Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk & Agit Pop From

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 27, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sublime Frequencies
• ASIN: B000AOENGS
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #425,162 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tasteless by American standards, but catchy, December 8, 2006

By 

Joseph Johnson "Echo5Joker" (Manhattan, KS, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk & Agit Pop From (Audio CD)

I played this for a friend of mine at work, and he noted the striking disco beats and synthesizers. The album is full of them. It's heavy on the Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, whose name alone should tell you what you are in for listening to this. But they are catchy tunes ("Reunification Rainbow", the song at the start of "New Model Army", has invaded my brain and is trying to send other parts of my brain to labor camps), and you can't get more north Korean without an accordion. Cheesy disco beats under huge choruses, sounds of gunfire, and English and Korean language excerpts of propaganda broadcasts. If you like eclectic music, this may just be for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling, December 23, 2006

By 

J. Harvey (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk & Agit Pop From (Audio CD)

Wow.. what a CD. For anyone curious about North Korea, this is an amazing collection of music. It is beautiful and I think it is going to haunt me for a long time. There isn't really all that much information out there about what life is really like in North Korea - but this CD definitely gives an insight. The tunes are scarily enrapturing, the music both uplifting and depressing at the same time. It has a definite dictatorship feel to it.. I completely recommend this, it is a fascinating listen that will stay with me. The style of the CD is nice too, the radio format makes it feel even more real, as if you are truly listening to a broadcast. It is definitely pleasant on the ears, even if it sends chills down my spine. A very unique look at North Korea, that's for sure.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Radio Pyongyang, November 28, 2005

By 

Harry C. Batchelder Jr. "Lubiyanka" (New York City, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk & Agit Pop From (Audio CD)

This album strikes a resonant chord in all thoses possessing a "correct" revolutionary fervor. There is not leftist deviation here or sappy "rightest" moralizing.
We were particularly fond of the resonant sounds of AK 47's and light artillery in the first track. This was only matched by the gripping sounds of the Stalinist peon to revolution the harmonies of 40 thousand Koreans singing stalinist praises raises the hair on one's head. We were somewhat put off by the chipmunk like voices on track 5 called Start em young, but we were consoled by the fact that the revolution is in safe hands. One only hopes the American left adopts this album as a Christmas present as its revolutionary fervor is unsurpassed. One need not understand a word to get the message. We can only hope the rest of the world agrees....up the revolution!! Harry + Charnie Batchelder