R.ef
R.ef was a rave music group in South Korea.
History
In 1995, a group of three was formed and introduced rave music into South Korea. Consisting of 21-year-old pretty boy vocalist Lee Sung Wook (이성욱), 25-year-old tough guy rapper Park Chul Woo (박철우) and 21-year-old backup singer Sung Dae Hyun (성대현). The group started out with their most well known singles 이별공식 (roughly translated to Farewell Formula), 상심 (roughly translated to Heartbreak) and 고요속의 외침(roughly translated to Silent Scream). Then the trio released the second album, "Back to the Black," in 1996 and continued their smooth musical journey with 찬란한 사랑 (Luminous Love) and 마음속을 걸어가 (Walking Into Your Heart). Later in that year, they came out with the 2.5th album "Memories in Fall," and 가을의 기억 (Memories in Fall), the main title song of the small album was loved by many, again. In 1998, the trio decided to take a break from presenting rave music to the Korean audience and experimented on Hip hop, which was a new, popular genre at the time. To represent their fresh attempt on the new genre, the trio changed their group name from R.ef (Rave effect) to REF (Ruff Eazy Flava) and set this new name as the title of their third album. The result of their try on Hip Hop was quite successful; 심연 (Abyss), including challenging Hip Hop dance movements, was a great hit without a doubt. A ballad song called 후애 (After Love) in the same album brought positive responses from the audience as well.
Style
The group's song style was dance and pop. Group competitions in South Korea were held, and the audience would vote for the best of the competitors. The most popular of the competitions was called 가요 Top 10. Among the most popular of the competitors were legends like Seo Taiji and Boys (서태지와 아이들), DJ DOC, H.O.T., Turbo (터보). The song that beat out these legends was 찬란한 사랑 (상심 II), which was the title song from their 2nd album.
Albums
- Rave Effect (March 1995)
- Back to the Black (April 1996)
- Memories in Fall (October 1996)
- Ruff Eazy Flava (September 1997)
- R.ef: Forever (December 1998)
- R.ef: The Last (April 1999)
The group disbanded in 1999. The trio released a single on August 13, 2004, called 사랑은 어려워 (roughly translated into Love is Hard), five years after their disbandment. This was a shock to everyone, and the single became a very popular song. The group has been making recent appearances (2008-2009) on Korean T.V shows and announced a new album is in the works.