Artist Profile: Moribet

Written By G.C. Bellchamber
Moribet descends a staircase

Moribet, the artistic alias of Junmo Yang, is an electronic folk project that communicates profound streams of joy and vulnerability, skillfully layering a definite singer-songwriter ethos with disorienting electronic experimentation. On his new album, “So, Ho Hum”, this blend exposes itself at full strength, combining intimately crafted lyrics with an innovative bedroom sound.

The seventh track on the album, “bigger plot”, encapsulates this duality perfectly. While Yang’s voice sounds clearly and brightly over the instrumental, it is the sonic atmosphere that elevates his vocals beyond their concrete presence.

Originally from Seoul, South Korea, Yang’s musical journey began in middle school when he began writing songs on piano and picked up guitar shortly later. He references Nirvana and David Bowie as major influences during that period of his life.

By the time high school came around, Yang enrolled in the Paul McCartney-founded Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in the United Kingdom.

Upon arriving in Liverpool, Yang quickly realized he had the tools to begin making music on his own. Yang is truly a songwriter at heart, and this realization allowed his artistic expression to bloom fully.

“I just started recording with samples and just doing what I could do with a lower budget… I don't think it was an artistic choice. Rather, it was the only thing I could do with the resources I had.”

Yet, necessity is indeed the mother of innovation. Through noticing the similarities in drumming between IDM, jazz, and rock, Yang discovered a fusion of sounds that freed from his inhibitions toward making guitar-driven music without high-budget studio equipment. He marks “Karma” by Pharoah Sanders and “Draft 7.30” by Autechre as distinct influences in this realization.

Yang is not alone in this journey of budget-driven innovation. Moribet is one of the newest members in a budding Korean bedroom rock and pop scene, with acts such as khc and oddeen breaking into the online music niche over the past couple of years. 

Yang attributes this, largely, to both the rise in online creative avenues as well as the lifting of the ban on Japanese cultural imports in the 2000s. According to him, this helped open the door for a generation of young Korean artists to participate in and influence the global creative marketplace.

“I remember, as a kid, Korea was exactly 20 years behind everyone else in terms of culture... So I think we're only just starting to catch up with everyone else… So I'm extremely grateful that I'm  living in this time, because I don't  think I'd have been able to do anything if it was 20 years [ago].”

His songwriting process reflects this ethos of innovation; he utilizes cut-up, random texts and AI to supplement his songwriting process, bringing a sort of disorder, which he calls “mystical”, to his intricately and intentionally written lyrics.

While he plans to continue working under the Moribet alias, his ambitions extend beyond the confines of his home studio. He hopes to one day extend his songwriting talents to the stage, using his wit and profound sensibilities to work in a more collaborative setting.

In the meantime, however, Yang’s solo venture will surely continue to impress, and one should certainly look forward to his next project as Moribet.

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