By now, many of us know of the quintessential ‘90s groups (or have heard them when our parents blast their songs on road trips). In a decade full of rivalries, from the battle between Blur and Oasis for best British rock group, pop princess Britney Spears versus Christina Aguilera, and boy band *NSYNC versus The Backstreet Boys, the ‘90s were filled with some of the best music. But have you ever wondered what kind of music was coming out of South Korea in the 1990s? Seo Taiji and Boys had their start in the ‘90s and duo Deux took the dance music scene by storm, with both groups credited as being some of the first Korean groups to incorporate hip-hop in their music. However, after the unexpected death of a Deux member, the question was: which group would come in to be the next kings of dance music?

The answer: Turbo.

“떠나가는 너”

Off their debut album, 280 km/h Speed, released in 1995, Turbo’s B-side “떠나가는 너” blends hip-hop with dance, following in the footsteps of predecessors Deux, with a bell tolling at the beginning to give the track a bit of darkness. The early days of Turbo featured a heavier influence on Jungnam’s rap verses over Jongkook’s singing and some tracks tended to include darker elements. This is evident in one of the title tracks, “검은 고양이 네로,” something K-Pop group ATEEZ would capitalize on in their cover of the track 25 years later.

“상처”

NEW SENSATION was released on August 14, 1996 with “Twist king” serving as one of the title tracks. Among the other tracks on the album is B-side “상처,” a high-paced, energetic dance track. This album saw a growth in Jongkook’s vocal abilities and the group continued to cement their place as the kings of dance in Korea, selling 800,000 copies in the first two months. Even though it was only the group’s second album, NEW SENSATION was the last album to feature Jungnam, who later joined the group SNAP. 

“겨울 나그네”

Due to public demand for the return of Turbo, Jongkook reconciled with management and the quest for a new rapper began. Mikey, who was born in Korea before moving to America as a child, flew to Korea and was one of 3,500 people to audition to join Turbo. His first appearance was on 1997’s BORN AGAIN. They reclaimed the dance music throne, but while the title tracks were all-out dance, Turbo experimented with other genres, giving fans tracks like “겨울 나그네,” a slow-paced R&B track with an emphasis on Jongkook’s vocals.

“결투”

PERFECT LOVE was released a year later and saw the group further their genre experimentation, which is heavily noticed in B-side “결투.” The track plays out as a Wild West “shoot ‘em up” track, with comical gun effects and horses used throughout to further this theme. In fact, the beat even resembles the galloping of a horse. It’s not a track that’s meant to be taken seriously, which worked for Turbo. It really makes you wonder if it was in any way an inspiration to SF9’s 2020 title track, “Summer Breeze.” 

Shortly after the album’s release, Turbo appeared in the Asia Superconcert to represent South Korea, but due to arguments with management before the concert, Jongkook protested his role, didn’t perform, and left the stage without bowing, putting Turbo under a television ban for nearly a year.

“D.D.R”

EMAIL MY HEART was released on January 26, 2000 after their television ban was lifted and was the group’s last release, as they disbanded once Jongkook’s contract and Mikey’s visa expired. Both music videos for the title tracks were banned from airing on television, but saw the group really go back to their dance roots. This is very apparent with B-side “D.D.R,” which opens with a voiceover saying, “And now for my next number, I’d like to return to the classics,” before launching into a high-energy, upbeat dance track with in-your-face synth beats. 

“댄싱퀸”

On December 21, 2015, Turbo made their triumphant return with AGAIN, their first release in 15 years and with their new label, The Turbo Company. The album featured many artists, including San E, K.Will, Jessi, and Jongkook’s Running Man co-star Yoo Jaesuk, and also saw original member Jungnam rejoin the group, turning the duo into a trio. B-side “댄싱퀸” is a fun dance-based pop track and plays off their fully-dance title track “다시” very nicely. 

“Paradise”

The group’s last release was their first mini-album, TURBO SPLASH, on July 25, 2017 featuring four new, not entirely dance tracks. Title track “Hot Sugar” is an upbeat and playful pop track while B-sides “Background” pulled from the R&B roots in former releases and “As A Man” gives off acoustic guitar-laden soft pop vibes. However, B-side “Paradise” stands out as it opens with that dance-pop sound Turbo has owned since debut while also playing with popular pop sounds heard in K-Pop now.

After TURBO SPLASH, Jungnam and Mikey appeared on an episode of Hello Counselor where they proclaimed Jongkook to be a “tyrant.” While this could have been done as a publicity stunt to help promote the group’s release three months prior, many fans found it to be awkward and unnecessarily cruel to Jongkook, who did not appear on the episode and according to the members did not know why they were appearing.

Since the Turbo and Jongkook themed episodes of Immortal Songs 2 last summer, their popularity has once again been on the rise with a new generation of K-Pop fans. Among the talent featured on the episodes were Car, the garden, MONNI, the cast of Jamie (including Jo Kwon of 2AM and ASTRO’s MJ), and ATEEZ, with the cast of Jamie winning the first episode and ATEEZ winning the second. We can only hope that, as long as there are no lingering tensions in the group, that we will someday get another release from Turbo.