New - Les Rallizes Denudes - Baus '93 - 2xLP - Tone Deaf Records
New - Les Rallizes Denudes - Baus '93 - 2xLP - Tone Deaf Records

Tone Deaf Records

New - Les Rallizes Denudes - Baus '93 - 2xLP

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  • First-ever release of the 1993 comeback gig at Baus Theater in Kichijoji, Tokyo
  • Mixed from the original multi-tracks by Rallizes member Makoto Kubota
  • Official recording fully authorized by The Last One Musique
  • Design by Akira Uji
  • Liner notes by Jennifer Lucy Allan and Julian Cope
  • 2xLP set pressed on Red Velvet vinyl housed in a gatefold jacket
– they are full of music from that era. A realization soon dawns on them: that the past lies blended in with the present, often within grasping distance. Some younger viewers of the series go so far as to feel a certain nostalgia for a time that they never even experienced. For this generation, retro represents not a trip down memory lane, but an adventure where they go off in search of new, interesting, and hip stuff. Thus, it becomes the case that the ""old is the new new"". Meanwhile, for the generation who grew up during the 80s and 90s, retro can become a means of rediscovering things that they might have passed by without noticing – elements of sophistication or sensibilities that were ahead of their time. Some works from this time need some retouching, or ‘restoration’, to be appreciated again, while others can be partially recycled. In most cases, however, these past works hold up quite well on their own, as they are. Cycles in art and culture never cease to ebb and flow. The sounds that laid the groundwork for the birth and growth of hip hop were in fact hidden sounds from an even earlier past. The popularity of rare grooves gave rise to new styles, while urban contemporary and AOR were in heavy rotation on FM radio. And now, three decades down the line from then, it just so happens that the trends of the present trace their roots back to the 80s and 90s. Serious/intense rock, innovative experimental/avant-garde sounds, or artsy music have become out of touch with the current sensibilities of our time.

Though its popularity might have been short-lived at the time, the music of the 80s and 90s featured soft saxophone parts, lively rhythms, meticulously-crafted harmonies, and beautiful melodies. These make for a fusion sound that is particularly well-suited for the tastes of today. It is worth appreciating that the 90s, by which time the waves of American AOR and Japan’s city pop had already faded away, was a golden age for Korean gayo. So, it’s quite rewarding and enjoyable to rediscover and listen to tracks that are well worth another spin after all those years.

Amid this process of rediscovery, one of the recurring names is ‘Dong-A Records’ – an artist-driven label that has left a distinctive mark on Korean pop music. It rose to become the ‘Mecca of Korea’s underground music’ thanks to its unique beginnings, sense of orientation, and production/promotion methods that set it apart from the usual record labels and entertainment agencies. Consider some of the mainstays of the label’s roster – there’s a long list of illustrious artists including Deulgukhwa, Shi-in-gwa Chonjang(Poet and Chief), Cho Dong-jin, the Shinchon Blues, Han Young-ae, Kim Hyun-sik, Pureun Haneul(Blue Sky), Kim Hyun-chul, Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Kyeoul, Bitgwa Sogeum, Jang Pil-soon, Park Hak-gi, and Lee Sora. Although Bom Yeoreum Gaeul Kyeoul did score a latter-day hit in 2002 with ‘Bravo, My Life!’, the true heyday of Dong-A Records was a short-lived period that lasted from the mid-80s to the early-90s(A list of ‘100 Masterpiece Albums of Korean Pop Music’ selected by critics in 2018 included twelve Dong-A releases from this time – the most entries for any one label). Regardless of whether some of the works achieved commercial and/or popular success, all albums were produced to very high musical standards. Building on the individuality and talent of the artists on their roster, each of the works produced at Dong-A employed capable session musicians and were recorded meticulously. And among this body of work, there have been a number of tunes that did not fade away with the passing of the years, but have stood the test of time and retained their brilliance. Such are the tunes that have been carefully collected into this compilation album. The 10 tracks were selected by the multi-talented Tiger Disco, who has made his name amid the retro resurgence as a DJ specializing in funk/disco gayo from the 80s.

The title of this compilation, ‘Our Town’, and the by-title, ‘Jazz Fusion, Funky Pop & Bossa Gayo Tracks from Dong-A Records’ plainly outline the character of the album. Perhaps a more ‘current’ description of the album would be to call it a ‘Dong-A Records City Pop Collection’. The tracks cover the historical heyday of the label – from 1989 to 1993 – an era by which time Korea’s gayo scene had matured to the point of making significant strides forward in terms of both quality and quantity. Amid a previously pop-dominated music market, gayo music had carved out a newfound and varied sense of status, putting out records that were enthusiastically purchased by young listeners. Upcoming Korean musicians who’d absorbed the vibrant and plentiful influences and sensibilities of 80s pop, rock, and jazz were starting to reach new levels of sophistication in their music, thus setting them apart from the gayo acts that had come before them without thinking to confine or limit themselves to notions of ‘Korean-ness’. In any case, their music was uncommon in Korea at the time. The sensibilities of these songs, which in many aspects were ahead of their time, sometimes served as a refreshing inspiration for listeners while escaping popular notice at other times. And now, after nearly a generation has passed, the tunes of this compilation have not lost their appeal. Throwbacks to some, and the object of exciting discovery to others, the tunes selected here remain cool and hip.