DMTN
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Predecessor | Dalmatian |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | MC Mong |
| Headquarters | Seoul , South Korea |
Area served | South Korea, international |
| Products | Music albums, singles |
| Owner | Monkey Funch Entertainment (initially) |
DMTN (; an acronym for Desire.Motivation.Timing.Now), previously known as Dalmatian (), was a South Korean boy band established and overseen by MC Mong through Monkey Funch Entertainment. The initial members consisted of Inati, Day Day, Donglim, Jeesu, Dari, and Daniel. Dalmatian made their debut with the digital single "Round 1" on September 1, 2010, after releasing a teaser on August 25. Their first live stage was featured on Mnet's M! Countdown.
On May 7, 2012, Day Day exited the group due to personal circumstances; Simon was subsequently added. Following the promotion of "That Man Opposed" in 2011, Dari enlisted for mandatory military service, resulting in a temporary break from activities. The lineup then included Inati, Jeesu, Daniel, Donglim, and Simon. After transitioning to a new agency, the group rebranded as DMTN but entered a hiatus in 2013 after Daniel became involved in a marijuana-related controversy.
2005–2010: Origins and debut
Before joining Dalmatian, Inati was affiliated with the hip-hop collective People Crew until he experienced a critical intracerebral hemorrhage in 2004. MC Mong pledged to produce an album if Inati recovered; after two months in a coma, Inati regained consciousness. The concept for Dalmatian was developed by MC Mong in 2005, with Day Day and Dari joining that same year; Daniel was incorporated later on. By December 2009, MC Mong revealed plans for a five-member group aiming to debut in February 2010. The name "Dalmatian," merging the dalmatian dog and musician themes, represented the group's devotion to their fans.
Dalmatian appeared as guest performers at MC Mong's year-end concert in December 2009. In March 2010, MC Mong launched Monkey Funch Entertainment as its CEO and producer. Prior to debut, one member left to fulfill mandatory military service; Donglim replaced him in July, with Jeesu joining as the sixth member. A legal dispute concerning Donglim's contract emerged but was ultimately dismissed by the court.
The six-member ensemble—Inati, Day Day, Dari, Jeesu, Daniel, and Youngwon (Donglim)—signed with IS Entermedia Group after approximately five years of training each. A debut teaser was unveiled on August 25, 2010; their single "Round 1", produced by MC Mong and Jo Yeong-su, followed on September 1. The group adopted a dalmatian dog mascot named Ppanggu featured prominently in the music video. Their inaugural music show appearance occurred on Mnet's M Countdown on September 2.
From September to November 2010, Dalmatian starred in the variety program Dalmatian's Manager Goes on Strike. Shortly after the show began airing, MC Mong faced indictment over alleged evasion of military service duties, which affected Dalmatian’s promotions and related projects. The group promoted for two weeks before quietly suspending activities. In November 2010, Daniel collaborated with Beast's Yang Yo-seob on the track "First Snow, First Kiss." That year also saw Dalmatian performing as guest artists during SG Wannabe’s nationwide concert tour.
2011–2012: Dalmatian and State of Emergency
On February 14, 2011, Dalmatian released their inaugural self-titled mini-album featuring lead singles "Lover Cop" and "That Man Opposed". The members described these songs as embodying contrasting emotions akin to a dalmatian’s black spots representing unrequited love’s intensity and white spots symbolizing lighthearted and gentle themes. According to distributor Mnet Media, approximately 70% of "That Man Opposed" listeners were males aged between 10 and 40—a demographic differing from typical male idol fandoms primarily composed of female fans. A remix version of the song was issued on April 4 to extend promotional efforts. Shortly thereafter, member Dari commenced his military service on April 25, 2011. Plans for subsequent releases were postponed due to internal company complications.
Following Day Day’s departure for personal reasons and Simon’s addition to the lineup, the group evolved into a five-member unit emphasizing a more mature and masculine image. On March 2, 2012, Dalmatian contributed an acoustic rendition of "The Romantic" for TVN’s drama soundtrack. Their second mini-album titled State of Emergency, led by the single "E.R" produced collaboratively with Duble Sidekick, was launched on May 16. In June, they hosted the entertainment show Idol TV Dalmatian broadcasted via SonbadakTV. After their contract with IS Entermedia concluded, Dalmatian signed with 2Works Entertainment to explore fresh prospects.
2013: Rebranding, Drug Controversy, and Group Disbandment
In 2013, the group formerly known as Dalmatian underwent a rebranding, adopting the name DMTN, an acronym for Desire. Motivation. Timing. Now, which retained a connection to their original identity. The agency indicated that this change was intended to convey a more mature image compared to their previous persona. It is reported that Daniel was responsible for creating the new acronym. Subsequently, member Youngwon reverted to using his real name, Donglim. On January 29, 2013, DMTN launched the single "Safety Zone," and began promotions on Mnet's M Countdown starting from January 31.
On March 8 of the same year, Daniel was detained by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency under allegations of marijuana distribution and consumption. Although initial drug screenings showed no traces of marijuana in his system, hair follicle tests returned positive results. Daniel confessed to acting as a middleman in marijuana transactions but denied personal usage or direct selling. He received a one-year prison sentence along with a fine amounting to 7,160,000 KRW; however, the Seoul High Court later reduced his sentence to three years probation due to his cooperation with authorities and family supervision arrangements. His punishment also entailed 120 hours of community service and 80 hours of substance abuse treatment. In light of the controversy, Daniel stepped down from his role as MC on Arirang TV's Pops in Seoul.
During Daniel’s legal proceedings, 2Works Entertainment placed DMTN on an indefinite hiatus, clarifying that no plans for group activities would proceed without him and that final decisions would await the trial’s outcome. This suspension effectively resulted in the group's disbandment. Prior to this interruption, DMTN had scheduled international promotions for April and planned to release a new album in May.
2020: Commemorative Single for 10th Anniversary
Under Daniel’s initiative, DMTN came together once more to produce a track celebrating their tenth anniversary. Due to mandatory military service obligations, Jeesu was unable to participate in the reunion project. The R&B ballad "Never Forget" was officially released on June 19, 2020, marking their first single in seven years.
Musical Style
Dalmatian was originally established as a hip hop and dance ensemble with distinct roles separating rappers from vocalists. Their artistic vision sought to express both a "strong and masculine" image alongside a "gentle charm" through emotionally resonant music, drawing inspiration from the group g.o.d. Their debut showcased retro-inspired melodies combined with prominent rapping and choreography skills, integrating hip hop rhythms with heartfelt ballads.
Former Members
- Inati () – leader, rapper
- Day Day () – rapper
- Dari () – rapper
- Donglim () – vocalist
- Jeesu () – main vocalist
- Daniel () – lead vocalist
- Simon () – rapper and vocalist
Mini-albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales |
|---|---|---|---|
| KOR | |||
| Dalmatian |
|
22 |
|
| State of Emergency |
|
9 |
|
Singles
| Song Title | Release Year | Highest Chart Position | Sales Figures | Associated Album |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KOR |
|- ! scope="row"|"Round 1" | 2010 | 107 | | rowspan="3"|Dalmatian |- ! scope="row"|"That Man Opposed" () | rowspan="3"|2011 | 66 |
- KOR: 546,089+
|- ! scope="row"|"Lover Cop" | — |
- KOR: 362,462+
|- ! scope="row"|"That Man Opposed (Remix)" () | | 136 |
- KOR: 32,934+
| |- ! scope="row"|"E.R" | 2012 | 59 |
- KOR: 154,939+
| State of Emergency |- ! scope="row"|"Safety Zone" | 2013 | 131 |
- KOR: 21,791+
| |- ! scope="row"|"Never Forget" | 2020 | — | |}
Soundtrack appearances
| Song Title | Release Year | Album / OST |
|---|---|---|
| "The Romantic (Acoustic Ver.)" | 2012 | The Romantic OST Part.3 |
Filmography
| Program Title | Year Aired | Broadcast Network | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dalmatian's Manager Goes on Strike | 2010 | Mnet | Consisted of 10 episodes |
| Idol TV Dalmatian | 2012 | SonbadakTV |