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A trip to old funky Saigon & then modern Vietnam awaits tonight as Danno & Lizz Kalo get away from cold, cold Korea to explore the sounds of a bygone era in the first hour, then show the indie scene some love during our trip to Hanoi.
"The Drop with Danno" on GFN 광주영어방송 98.7FM in Gwangju & 93.7FM in Yeosu, Korea. An eclectic radio curation of all things musical spanning the spectrum every week. Broadcasting 8-10pm KST nightly.
Jan 5, 2022
The Drop with Danno
Al Green – You Say It
Hung Curong feat Mai La Huyen – Sống Cho Nhau
Champagne – Funky Do
Saigon Soul Revival – Nào Ta Cùng Hát (Patchworks Ashby remix)
Carol Kim – Tình Ta Như Lửa Đơm Hoa
Connie Kim – Lý Luận Tình Yêu
Thanh Tuyen – Con Gái Của Mẹ
Elvis Phuong - Loan Mắt Nhung
Khanh Ly – Diễm Xưa
Truc Mai – Sai Gon (1972)
Thanh Thúy - Trăng Mờ Bên Suối
Hana Vu feat Satchy – Cool
mess. feat Ronniboi – before it’s gone away
I.
It is 20 hours past midnight and it’s cloudy and cold as we reach the midweek marker but we’re flyin to warmer climes in our minds tonight, so no matter. And this Wednesday evening is warmed into the history books as January 5, 2022. This is Danno as always as ever from studio 2, GFN HQ in Downtown Gwangju, how do you do? Well, with it being Wednesday and still cold outside, it’s time for our Round Trip tonight and Lizz Kalo joins us once again aboard the plane as flight TD057 heads for the tropical warmth of Vietnam. For those not familiar with much Vietnamese music out there, we’re covering a lot of the timeline tonight with a particular focus on the funk & soul sounds of the 1960’s & 70’s in parts 1 & 2, which will be a highlight of a German label saving the songs from this forgotten era called Saigon Supersound. So tonight we’ll start with some Al Green and a tribute to the late, great Willie Mitchell for our TIGHT (or) feature, and we’ll discuss further after You Say It to connect the dots. This is The Drop.
Al Green – You Say It
Back on The Drop and we are currently aboard the bus bound for Incheon International Airport and further after that. What’s the deal this evening, Drop Gangsters (Korean)? Danno on the mic here in studio 2, GFN HQ, downtown Gwangju, and we know you had a lot of options for flying tonight however virtually, so we’re grateful you’ve chosen us as your audio airline of choice.
That was Al Green from the Hi Records era in the 1970’s to start things tonight with a bit of a b-side called You Say It. That was our TIGHT (or) feature to begin the show and also a tribute to Al’s longtime producer Willie Mitchell, who passed away on this date in 2010.
Mitchell, who started out during an earlier era as a singer himself, is credited with helping shape the sounds and careers of a lot of big names in funk & soul, most notably Al Green and Ann Peebles.
The Willie Mitchell sound featured prominent horns, delicately strummed guitars, some sweet organ and a steady, straightforward beat is instantly recognizable on records by singers like Mr. Green, Ms. Peebles, Syl Johnson and O. V. Wright, and on the instrumentals Mr. Mitchell recorded as a bandleader. Both raw and sensuous, it became the label Hi’s signature sound as the label rose to prominence with Mr. Green in the 1970s and beyond.
Rest in power to Willie Mitchell, gone on this date 12 years ago but his work lives forever.
#9870, @gfnthedrop, podcast details, etc.
So, before we get into an exploration of some vintage funk & soul on the show tonight, let’s talk about Saigon Supersound, the label we’re highlighting for hour 1 this evening before we get on the flight. This is a label based in Germany that has remastered some of the funk & soul sounds from the 1960’s & 1970’s while Ho Chi Minh City was still Saigon, which flourished during the Vietnam War. Obviously, artists like Al Green, James Brown, Marvin Gaye & the like had a huge influence on this scene at the time, and Saigon Supersound has unearthed these records, licensed them and remastered to preserve them forever. So, let’s showcase some stuff from them along with a more contemporary band remixed by Patchworks. We’ll start with Hung Curong to be followed by Champagne and finishing with Saigon Soul Revival, which we’ll discuss in further detail after we return in the time machine. This is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday night to soulful Saigon then & now.
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The Drop returns tonight after the first block on our Round Trip Wednesday. The lovely and lascivious Lizz Kalo joins us after 9pm on flight TD 057 bound for Hanoi and the surrounds in Vietnam tonight. While we’re currently on the way to ICN, we’re getting into some funk & soul from the older days in what is now Ho Chi Minh City, along with something more contemporary to finish that last block although they still use the Saigon in their moniker, so let’s get to the details…
Hung Curong feat Mai La Huyen – Sống Cho Nhau (…this tune translates to “live for each other” and featured on the first Saigon Supersound compilation. It’s interesting how this song has picked up steam, even being featured in a Gatorade commercial after release. And of course, the influence of Willie Mitchell on cuts like this cannot be denied.)
Champagne – Funky Do (…a little something more loungey to switch gears a tad here in part 1. This previously forgotten tune was put out on Saigon Supersound vol 2, released in 2018. The original of this was previously released and put on vinyl, but nothing noted as far as a release date.)
Saigon Soul Revival – Nào Ta Cùng Hát (Patchworks Ashby remix) (…a little something more contemporary here, the title meaning Let’s Sing Together. The band came together in more recent times to revive the 1960’s & 70’s funk & soul sound in their works, and this is one of a pair of remixes done by French producer Patchworks, released in November 2020.)
Okay, so we have a pair of cuts we’re gonna cover before the end of part 1, but we’re keeping it in the Saigon Supersound vein straight through. Up next is Carol Kim with a cut that translates to My Love Is Like A Flowering Fire, and then we have another Kim also non-Korean and also presumably unrelated in bloodline. Connie Kim closes with a cut which in English is Theory of Love, and that’s gonna do it for part 1 but we’re still back in old Saigon for part 2 as well, so hold tight. THIS is The Drop on your Round Trip to Vietnam.
Carol Kim – Tình Ta Như Lửa Đơm Hoa
Connie Kim – Lý Luận Tình Yêu
II.
The Drop is back on the air as we await getting ticketed for the flight to Hanoi this evening, departing at 9pm sharp on flight TD057 bound for the Vietnamese surrounds, and the wonderful Lizz Kalo will be joining us for an exploration of contemporary indie and pop artists out of Vietnam for our 2nd hour. Danno here still back in time musically in funky Saigon to start part 2, so let’s get to the details on the first two slow burners we just lit the air with to commence the 2nd movement…
Thanh Tuyen – Con Gái Của Mẹ (…really lovely voice right here, another tune unearthed by Saigon Supersound and put out on vol 2 in the series. The song in English translates as my daughter, and was composed by Gao Tien.)
Elvis Phuong - Loan Mắt Nhung (…another bit of lovely early 70’s Saigon soul & psyche right here translates at least partially to eye velvet, but not getting a good translation on the first word here. The artist has remained a popular and influential singer in Vietnam through all these years and both eras during and after the war, now well into his 70’s.)
Moving along SM, #9870, podcast let us know …
Next block we’ll continue with goods from 70’s Saigon and we have Khanh Ly up next to be followed by Truc Mai and Thanh Thay, all of which we’ll discuss further after these ladies are done singing their sorrows into the air. THIS is The Drop on your Round Trip Wednesday to soulful Saigon.
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The Drop has arrived at the gate for the flight nominally on time, which is nice for a change of pace. Danno here ready to get on flight TD057 for Hanoi momentarily, and we’ll be exploring some contemporary indie and pop artists from Vietnam with Lizz Kalo while we’re at our destination and on the way, but for now we’re still in a time warp in 1970’s Saigon, so let’s discuss what just went up on the juke box...
Khanh Ly – Diễm Xưa (…this tune dropped in 1975 and translates to Old Diem. The artist is actually Vietnamese-American, and rose to prominence during this time singing remakes and covers of composer Trinh Cong Son’s previous works.)
Truc Mai – Sai Gon (1972) (…this is another cover, released in 1972 as a version of the previously released ode to the old capital city of South Vietnam done by Carol Kim, both of which are featured on Saigon Supersound vol 2, once again released in 2018.)
Thanh Thúy - Trăng Mờ Bên Suối (…this tune’s title translates to Blurred Moon In The Stream. Thuy was an extremely influential and elegant singer during her time, pioneering the Vietnamese Bolero style and known as a the dream lover of a generation, adored by creatives all over the country going through an absolutely devastating era of war.)
Okay, so what I presume to be final call to board just blurted out so we gotta boogie to the gate and our seats ASAP. We’ll close proceedings in the first half with something more modern, and up next is Vietnamese-American darling Hana Vu with Satchy singing a song called Cool, then it’s a Vietnamese musician called mess collaborating with Ronniboi on a cut called Before It’s Gone Away. THIS The Drop catching the plane for Hanoi before it’s gone away, and we’re at the half.
Hana Vu feat Satchy – Cool
mess. feat Ronniboi – before it’s gone away
III & IV Round Trip
Ngọt - Cho Tôi Đi Theo
Pixel Neko - GPS
Empty Spaces - Một Cuộc Sống Khác
Vu Thanh Van - Tori
COcc x Trung Ngon - Xem Như Anh Chẳng May
Meow Lac – Thanh Pho Dung Dua
Ba Mươi Phạm - Toàn Thắng
Chu Tich Kim – Anh Se Yeu Em Den Het Mua Hoa Roi
Mademoiselle - Loanh Quanh
Trinh – Mua thu cho em
SISTER’S BARBERSHOP - People who stay alone
Lang Lee – The Generation of Tribulation
Ngọt - Cho Tôi Đi Theo
• Ngot are a success story among Vietnam's underground bands.
• The band was founded in 2013 and consists of vocalist-guitarist Vu Dinh Trong Thang, drummer Nguyen Hung Nam Anh, guitarist Nguyen Chi Hung and bassist Phan Viet Hoang.
• Their last show in Hanoi sold out within two days to 3,000 fans.
Empty spaces - Một Cuộc Sống Khác
• Empty Spaces take their influences from Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie.
• The band was founded in 2014 and has five members
• They have played several shows in Hanoi, and released their debut album titled "Tien Hoa", in 2018
.
COcc x Trung Ngon - Xem Như Anh Chẳng May
• Besides Youtube, I wasn’t able to find a lot of information on these artists,
• except for they fact Trung is the composer and producer of the song and that the song is a favorite for renditions and covers
Phạm Toàn Thắng - Ba Mươi (Thirty)
• This song was released in 2018 by an artist who describes his sound as romantic, with the belief that genre isn’t important because there is only good or bad music.
• He has 15 years worth of work under his belt and has other successful songs like drinking tea and song on the sidewalk
Mademoiselle - Loanh Quanh (Wander)
• This artist describes her music as narrative-driven, easy on the ear and subdued.
• This happens to be her breakout song which put her on the map, released 2 years ago.
• She is inspired by people, objects and everything that goes on around her
SISTER’S BARBERSHOP - People who stay alone
• Unnie Barber Kwan is a modern rock band from Seoul that debuted in 1994
• They have been active since then until 2017 with albums like most common being, later talk and of course people who are alone.
• .As a band that introduced and spread the modern rock genre in Korea, known as 'the beginning of Korean modern rock'.