Okay-Pop’s first technology is usually referenced as the inspiration for the business we take pleasure in now, however there aren’t sufficient good English-language sources that give its music the main target it deserves. I’m hoping to vary that with a unbroken flashback sequence, spotlighting private highlights from the period – each iconic and obscure.
The period in query is usually thought-about to run from the debut of Search engine optimisation Taiji & Boys in 1992 to the emergence of TVXQ in late 2003. The music featured on this sequence will largely match inside that time-frame, give or take just a few years on both aspect.
It was a time of bonkers music buildings, wild trend, slamming techno beats, unhealthy reggae impressions, flagrant use (theft?) of American hip-hop samples, hearty energy ballads, foul language, the growliest rapper tones you possibly can think about and an anything-goes scrappiness that’s not possible to pigeonhole. To borrow the title of a well-liked second-gen act, these years had been the “large bang” of an rising musical powerhouse, nonetheless discovering its footing and throwing the whole lot on the wall.
Try different “Again to Okay-pop’s First Era” evaluations right here.
After as we speak, this function will transfer from being each day to extra sporadic as I flip my consideration to the various year-end countdowns for 2024. And to mark the tip of this “season” of posts, I need to function a music whose efficiency has turn into considered one of Okay-pop’s most infamous memes.
Sechs Kies are essential to cowl on their very own. Alongside H.O.T, they had been a pioneer of Korean idol teams and the fandom rivalry between these two acts is the stuff of legend. They had been immensely standard throughout their preliminary run, disbanding on the peak of their fame. They’re in all probability greatest recognized for his or her mega-hit Couple – considered one of Okay-pop’s greatest early ballads. Nevertheless, the music I wish to write about as we speak is Chivalry.
Although Chivalry by no means had a music video, it was promoted on music exhibits – most notoriously on MBC’s High Music. I gained’t spoil it for anybody who hasn’t seen this but, however simply click on the primary video beneath and benefit from the (very NSFW) introduction. The truth that this music is known as “Chivalry” makes it all of the funnier. However past the novelty of this selection, I really feel like this second greatest encapsulates the wild, anything-goes vitality of Okay-pop’s first technology. The truth that they might away with that is endlessly amusing to me.
Past “the second” of that MBC efficiency, Chivalry is considered one of my favourite Sechs Kies hits. It’s large and brash and options that nice mix of rock and dance that this period of Okay-pop doled out so effectively. There’s an aural firepower unleashed proper from the primary second, storming ahead with unrelenting depth. The refrain is a bit underdeveloped in comparison with related songs like Street Fighter, however the group’s unwavering persona undoubtedly compensates.
| Hooks | 8 |
| Manufacturing | 9 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 9 |
| RATING | 8.75 |
Grade: B+
