So, yes, there was Chinese Eurodisco in the '80s

[koganbot]

So, yes, there was Chinese Eurodisco in the '80s - which does not surprise me, given that my cheap introduction to Italodisco was through pirate cassettes out of Hong Kong and Singapore that I could pick up in San Francisco's Chinatown at three for a dollar; but still I hadn't heard any actual Chinese performers on them, just the usual Belgians and Germans and Italians (and Canadians and Miamians).

"冰河時期MV 夢劇院" (Watch on YouTube)

Also this, which is MOR pop from the early '90s:

"劉文娟 - 雪夜" (Watch on YouTube)

Yvonne Lau, the singer of "Snowy," had previously been half of the duo Paradox (I learned that from a Joni Mitchell fan forum!); did videos in which Lau and her musical partner would walk by each other without consenting to speak (which makes perfect sense, given that they're in a band together) or where they'd stare significantly at a bird cage while performing ProgRock.

And now I have stated the entirety of my knowledge of 20th century Chinese music.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

I don’t know much more. I’m listening Rainie Yang’s new album “Rainie & Love” and it’s a nice record, she tries many musical (pop) styles and is quite short in length. I think other ‘divas’ are people like Jolin Tsai or Elva Hsiao (listened the last record, liked some songs, too many ballads),


but I don’t know very much about them. Popularity on their videos on YouTube could be a useful entry. Or Wikipedia, once you know the names to search.

Here they use to post the weekly charts of Taiwan: http://community.livejournal.com/aiyatheydidnt/261505.html

Following the links there, I think this could be useful (but they are general showbiz news so they are mixed with other things…): http://asianfanatics.net/news/index.php

One way to listen to some music is subscribing to some YouTube channels (but they disappear quite fast): http://www.youtube.com/user/urasiansourceCpop2, http://www.youtube.com/user/AsiaHolicCpop or http://www.youtube.com/user/UrAsianSourceTV



And not related, SNSD have released new single and LP by surprise.

[koganbot]

Is SNSD still angling for a U.S. crossover? This song is probably too 2001 to do it for them, and the chorus would need more of a song-dominating riff. Well, also they'd need a Disney tie-in, because the only ones on Radio Disney without it (Justin Bieber, Iyaz, Allison Iraheta, Taylor Swift) are in recognizable American genres already: kiddie r&b, AutoTuned pop, Idol-recognition + Max Martin, and Taylor Swift being her own genre. I do like this, maybe 'cause it's not trying to bowl us over in the chorus, and I like its casually pretty polish. But "polished" is usually a hard sell in the U.S.

[koganbot]

Elva Hsiao has a rich voice, and her American touches sound confident, not like she's trying to assay something that's beyond her.

[(Anonymous)]

I’m not sure. I think that with the new record, promo, etc. they almost have any room left for the rest of the year. Anyway seeing the results on Wonder Girls (http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/lineup-change-for-skoreas-wonder-girls-1877550.html) and how this didn’t make them the more popular girl group on South Korea, I’m even less sure. But I suppose the strategy would be less or more the same (going on tour with a Disney artist or at least a big name). There are Korean boy-bands (TVXQ/Tokoshinki) that top the charts in Japan, but I don’t know how different are their releases on each market, but boy-bands in Japan are the best selling artists, so I don’t think they should change that much…

(For the record, Rainie Yang, Elva Hsiao et al. are Taiwanese, but people usually call mandopop or canto(nese)pop all this artists, so I suppose the relations between both countries, in that respect, are fluid, but I really don’t know (maybe they enter via Hong Kong)

Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[petronia.livejournal.com]

When I was in 4-year-old kindergarten we had an exchange student from Hong Kong who knew how to DANCE THE DISCO! This was the newest coolest thing from the capitalist West, like Coca-Cola.

I just uploaded this yesterday:

Deng Jie Yi - The Girl Under The Streetlight

It's, ah, a female vox disco cover of Modern Talking's "Brother Louie".

Re: Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[koganbot]

I'm sure that the first track I embedded in my post is a cover of something European that I've got on cassette somewhere, but I can't place it.

(I bumped into this stuff yesterday running searches for pre-Cocteau Faye Wong.)

Re: Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Pre-Cocteau Faye Wong is very balladic but if one were looking to experience the best of classic Cantopop style one could do a lot worse. (She's actually from Beijing, and after having made it in HK started singing mostly in Mandarin.)

Post-Cocteau Faye went the Bjork/Mylene Farmer/Goldfrapp route more or less.





Faye Wong is an odd entity in the sphere of Canto/Mandopop - she's the undisputed Queen Of Pop, basically, but her persona is entirely one of breezy insouciance, as if she's not interested in playing the game on any level. From relatively early on she would do quirky projects seemingly aimed at subsuming her personality, like her album of Teresa Teng covers. Wong Kar Wai casts her in his movies as these mysterious, unattainable indie femme fatales... I can't come up with a direct Western equivalent. If there were such a person as a Kate Moss Of Pop she would be it.

Re: Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[koganbot]

The Chungking Express DVD is at my local library! I'll have to get it. (The two Wong Kar Wai's I've seen are Happy Together and the recent re-edit of Ashes Of Time.)

Re: Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[petronia.livejournal.com]

To understand Chungking Express you have to assume that to the general Cantopop-listening public the Mamas and Papas are srsly edgy rock'n'roll.

Re: Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[koganbot]

I remember in '91 or so Chuck sent me the promo material from an artist who described herself as a cross between the Mamas & Papas and Public Enemy. Had a couple of good tracks, too; I think that her name was Apollo Smile, though I believe that more than one performer has called herself that.

Re: Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[koganbot]

To understand Chungking Express you have to assume that to the general Cantopop-listening public the Mamas and Papas are srsly edgy rock'n'roll.

Yes, I am now listening to her early work ("Tip Of Eiffel Tower" at the moment), and this is entirely credible.

Re: Chinese eurodisco in the 80s = the sound of my childhood

[petronia.livejournal.com]

That sounds really familiar, actually, although we may not be thinking of the same artist. XD; I think one of my friends may have tried to get me to listen to her too.