Here's an earlier, albeit jocular, use of the term:
Discreet, self-effacing, quiet. But not at New Year - the 10-day celebration all Chinese observe with an enthusiasm that can border on total gormlessness. Chinatown becomes the inside of a pinball machine. The noise level is enough to sonopuncture your soul.
—D. Keith Mano, "There's more to Chinatown," The New York Times, April 24, 1988