Radio, it is often said, is a faithful friend. And like all faithful friends, it has the merit of never leaving you alone.
But Radio Pyongyang is something more. Not only does it never leave you alone (heaven forbid...), but since 1945 it has been the quintessential Voice of Korea, the official broadcasting medium of the KCNA (Korean Central News Agency). Far beyond the common notion of radio, the Voice is the transmission of the only existing Truth - the one approved and certified by the leaders of the People's Republic. As is obvious.
In reality, however, we know little (or nothing) about the Republic of Korea in general, let alone about what is really listened to north of the 38th parallel.
And what little we do know we owe mainly to people like Christiaan Virant, the creator of the Buddha Machine loop-player and an American who discovered in the People's Republic of China a second home nearly twenty years ago. He has actually been to Pyongyang and had the curiosity (and patience) to give us a clearer idea of what and how the Voice sounds.
By sampling fragments of messages, songs, and radio jingles (mixed with TV themes, military parades, and regime singing contests), he has assembled a curious collection of Communist Funk and Agitation Pop - a definition... not without irony, let's say. And let's also say the term Funk should not be taken (too) literally...
The result is "just" another chapter in the catalog of Sublime Frequencies, a label that for its research work deserves an UNESCO mention. Or at least, I have yet to know a competitor that has in its catalog an 'Ethnic Minority Music of Southern Lao' (!).
There was still one piece missing in the North Korean mosaic, however. And here comes Virant, completing the picture with his own hand (and pocket), adding to his collection extremely rare albums of local music. Yes indeed: even in Pyongyang, there are record stores. Of certain records, to be clear.
I discover then that the schedule of the Only Radio of the Only Party of the Only Korea offers an engaging and varied mix of propaganda, education, and entertainment. Between one song and another, inevitable proclamations praise Kim Il-sung, the Eternal President who was, is, and will always be, venerated by the Dynasty and celebrating the stern matriarchal virtues of Ko Young-hee, the unforgettable Mother of the current Head of State. Zero religious content and ample space for folklore, with songs of Labor and powerful choral airs, proudly reminiscent of Soviet melodies. An aura of grandeur envelops the Voices of the Companions of the People's Army, Pride of the Nation. To the little ones, the march of the young Party members is dedicated, in the name of safe and controlled programming for the whole family.
Everything reinforces an unbreakable spirit of belonging.
But Pop songs also sneak in, even in our sense of Pop. Mostly, they are soundtracks of recurring Korean TV dramas (much loved also in the South, but here purified of any potentially compromising elements). They are meowing and melancholic songs reminiscent of Deng's China, its splendors, and its musical myths. Entertaining yes, but educating.
The Voice never leaves you alone, not even at night.
Until the Morning Sun rises, celebrated by the National Anthem and destined to shine eternally on the Beautiful Country established by the Will of the People.
As the Voice will echo forever.
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