Music without frontiers
The internet may let us communicate, but music remains a universal language, capable of expressing joy, sorrow, and social ideas. It is both surprising and heart warming to see that the North Korean regime is positively encouraging a western-style pop group.
Moranbong (Moran Hill Orchestra) is North Korea's first girl band and an indicator that the country is becoming more open to western influences. Its performers play instruments which include the electric guitar and synth keyboards, and their repertoire includes covers of somewhat dated but nevertheless western classics such as Frank Sinatra's My Way. Another interesting aspect is that the band has a Facebook page and can engage with musicians the world over without the wall of censorship.
It has been reported that the band members, who come from the armed forces, were personally chosen by Kim Jong-un, although the Korean political machine does have a history of attributing an impossible range of achievements to the leader. This video shows one of their live performances.
Yes, the music may seem a little dated to our ears and it looks odd that such a slick bit of video production uses the older-style 4:3 TV format rather than the widescreen we've all got used to. It would have been better if the back projector didn't have quite so many propaganda shots of Kim Jong-un and militaristic images of missile launches, and it would be better if the audience didn't look quite so regimented and choreographed and all wearing identical business suits. But remember, it was barely fifty years ago that British bands, (or popular beat combos as they were then known) were expected to wear lounge suits when appearing on TV programs, people objected to Elvis because he gyrated provocatively, Pink Floyd were just too loud, and the BBC banned a Rolling Stones track because it didn't like the lyrics. Moranbong is one small step in a paradigm change.
In December the band was sent on a cultural mission to Beijing, the first North Korean pop group ever to play in China, as a gesture to improve cultural relations between the two countries. A western band would call this a tour rather than a cultural mission, but still, it was a ground breaking move. Who would have thought that a rock band would be used to as an ice-breaker between these two regimes? Unfortunately, three hours before the show was due to start, China's censors pulled the plug because of anti-American sentiment expressed in some of the lyrics which China felt might undermine its own cultural relations with the USA.
Moranbong 451?
23rd December 2015
This article comes from the SKILLZONE email newsletter, published monthly since January 2008, and covering topics related to technology and the internet. All articles and artwork in the SKILLZONE newsletter are orignal content.