SOUNDTRACK: POCHONBO ELECTRONIC ENSEMBLE-“Where Are You, Dear General?”
One thing the book does not mention is this song which is played every morning in Pyongyang at 6AM.
There’s a clip of the song being broadcast in front of Pyongyang Station here.
In this clip, the music is creepy and empty, played through exterior speakers and bouncing off of government buildings. As one person commented, if this music had a color, it would be grey.
This recorded version, by North Korea’s most popular act, is a little different. It’s much warmer with soft synth not unlike synthy new age from the 70s/80s.
Here’s some detail about the creators of this music (according the BBC):
The Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble were formed by Kim Jong-il in the early-80s and were the first North Korean band to use electric guitars, synthesisers and saxophone, drawing on Korean folk music, but also Chinese, Soviet and, to a smaller extent, Western pop. They take their name from the 1937 Battle of Pochonbo, in which a group of guerrillas were led by Kim Il-sung in an attack on occupying Japanese forces (yet, despite this, they have toured in Japan). They’ve released over 150 CDs.
After 2 minutes of spacey intro, the vocals come in–a big chorus of voices asking “Supreme Headquarters. Where are you? Lead us to you.”
At 3 minutes the lead vocals come in, sung by Hyon Song-wol. The music stays much the same (with echoing sounds and trippy synths) but Hyon Song-wol’s voice soars over the top and is quite lovely as she sings unabashed propaganda wonder where their supreme general is and when he will keep them warm and safe.
For a longer essay about this mysterious wake up alarm, check out this article from nknews.
[READ: December 29, 2019] Pyongyang
I really enjoyed Delisle’s A User’s Guide to Neglectful Parenting. It was very funny and I really liked his drawing style. Delisle has written several other books (published by Drawn & Quarterly) and I was really excited to see this one come across my desk (it’s a 2018 printing although it doesn’t look like there’s anything added).
The introduction by director Gore Verbinsky sets the stage for what this book is. In 2001, Delisle was allowed into North Korea to work on an animated cartoon for two months.
In animated movies, there are “key frames” which are sort of the highlight moments. In between these key frames are where the North Korean animators draw–the in-betweens. Canadian and Europeans (and some American) directors then supervise the completion–often trying very hard to get the animators to understand simple Western ideas.
Verbinsky says that Delisle “reduces the amplitude to get underneath the narrative and break down a belief system into something infinitely relatable. He looks at the daily life of people existing in these “in-betweens” and looks at the citizens who “exist in a bubble of fear.”
The book was translated by Helge Dascher.
Delisle’s self-portrait character is a simply drawn man with a big nose, tiny eyes and a very expressive face. As the story opens he is at customs where they ask about the book he brought (1984–with a funny scene about that later) and his music Aphex Twin. His driver picks him up from the airport–you don’t go anywhere in North Korea without an escort. Delilse is shocked that the driver is smoking in than air conditioned car with the windows closed: “Great. I can’t breathe and I’m cold.” (more…)
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