Ok-Pop’s first technology is commonly referenced as the inspiration for the trade we take pleasure in now, however there aren’t sufficient good English-language sources that give its music the main focus 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 commonly thought of to run from the debut of Website positioning Taiji & Boys in 1992 to the emergence of TVXQ in late 2003. The music featured on this sequence will largely match inside that timeframe, give or take a number of years on both aspect.
It was a time of bonkers music constructions, wild style, slamming techno beats, dangerous 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 unattainable to pigeonhole. To borrow the identify of a well-liked second-gen act, these years had been the “massive bang” of an rising musical powerhouse, nonetheless discovering its footing and throwing all the things on the wall.
There’s a sure kind of hyper-dramatic, rock opera meets rap meets dance hybrid that we most frequently affiliate with SM Leisure’s SMP model and particularly with producer Yoo Younger-Jin. Whereas Younger-Jin was starting to discover this territory with H.O.T and Shinhwa (who will each be featured prominently on this sequence) within the late 90’s, there have been many contemporaries mining the identical sound and typically doing it even higher.
Boy group NRG went via a number of sonic iterations, from Eurobeat to funk to R&B and again once more. A few of this transition may need been in response to member Kim Hwansung’s sudden dying within the 12 months 2000 at simply 19 years previous. I think about it’s exhausting to be bopping alongside to excessive power Eurobeat if you’ve suffered such stunning tragedy on the peak of your reputation. Face comes from their third album, and Hwansung’s final with the group. It’s my favourite NRG observe, although the group will doubtless be spotlighted right here once more as a result of they’ve a wealth of fine materials.
So many constructing blocks of contemporary Ok-pop are current on this relentless banger. We’ve received the ever-changing music construction, heavy metallic guitar riffs and rapid-fire rap. As a lot as these early Younger-jin productions, Face seems like a predecessor to international hits like TVXQ’s Rising Solar. Just like that music, Face is anchored by a dramatic refrain that units its sights on being as bombastically excessive as potential. NRG are leaving nothing on the desk right here. You’re getting your cash’s price!
| Hooks | 9 |
| Manufacturing | 10 |
| Longevity | 9 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 9.5 |
Grade: A