Inside The North Korean Pop Music Scene (with MP3s)

North Korean Kim Jong Il (who is incidentally the largest collector of Daffy Duck memorabilia in the world, seriously) has assembled a few pop bands, and Salon posted a couple examples in today's Audiophile (links below). The article includes a short interview with Mike Powell, who recently presented a paper on North Korean pop music. Powell brings up an interesting point about the possible influences of these bands, who live where Western music is illegal:

"If North Koreans have only one kind of music available to them, istheir appreciation of it a moot point? Is it perverse to talk aboutpeople's enjoyment of something when they have no other choices? Thereis information that suggests that because of the fact that Westernmusic is illegal there, most North Koreans don't even know that othermusic exists. But this is a multilayered thing. A lot of North Koreanpop music has these rock and pop, Western-style elements that,
musicologically speaking, I can only reason came from Russian pop orJapanese pop -- sort of secondhand stuff."

MP3: Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble - "Arirang"
MP3: Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble - "Reunification Rainbow"

I think "Reunification Rainbow" has some decent sampling opportunities (including a fascinating synth guitar solo just before the second minute)... maybe it's time for another cover.

(on salon; image from salon)