Different Takes on K-Pop's Cultural Technology

One of my favorite bloggers Xeni Jardin has a great post today commenting on a recent New Yorker piece titled "Factory Girls," which looks at the "cultural technology" of South Korea's global K-pop machine. 

The New Yorker article is, according to Carl Hamm (radio/club DJ who regularly spins K-pop), "one of an endless stream of articles I have read that sort of 'warns' of a pending K-Pop invasion. But the fact is, it's already happened." 

This FP blog had a similar but slightly altered take on the subject, stating that the West is "actually late" to the K-pop party, which is enjoying considerable success throughout Asia. 

While most music lovers heard of Psy only this year through his hit "Gangnam Style," he's been around for some time now. The first time I heard Psy on regular mainstream radio was months ago in Hawaii on KISS FM, probably a few weeks before KIIS FM started to play it in Los Angeles. 

But when was the last time you heard K-pop on the radio before the horsey-dance hit the web--or any foreign song, for that matter? 

Comments

[Beno]

well, i wondered if this could be likened to either o-zone's romanian "dragostea din tea" or else panjabi mc's "mundian to bach ke"; but i'd like to think it's something bigger for k.pop in america than either of those were for their respective languages.

[Beno]

[as a continuation of my earlier post] i suppose i prefer to think of it as something like pitbull, shakira, or... ritchie valens and his "la bamba?"