"After their exile from Beijing and Moscow respectively, V1 and V2 (names protected due to security reasons) joined forces in Eastern Siberia and named their project after the city they met in secretly... Vladivostok. A series of releases began appearing on the East Asian Underground DIY psychedelia circuit, & a tour of the Western Provinces of China followed... but, blamed for everything from the infamous Xingjian Ping Pong Riots of 1976 to the Sichuan Pepper Blight of 1981, Vladivostok fled China and spent the 80s working the Pyongyang club scene & writing hit after hit for some of North Korea's biggest pop stars.
In 1992, Vladivostok were unceremoniously thrown out of the paranoid communist state after newly installed leader Kim Jong Il took offence to a song the duo performed at the televised Worker's Party Of Korea Gala Spectacular. The group struck back with a single entitled "Kim Jong Ill Feeling", released as a limited edition picture disc on South Korean label Defectory Records. To avoid assination by the North Koreans the group appeared as DMZZ Top & spent a short time in Seoul with mixed success.
The pair later surfaced in London, remixing the Pet Shop Boys, producing a few long-forgotten dance-pop acts and playing the North Korean and East Asian deported pop star circuit. A few Ron Peel sessions later and Vladivostok had re-established themselves, their next single, the psychedelic samba "Forsaken Merchandise" shooting to 1 with a bullet on the East Asian Wedding Music Charts.
In the early 2000's they undertook an ambitious world tour - visiting every country on Earth. They were last seen rocking Zanzibar, off Tanzania, East Africa "
"Vladivostok In Profile" - Milton B. Kershaw - Hi-Fi & Audio World International, August 2010 edition
Selected Discography:
"Pyongyang Ping Pong Parlour" (1979, 7" - Beijing Metro records)
"Let Us Compose More Music Which Will Contribute To Education In The Party" (7",Pyongyang Underground, 1981)
"Let us Produce Revolutionary Psychedelia That is High in Ideology!" (1982, Pyongyang Underground)
"Vladivostok Plays the Make Haste Workers! Unite in Noble Battle and Be Victory! Hits of Yesteryear Updated For Todays Modern Scene" (10", Pyongyang Workers' Glory Records 1983)
"Raise Your Weapons to Wave the Supreme Commander" (7",Fatherland Records 1985)
"Great Love Songs of The Militant Insurgency" (Pyongyang Workers' Glory 1986)
"East of Vladivostok, West Of The Rising Sun" (Workers' Glory 1987)
"1988, World of New Promise" (Workers' Glory, 1988)
"Dawn Over Vladivostok" (Nothern Power recordings 1989)
"Spies in The Ointment B/W "(Nice day For A) White Trash Wedding" (12" only, Northern Power, 1990)
"Kim Jong Ill Feeling B/W Big Freaky Sunnies & A Wig Out" (10", Defectory Records 1992)
"The Funk Seoul Brothers" (Defectory, 1992)
"The Ron Peel Sessions" (1994, BBC Records)
"Hard Times In Vladivostok" (1996, Lakes Of Finland)
"Solid Gold Vladivostok" (1997, Lakes Of Finland)
"The Red Tape E.P." (1998, Lakes Of Finland)
Hi there Vladivostok, thanks for being friends, really appreciate it! really love your site and what you stand for...good luck here on myspace and whatever you have set your sights on in the future!:-)
Maybe you want a quick peek at what I do...take a look at my video...
Hi there, thank you very much for your comment, we really appreciate it. I'm really glad you like our music, hopefully you'll like the rest of our album when it's out. So stay in touch and take care ;)
Hey Simon! Awesome that you're still making music! (But of course what else would you do!?) Will have a listen asap. Lovely to hear from you. How's it all going up there? Found many places to play? Would love to hear your news. Glad Damo's sending you up a copy of the album too.
im liking these psychedelic type rock tunes! it has a good mixture of the two in all of these tunes!
it really reminds me of some of the music Triple J radio station plays! i think you could definately get your music played on it! should look into it, there is some great quality here!
'holy cow' is funny and awesome! 'Dream life of panda' is mellow and really smooth!
my fav two ;)
good to hear from you mate! keep this awesome stuff going!
Online Now!