K-pop Instrumentals are Blowing Up on Twitter; Here are Our Favorite Picks

K-pop tends to get a lot of flack from the general public as every track gets accused of ‘sounding the same,’ but those of us who’ve been in this world for a while know that this slander is completely unfounded.

The key thing to remember is that K-pop isn’t a genre; it’s an experience that combines every single genre you can think of to create fascinating sonic combinations that you’ll never hear in music from anywhere else in the world. K-pop producers and composers are fearless when it comes to experimentation and you’ll hear everything from reggae to vaporwave, 2000s R&B to grunge and alt rock.

A user going by @psychdeIia put a spotlight on the brilliance of K-pop compositions when they threw a question out to Twitter asking which K-pop tracks have the best instrumentals, and boy did stan Twitter deliver.

The now-viral thread has over 5000 retweets with various users showcasing instrumentals by the artists they love. While there are too many names to list here, we decided to highlight some of our own favorites.

“Bae Bae” – Big Bang, 2015

Big Bang’s G-Dragon and T.O.P produced this track with The Black Label’s Teddy Park for the 2015 album Made and went with a hypnotic bass refrain, delicate touches of harp and dreamy guitar to create an otherworldly experience that veers into a blend of dream pop and trap. It’s a trippy, complex and absolutely genius piece of production.

“Bad Boy” – Red Velvet, 2018

Produced by The Sterotypes for Red Velvet’s second studio album Perfect Velvet, “Bad Boy” is dark, seductive and dangerous thanks to its minimalist synth and rolling trap. The addition of police sirens, footsteps and howling make it a haunting dark pop and alternative R&B track that sinks it’s teeth into your bones.

“Simon Says” – NCT 127, 2018

No list of great K-pop instrumentals would be complete without NCT 127’s “Simon Says” (although NCT U’s “7th Sense” was also a strong contender) from their Regulate repackage album. Produced by JQ, DADA and Tommy $traight, the track is a scramble of deep bass, distorted and warbling synth that serve to highlight the incredible harmonized vocal chorus.

“Fantasy” – VIXX, 2016

Hands down one of the most dramatic, dark and powerful tracks in K-pop, “Fantasy” is an orchestral masterpiece written by VIXX member Ravi, Kim Mijin and composed and arranged by Devine Channel. It kicks off by sampling Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata,” transitions smoothly into future bass and trap before bringing in flood of string instrumentals and organ in the chorus to lock its theme of the underworld and doomed love.

“Alcohol-Free” – Twice, 2021

Written and produced by JYP Entertainment’s founder J.Y. Park, “Alcohol-Free” from Twice’s Taste of Love EP is a breezy dream of summer. The track uses a foundation of bossa nova (rarely seen globally in pop) for a refreshing vibe that can put anyone into a good mood.

“Venom” – Stray Kids, 2022

Stray Kids‘ in-house producer unit 3RACHA never miss and “Venom” from their 2022 EP Oddinary is a dizzying trap hip-hop number that solidifies their title as some of the best idol producers in the industry. “Venom” centres around a searing trap refrain that ticks through your ears and into your brain to send a chill down your spine–absolutely unforgettable.

“Black Swan” – BTS, 2020

“Black Swan,” produced and arranged by BTS’ longtime collaborator Pdogg, has two versions and both are equally iconic. The version which released first features string instrumentals with BTS’ acapella vocals while the studio version (available on the album Map of the Soul: 7 and on all streaming platforms) features piano, strings and a rolling emo trap beat. The first version makes more of an impact because we haven’t heard BTS this way before–the orchestral soundscape truly relays the desperation and fear in the lyrics and it’s immensely moving.

“Villain Dies” – (G)I-dle, 2022

Produced and written by member Soyeon, “Villain Dies” features on (G)I-dle‘s first studio album I Never Die and would fit in beautifully in any soundtrack of a film with an anti-hero lead. The song combines electro-pop, hip-hop and unnerving synth, peppering in splashes of deep bass, piano and violin to heighten the drama.

“Tell Me What To Do” – SHINee, 2016

“Tell Me What To Do” is a stunning alternative R&B ballad produced by Yoo Youngjin, Mike Daley, Mitchell Owens, Dewain Whitmore Jr. and Patrick “J. Que” Smith for SHINee’s 2016 repackaged album 1 and 1. The track uses tinkling synth, acoustic guitar and hazy percussion to build the sense of loss the lyrics and SHINee’s vocals communicate.

“4 Walls” – f(x), 2015

Let’s be real, most of you reading this list knew this song would be on here. Produced by LDN Noise, Tay Jasper, and Adrian McKinnon, “4 Walls” is the lead single off iconic girl group f(x)’s studio album of the same name. Way ahead of its time, the track dives deep into deep house, tropical house and dance, creating a gritty elegance that hadn’t been heard in K-pop yet.