadcast Centre. It may also contain the Olympic Village or some of the other sports venues, such as the aquatics ...

to 6,000 fans. The album was released just one day earlier, with wholesalers estimating 800,000 to 900,000 copies sold in just two days. He released the album's first single, "Ultramania", which quickly went to number one on the music charts. "Internet War" was soon to follow, also hitting number one. The final song on the album includes a hidden track; a rock version of "Neoege" originally from Seo Taiji and Boys' second album. Most songs from ''Ultramania'' were re-recorded and released on the 2003 '' 6th Album Re-recording & ETPFEST Live'' compilation.

Reception

''Ultramania'' sold over 1.4 million copies. After Seo signed a deal to exclusively appear on

Seoul Broadcasting System Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) () is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. The broadcaster legally became known as SBS in March 2000, changing its corporate name from Seoul Broadcasting System (서울방송). Its f ...

, its competitors

Korean Broadcasting System The Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) () is the national broadcaster of South Korea. Founded in February 1927, it is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. KBS operates seven radio networks, ten television channels, a ...

and

Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC; ) is one of the leading South Korean television and radio broadcasters. ''Munhwa'' is the Sino-Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television station MBC TV broadcasts as channel 11. Es ...

left the musician off their

music chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given period. Many different criteria are used in worldwide charts, often ...

s. In 2000, the song "Ultramania" won the

Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Band Performance The Mnet Asian Music Award for Best Band Performance (베스트 밴드 퍼포먼스) is an award presented annually by CJ E&M Pictures ( Mnet). It was first awarded at the 1st Mnet Asian Music Awards ceremony held in 1999; the band Jaurim won the ...

. Music critic Im Jin-mo said "Seo's new music is much more aggressive than before. It even shows signs of arrogance. It doesn't meet the traditional standard of popularity and commercialism. In a way, he seems to be making an 'independence declaration at a personal level."

Track listing

Personnel

- vocals, all instruments, recording, producing *

DJ Babu Chris Oroc a.k.a. Melvin Babu (born September 17, 1974), better known as DJ Babu or DJ Babu the Dilated Junkie, is a Filipino-American DJ and producer. He is a member of the hip hop trio Dilated Peoples, with Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence an ...

- scratching *Jason Robert - recording, mixing

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Seo Taiji albums 2000 albums