It’s hard to talk about Sultan of the Disco (술탄 오브 더 디스코) without mentioning their label, Boonga Boonga Record (by the way, I suggest caution when entering the label name, 붕가붕가 레코드, into Korean search engines, as it contains a phrase that will get flagged). Boonga Boonga, or BGBG, as I will refer to them hence, is also the home of indie breakout Chang Kiha & The Faces (장기하와 얼굴들). Other labelmates include 눈뜨고 코베인, for which Chang Kiha was the original drummer, the now-disbanded 불나방스타소세지클럽, and for a time another indie breakout, Broccoli You Too (브로콜리 너마저), which has moved to their own label. In general the bands have rather untranslatable Korean names, in that they lose much of their humor and appeal in the translation, and this should give an indication of the BGBG house flavor.
Now back to Sultan of the Disco – consider this a pet project of various people involved with BGBG. The lead singer is actually BGBG’s main recording engineer, the second vocal is the lead singer of 브로콜리 너마저, and there is a rotating cast of other participants, such as BGBG’s label head, their graphic designer, Chang Kiha, etc. They all perform under stage names, such as Abdullah Nahzam or Mustafa Dogo. It’s been claimed that all leaders of BGBG acts have to make an appearance on Sultan of the Disco.
As with much of the BGBG oeuvre, fully appreciating Sultan of the Disco requires some familiarity with Korean popular music and culture. As their official (and mostly fictional) bio indicates, they are satirizing idol groups, but at the same time producing some fun, compelling music. The video below is the single from their 2010 EP, Groove Official (this and their 2008 EP, I’ve Got a Hottie Little Sister / 여동생이 생겼어요 are both available through iTunes – in fact, much of the BGBG output is available through iTunes, a welcome move more Korean indie labels should emulate). Despite the humorous outfits and presentation, the lyrics are rather melancholy, speaking of another weekend frittered away with drink and watching TV, and the dread of facing Monday and an annoying boss.
Sultan of the Disco – Sunday Night Fever