K-Pop’s first generation is often referenced as the foundation for the industry we enjoy now, but there aren’t enough good English-language sources that give its music the focus it deserves. I’m hoping to change that with a continuing flashback series, spotlighting personal highlights from the era – both iconic and obscure.

The era in question is often considered to run from the debut of Seo Taiji & Boys in 1992 to the emergence of TVXQ in late 2003. The music featured in this series will largely fit within that time frame, give or take a few years on either side.

It was a time of bonkers song structures, wild fashion, slamming techno beats, bad reggae impressions, flagrant use (theft?) of American hip-hop samples, hearty power ballads, foul language, the growliest rapper tones you can imagine and an anything-goes scrappiness that’s impossible to pigeonhole. To borrow the name of a popular second-gen act, these years were the “big bang” of an emerging musical powerhouse, still finding its footing and throwing everything at the wall.

Check out other “Back to K-pop’s First Generation” reviews here.

The year is… 1999

NRG – FACE

There’s a certain type of hyper-dramatic, rock opera meets rap meets dance hybrid that we most often associate with SM Entertainment’s SMP style and specifically with producer Yoo Young-Jin. While Young-Jin was beginning to explore this territory with H.O.T and Shinhwa (who will both be featured prominently in this series) in the late 90’s, there were many contemporaries mining the same sound and sometimes doing it even better.

Boy group NRG went through several sonic iterations, from Eurobeat to funk to R&B and back again. Some of this transition might have been in response to member Kim Hwansung’s sudden death in the year 2000 at just 19 years old. I imagine it’s hard to be bopping along to high energy Eurobeat when you’ve suffered such shocking tragedy at the height of your popularity. Face comes from their third album, and Hwansung’s last with the group. It’s my favorite NRG track, though the group will likely be spotlighted here again because they have a wealth of good material.

So many building blocks of modern K-pop are present in this relentless banger. We’ve got the ever-changing song structure, heavy metal guitar riffs and rapid-fire rap. As much as those early Young-jin productions, Face feels like a predecessor to global hits like TVXQ’s Rising Sun. Similar to that song, Face is anchored by a dramatic chorus that sets its sights on being as bombastically over the top as possible. NRG are leaving nothing on the table here. You’re getting your money’s worth!

Grade: A