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… 2000

MOON CHILD – DELETE

We’re going a bit obscure with today’s post, though once we connect the dots we’ll learn that Moon Child’s Delete has ties to some heavy first-gen touchstones.

First off, I love when first-gen K-pop gets really weird. Delete has the visual presentation of a futuristic techno J-rock outfit, down to the wild hairstyles and sci-fi jumpsuits. Its ambitious sound also had ties to turn-of-the-millennium Japanese acts like Iceman. This turned out to be too much for Korean audiences (though techno was definitely a strong influence in this era) and the four-piece band eventually re-branded into M.C. The Max – a softer rock act who are still making music today. The second Moon Child album also bears this out, featuring a much more ballad-heavy brand of tracks. But for a brief moment in the year 2000, the group debuted as the from-the-stars techno rock band Korea didn’t know they needed.

Delete was composed by legend Shin Hae-chul (remember him from the first post in this feature?) under the producer guise “Crom.” The song is an assault on the senses, blending high-octane techno beats, rock bombast, shout rap and prominent violin. You just don’t hear music like this anywhere else. The vocal stuttering effect can be quite heavy-handed throughout the track, but it was a favored studio trick of the time and you get used to it the more you listen. Production choices aside, Delete is an awesome song buoyed by an incredible performance. Just listen to that vocalist howl!

Album track You’re Falling In Love is also fantastic.

Grade: A