withep kanthima & the champagne band

artist: วิเทพ กันธิมา + วง แชมเปญ (withep kanthima & the champagne band)
album: ดนตรีลานนาผสมสากล ชุด บรรเลงคำร้อง (dontri lanna phasom sakon chut banleng kham rong)
tracklist:
01. เพลงดาดน่าน (phleng dat nan)
02. ซีจานตุง (si jantung)
03. เขมรกล่อมลูก (khmer klom luk)
04. จันทร์โลม (chan lom)
05. เพลงกันตรึม (phleng kantruem)
06. เพลงเร็ว (phleng reo)
07. ลำหลวงพระบาง (lam luang phrabang)
08. คางคกปากบ่อ (khang khok pak bo)
09. มอญดูดาว (mon du dao)
10. ลำเพลินอีสาน (lam phloen isan)
11. เสเลเมา (se le mao)
12. changing of the guards

this week's post marks the seventh in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane. a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

our seventh tape from cliff again features the talents of lanna artist withep kanthima. born in 1954, withep trained from a young age with his father in the local music of northeast thailand, studying a range of folk instruments and performance styles. aside from this paternal instruction, withep was also a student of chao sunthon na chiang mai, our previously featured performer from cliff's collection. like his teacher, withep made his name hand-crafting local instruments and instructing young musicians at the chiang mai college of dramatic arts, marking that institution's first hire of a folk musician, according to cliff. he passed away in 2006 at the age of 54^[1]. this fourth cassette from withep finds him taking up the pi nae, a northern reed oboe, running through melodies drawn from lanna, thailand, laos, cambodia, indonesia and america (specifically, bob dylan). accompanying withep is a modern rock combo, "the champagne band", with electric bass, drumset and keyboards, as well as an assortment of local instruments. enjoy!

preview:

withep kanthima: dieow salo lanna

artist: วิเทพ กันธิมา (withep kanthima)
album: เดี่ยวสะล้อลานนา (dieow salo lanna)
tracklist:
01. พม่า (phama)
02. ปราสาทไหว (prasat wai)
03. เชียงใหม่ จะปุ ละม้าย (chiang mai cha pu la mai)
04. ฤาษีหลงถ้ำ (ruesi long tham)
05. สาวไหม (sao mai)
06. อื่อ (uea)
07. เงี้ยว (ngieow)
08. จ๊อย (choi)

this week's post marks the sixth in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane. a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

our sixth tape from cliff again features the talents of lanna artist withep kanthima. born in 1954, withep trained from a young age with his father in the local music of northeast thailand, studying a range of folk instruments and performance styles. aside from this paternal instruction, withep was also a student of chao sunthon na chiang mai, our previously featured performer from cliff's collection. like his teacher, withep made his name hand-crafting local instruments and instructing young musicians at the chiang mai college of dramatic arts, marking that institution's first hire of a folk musician, according to cliff. he passed away in 2006 at the age of 54^[1]. this third cassette from withep finds him switching to the salo, a three-stringed spike fiddle, running through improvisations on a selection of favorite regional tunes with accompaniment. enjoy!

preview:

withep kanthima: dieow sueng, vol. 2

artist: วิเทพ กันธิมา (withep kanthima)
album: เดี่ยวซึง ชุดที่ 2 (dieow sueng, vol. 2)
tracklist:
01. แขกเชิญเจ้า (khaek choen chao)
02. นางครวญ ๒ ชั้น (nang khruan, 2nd level)
03. ต้นวรเชษฐ์ ๒ ชั้น (ton worachet, 2nd level)
04. ลาวลำปางใหญ่ ๒ ชั้น (lao lampang yai, 2nd level)
05. ลาวกระทบไม้ (lao krathop mai)
06. ลาวเสี่ยงเทียน ๒ ชั้น (lao siang thian, 2nd level)
07. ทยอยญวน (thayoi yuan)
08. สร้อยลำปาง ๒ ชั้น (soi lampang, 2nd level)
09. เขมรไทรโยค (khmer sai yok)
10. กล่อมนางนอน (klom nang non)
11. ลาวราชบุรี (lao ratchaburi)
12. สร้อยลาว (soi lao)
13. ลาวชมดง (lao chom dong)

this week's post marks the fifth in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane. a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

our fifth tape from cliff again features the talents of lanna artist withep kanthima. born in 1954, withep trained from a young age with his father in the local music of northeast thailand, studying a range of folk instruments and performance styles. aside from this paternal instruction, withep was also a student of chao sunthon na chiang mai, our previously featured performer from cliff's collection. like his teacher, withep made his name hand-crafting local instruments and instructing young musicians at the chiang mai college of dramatic arts, marking that institution's first hire of a folk musician, according to cliff. he passed away in 2006 at the age of 54^[1]. this cassette is his second volume of solo performances on the sueng, a plucked fretted lute, this time with some light accompaniment and featuring melodies drawn from the central thai classical/folk repetoire. enjoy!

preview:

withep kanthima: dieow sueng

artist: วิเทพ กันธิมา (withep kanthima)
album: เดี่ยวซึง (dieow sueng)
tracklist:
01. น้อยใจยา (noi chai ya)
02. ลาวเดินดง (lao doen dong)
03. ซอล่องน่าน (so long nan)
04. ปราสาทไหว (prasat wai)
05. ล่องแม่ปิง (long mae ping)
06. เพลงอื่อ (phleng uea)
07. ฤษีหลงถ้ำ (ruesi long tham)
08. ระบำซอ (rabam so)
09. พม่า (phama)
10. เชียงใหม่ (จะปุ-ละม้าย) (chiang mai (cha pu-la mai))

this week's post marks the fourth in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane. a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

our fourth tape from cliff features the talents of lanna artist withep kanthima. born in 1954, withep trained from a young age with his father in the local music of northeast thailand, studying a range of folk instruments and performance styles. aside from this paternal instruction, withep was also a student of chao sunthon na chiang mai, our previously featured performer from cliff's collection. like his teacher, withep made his name hand-crafting local instruments and instructing young musicians at the chiang mai college of dramatic arts, marking that institution's first hire of a folk musician, according to cliff. he passed away in 2006 at the age of 54^[1]. this cassette features a performance on the sueng, a plucked fretted lute, running through solo improvisations on a selection of favorite regional tunes. enjoy!

preview:

khana chao sunthon na chiang mai: ekkalak lanna, vol. 3

artist: คณะ เจ้าสุนทร ณ เชียงใหม่ (khana chao sunthon na chiang mai)
album: เอกลักษณ์ลานนา ชุดที่ 3 (ekkalak lanna, vol. 3)
tracklist:
01. น้อยใจยา (เดี่ยว) (noi chai ya (solo))
02. เพลงพม่า (phleng phama)
03. ลาวสวยรวย (lao suai ruai)
04. ลาวลำปางใหญ่ (lao lampang yai)
05. ลาวดำเนินทราย (lao damnoen sai)
06. น้อยใจยา (noi chai ya)

this week's post marks the third in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane. a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

our third tape from cliff features the ensemble of chao sunthon na chiang mai presenting volume 3 of their "lanna identity" series, focusing on solo vocal performances with orchestral backing. born into the chiang mai royal family, chao sunthon left the northern capitol and moved south to central thailand to study classical music. upon his return, he became a central character in the preservation and continued innovation of northern thai local music, composing new melodies, hand-crafting the finest local instruments and instructing young musicians at the chiang mai college of dramatic arts. he passed away in 1986 at the age of 68^[1].

preview:

khana chao sunthon na chiang mai: ekkalak lanna, vol. 2

artist: คณะ เจ้าสุนทร ณ เชียงใหม่ (khana chao sunthon na chiang mai)
album: เอกลักษณ์ลานนา ชุดที่ 2 (ekkalak lanna, vol. 2)
tracklist:
01. ระบำซอ (rabam so)
02. ลาวคำหอม (lao kham hom)
03. ฟ้อนม่านมุ้ยเชียงตา (fon man mui chiang ta)
04. น้อยใจยา (คู่) (noi chai ya (duet))

this week's post marks the second in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane. a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

our second tape from cliff features the ensemble of chao sunthon na chiang mai presenting volume 2 of their "lanna identity" series, adding vocal duets and choruses to the instrumental styles found on volume 1. born into the chiang mai royal family, chao sunthon left the northern capitol and moved south to central thailand to study classical music. upon his return, he became a central character in the preservation and continued innovation of northern thai local music, composing new melodies, hand-crafting the finest local instruments and instructing young musicians at the chiang mai college of dramatic arts. he passed away in 1986 at the age of 68^[1].

preview:

khana chao sunthon na chiang mai: ekkalak lanna, vol. 1

artist: คณะ เจ้าสุนทร ณ เชียงใหม่ (khana chao sunthon na chiang mai)
album: เอกลักษณ์ลานนา ชุดที่ 1 (ekkalak lanna, vol. 1)
tracklist:
01. เพลงประสาทไหว (phleng prasat wai)
02. ล่องแม่ปิง (long mae ping)
03. ฤษีหลงถ้ำ (ruesi long tham)
04. เชียงใหม่จ๊ะปุ้ละม้าย (chiang mai cha pu la mai)
05. เพลงเงี้ยวไทยใหญ่ (phleng ngieow thai yai)
06. น้อยใจยา (บรรเลง) (noi chai ya (instrumental))
07. ขี่แม่จ๊อย (khi mae choi)
08. เพลงแห่ (phleng hae)
09. ฟ้อนผีมด (fon phi mot)
10. สร้อยเวียงพิงค์ (soi wiang phing)
11. เพลงพม่า (บรรเลง) (phleng phama (instrumental))
12. เพลงมวย (phleng muai)

this week's post marks the first in a series of cassettes gifted to us by educator cliff sloane. a former professor of ethnomusicology and founder of asianclassicalmp3.org, a major influence behind this blog.

our first tape from cliff features the ensemble of chao sunthon na chiang mai presenting volume 1 of their "lanna identity" series. born into the chiang mai royal family, chao sunthon left the northern capitol and moved south to central thailand to study classical music. upon his return, he became a central character in the preservation and continued innovation of northern thai local music, composing new melodies, hand-crafting the finest local instruments and instructing young musicians at the chiang mai college of dramatic arts. he passed away in 1986 at the age of 68^[1].

preview:

liké luk thung

artist: various artists
album: ลิเกลูกทุ่ง (liké luk thung)
tracklist:
01. ลิเกเงินกีบ (liké ngoen kip)
sung by ยอดรัก สลักใจ (yotrak salakchai)
02. ลิเกเงินล้าน (liké ngoen lan)
sung by แจ่มจันทร์ กำไลทอง (chaemchan kamlaithong)
03. ลิเกไพรวัลย์หาคู่ (liké phraiwan ha khu)
04. ลิเกไพรวัลย์ (liké phraiwan)
sung by ไพรวัลย์ ลูกเพชร (phraiwan lukphet)
05. ลิเกสงสัย (liké songsai)
sung by สุชาติ เทียนทอง + หฤทัย หิรัญญา (suchat thianthong & haruethai hiranya)
06. ลิเกเจ้าชู้ (liké chao chu)
sung by สังข์ทอง สีใส (sangthong sisai)
07. ลิเกแมวเฝ้าปลา (liké maeo fao pla)
sung by ไพรวัลย์ ลูกเพชร + เพลิน พนาวัลย์ (phraiwan lukphet & phloen phanawan)
08. ลิเกเงินผ่อน (liké ngoen phon)
sung by เพชร โพธาราม (phet photaram)
09. ลิเกดาวหมาหลับ (liké dao ma lap)
sung by กิตติ บุญญาการ + นิรันดร์ นันทนิมิตร (kitti bunyakan & niran nanthanimit)
10. ลิเกวิทยุตะโพนทีวี 1 (liké withayu taphon t.v. 1)
11. ลิเกวิทยุตะโพนทีวี 2 (liké withayu taphon t.v. 2)
12. ลิเกวิทยุตะโพนทีวี 3 (liké withayu taphon t.v. 3)
13. ลิเกวิทยุตะโพนทีวี 4 (liké withayu taphon t.v. 4)
14. ลิเกวิทยุตะโพนทีวี 5 (liké withayu taphon t.v. 5)
sung by อนันต์ สันติสุข + สมศักดิ์ ศรีบางช้าง (anan santisuk & somsak sibangchang)
15. ซุปเปอร์ลิเก (super liké)
sung by ยอดรัก สลักใจ (yotrak salakchai)

this week's tape comes courtesy of michel, the person behind both the kadao ton kao blog and the new sao bao isan.. excellent sites, not to be missed!

luk thung draws from a myriad of thailand's traditional musics to create its folk-pop hybrid sound, but perhaps my favorite are those songs which use liké as their basis. descended from malay dikir, the street theater form liké is a staple of temple fairs, instantly recognizable by its technicolor matte painting backdrops and blindingly-sequined actors. liké luk thung numbers often start out in standard pop form for a verse or so, after which an ensemble figure leads them down into a deep, rhythmic speak-sing section, which vocalists usually use to great ornamental effect. this cassette features some of the stars best known for this luk thung sub-genre (although in most cases none of their biggest hits were in liké style) as well as some very obscure offerings, too. fantastic all around.. enjoy!

preview:

snaeh chlong veha / rak kham khop fa

this week's post comes courtesy of the wonderful folks at the cambodian vintage music archive! they collect & share songs from the "golden era" of khmer popular music (1950s-1970s), across a number of online platforms.. follow their facebook page for all their latest uploads

artist(s): ឌី សាវ៉េត & ស៊ីន ស៊ីសាមុត (dy saveth & sinn sisamouth)

album: ស្នេហ៍ឆ្លងវេហាស៍ / รักข้ามขอบฟ้า (snaeh chlong veha / rak kham khop fa)

tracklist:

01. ស្នេហ៍ឆ្លងវេហាស៍ (snaeh chlong veha)

02. รักข้ามขอบฟ้า (rak kham khop fa)

today's post highlights a rare & beautiful collaboration; the 1971 khmer-thai film snaeh chlong vaeha / rak kham khop fa. directed by thai national artist s. asanachinda for asia films, it starred sombat methani & aranya namwong of thailand with their cambodian counterparts chea yuthon & dy saveth in a tale of star-cross'd lovers. the soundtrack, although bilingual, was sung entirely by cambodian singers; leading lady dy saveth took a turn on vocals, as well as legendary stars sinn sisamouth & ros sereysothea. this 45 features the former two in a duet over the title theme, first in khmer then in thai.

preview:

dueanphen amnuaiphon: to lom chom thung

this week's post comes courtesy of mr. peter, who numbers among the most prolific concert-goers in thailand (probably #1, among foreigners). he & his wife make it to over 100 luk thung shows a year, and as you might imagine, know quite a bit about the music.

artist: เดือนเพ็ญ อำนวยพร (dueanphen amnuaiphon)

album: โต้ลมชมทุ่ง (to lom chom thung)

tracklist:

01. ไม่อยากจะหวัง (mai yak ja wang)

02. โต้ลมชมทุ่ง (to lom chom thung)

03. เขาคงลืมเราแล้ว (khao khong luem rao laeo)

04. สาวชาวนา (sao chao na)

05. ตั้งอยู่บนความจริง (tang yu bon khwam ching)

06. ลำล่อง ฟ้าสั่งน้อง (lam long fa sang nong)

07. ไม่เคยเกลียดเธอ (mai khoei kliat thoe)

08. คิดถึงรอยยิ้ม (khit thueng roi yim)

09. พอใจหรือยัง (pho chai rue yang)

10. เลยวันสัญญา (loei wan sanya)

11. ทีใครทีมัน (thi khrai thi man)

12. ลำล่อง อกสาวเดือนเพ็ญ (lam long ok sao dueanphen)

our star today is dueanphen amnuaiphon, and despite her currently touring live act (and despite the fact that i've shared a song of her's here before!) i actually know less than i should about her.  what i can tell you for sure is that she is a prime practitioner of the thongchan sound!  along with sathit thongchan, a. pochana & others, she's a representative of achan khamkoeng thongchan's "thongchan promotions" collective based out of roi et in the 80's & 90's.  the thongchan sound is uptempo & danceable molam marked by fairly dense, electronic tracks highlighting the sax & keyboards... just try to not have a good time listening to this one.  thanks, mr. peter!!

preview:

  MRPT152 by monrakplengthai

wiwa pha fan (o.s.t.)

this week's post comes courtesy of bangkok's dj maft sai, the world's foremost representative of vintage thai funk! together with chris menist, he hosts the bi-annual "paradise bangkok" & bi-monthly "isan dancehall" events in thailand & japan. the duo also helped put together the fantastic compilations the sound of siam (on soundway) and thai? dai! (on finder's keepers). stop by the zudrangma records store in bangkok, or visit the webstore from anywhere!


artist: various
album: วิวาห์พาฝัน (wiwa pha fan)
tracklist:
01. วิวาห์พาฝัน (wiwa pha fan)
sung by สวลี ผกาพันธุ์ (sawali phakaphan)
02. เลิกสุรา (loek sura)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani & rut ronphop)
03. ชีวิตใหม่ (chiwit mai)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (sombat methani & aranya namwong)
04. ปักษีสู่รัง (paksi su rang)
sung by อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (aranya namwong)
05. อยากจะดู (yak cha du)
sung by สุดา ชื่นบาน + อดุลย์ กรีน (suda chuenban & adun green)
06. ทหารผ่านศึก (thahan phan suek)
sung by สังข์ทอง สีใส (sangthong sisai)
07. ไทยเขียว (thai khieow)
sung by นพดล ดวงพร (nophadon duangphon)
08. แม้เพียงหนึ่งนาที (mae phiang nueng nathi)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (sombat methani & aranya namwong)
09. ไม่ต้องมาพูดกัน (mai tong ma phut kan)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี, อรัญญา นามวงศ์ + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani, aranya namwong & rut ronphop)
10. ฉันไม่ง้อ (chan mai ngo)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani & rut ronphop)
11. ง้องอน (ngo ngon)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี (sombat methani)
12. ต้องคิด (tong khit)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + รุจน์ รณภพ (sombat methani & rut ronphop)
13. โจร (chon)
sung by พร ภิรมย์ (phon phirom)
14. สื่อรักจากสวรรค์ (sue rak chak sawan)
sung by สมบัติ เมทะนี + อรัญญา นามวงศ์ (sombat methani & aranya namwong)

our album today is the soundtrack to the film "wiwa pha fan", a 1971 star vehicle for sombat methani & aranya namwong. i'm not sure whether the film can be seen these days (i've never spotted any vcd's floating around), but i think the soundtrack was the most memorable aspect, anyhow. the song selection is quite eclectic, featuring an oddball liké-style comic number from the inimitable sangthong sisai, a heavy cha cha cha from suda chuenban & adun green, a great isan luk thung romp from nophadon duangphon and a rare rock'n'roll offering from the (typically) traditionally-minded phon phirom, alongside a bunch of slightly less interesting numbers from the film's stars. enjoy!!

gunga din / narit ari

this week's post comes courtesy of ian nagoski, founder of canary records and a legend among collectors of shellac. don't miss his new compilation, "brass pins & match heads", or his upcoming 3 cd restrospective of music of the ottoman diaspora in new york city from 1912-1931, due out this fall on tompkins square.

artist: กุงกาดิน (gunga din) / นริศ อารีย์ (narit ari)
album: รักร้อนยิ่งกว่าแดด (rak ron ying kwa det) / สายลม (sai lom)
tracklist:
01. รักร้อนยิ่งกว่าแดด (rak ron ying kwa det)
sung by กุงกาดิน (gunga din)
02. สายลม (sai lom)
sung by นริศ อารีย์ (narit ari)

this record features the talents of thai sakon impresario nakhon thanomsap, performing here as his blackface alter-ego, gunga din. the number he turns in is a unique example of very early thai rock'n'roll, with a melody borrowed from jerry reed's 1957 tune "rockin' in baghdad". the b-side features bangkok crooner narit ari backed by mongkhon amatayakun's chularat band, with which both these singers were closely associated. nakhon thanomsap was credited with discovering & helping along the careers of a number of luk thung's early stars and is a tireless champion for the preservation of thai music from decades past. sadly, his own work is extremely hard to come across these days, possibly due to the politically incorrect nature of his "blacking up". anyhow, quite a find by ian... hope you all enjoy!!

iw phimphayom rueangrot

this week's post comes courtesy of mr. peter, possibly the most prolific concert-goer in thailand (almost certainly, among foreigners). he makes it to over 100 shows a year, and as you might imagine, has learned quite a bit about the music he sees. today he'll be sharing the first tape of thai music he ever bought.


artist: อิ๋ว พิมพ์โพยม เรืองโรจน์ (iw phimphayom rueangrot)
album: รวมฮิต 16 เพลงหวาน 1 (ruam hit 16 pleng wan)
tracklist:
01. รู้ว่าเขาหลอก (ru wa khao lok)
02. สัญญารักปากช่อง (sanya rak pak chong)
03. ลั่นทมลืมทุ่ง (lanthom luem thung)
04. แก้วรอพี่ (kaew ro phi)
05. น้องคิดถึงพี่ (nong khit thueng phi)
06. แว่วเสียงซึง (waew siang sueng)
07. ช่างร้ายเหลือ (chang rai luea)
08. ร้ายนักรักนี้ (rai nak rak ni)
09. โหดนักรักนี้ (hot nak rak ni)
10. เขาดวงนักร้อง (khao duang nak rong)
11. คนสวยใจดี (khon suai chai di)
12. สาวชาวสวน (sao chao suan)
13. แม่พิมพ์ของชาติ (mae phim khong chat)
14. ลมหนาวที่เรณู (lom nao thi renu)
15. ตะวันรอที่หนองหาน (tawan ro thi nong han)
16. แล้วคุณล่ะพอหรือยัง (laew khun la pho rue yang)

here's what mr. peter has to say about it:

"this tape was released in june of 1994 and is titled "16 sweet songs". iw has a very clear delivery and a captivating voice and while some listeners may think the sound somewhat sweet, i love the quality of her vocals. unfortunately, although she made over 20 albums (some with male singer ot oppart tossaporn), little of the material is original and is mainly covers of other singers' output, including a re-make of the classic mon rak luk thung soundtrack. iw appears to have started off with an outfit called the d.c. band in the 80’s, and by the early 90’s she was famous enough to appear solo on the covers of popular magazines such as "chiwit jin (chinese life)". she is a rarity in a thai singer in that she also recorded many albums of chinese songs (although she is not of chinese origin herself). these include the famous songs of taiwanese star teresa teng who died in thailand in 1995, at just 42. iw retired from full time singing in 1997 but did release a comeback double album of love songs in 2003. the songs on here are mostly luk thung and luk krung. another singer once pointed out to me which were which but i have forgotten, and it is difficult to tell, as iw sings them in her own particular style; sweet indeed."

loy krathong

this week's post comes to us courtesy of norwegian record collector gojira... he specializes in popular music across asia, from turkey to thailand, and he's just started his own great blog, stereomono!

artist: various
album: loy krathong
tracklist:
01. loy krathong
sung by ดอน สอนระเบียบ (don sonrabiap)
02. loy krathong
sung by ฉันทนา กิติยพันธ์ (chanthana kitiyaphan)

in late november (specifically, the full moon night of the 12th lunar month, this year the 21st), thailand celebrates loi krathong, a brahmin festival where little rafts made to resemble lotus flowers are loaded with candles & floated downriver for good luck, an offering to the river goddess ganga. the holiday is a big hit with locals & foreign visitors alike, and as such, there is a catchy theme song to go with it! the original is a ramwong from the 50's by the suntaraphon big band, but here we've got two peppy string versions, sung in charmingly halting english by 70's disco stars don sonrabiap & chanthana kitiyaphan. enjoy! and suk san wan loi krathong!!

thai modernized music for dancing, vol. 2

this week's post comes to us courtesy of stuart ellis, proprietor of the amazing radiodiffusion internasionaal, wherein he chronicles the global spread of electrified pop music from the 1960s & 70s. he also hosts an fm broadcast edition of the site on radio koug, vancouver.


band: เพิ่ม คล้ายบรรเลง + วงดนตรี สากลผสม มโหรี (phoem khlaibanleng & his international mixed mahori orchestra)
album: แชมป์เท้าไฟ ไทยเดิมประยุกต์ ชุด 2 (thai modernized music for dancing, vol. 2)
tracklist:
01. มอญดูดาว (mon du dao)
02. ลาวลำปาง (lao lampang)
03. พม่ารำวง (phama ramwong)
04. อิเหนา (inao)
05. มอญซ่อนผ้า (mon son pha)
06. ตามองตา (ta mong ta)
07. ลาวชมดง (lao chom dong)
08. บังใบ (bangbai)
09. ลาวคำหอม (lao kham hom)
10. ลาวครวญ (lao khruan)

here's what stuart has to say:

"not too long after i had picked up the first two of the "thai beat a go go" discs, i started searching high and low for "shadow music" - although I had no idea at the time that was what it was called. i immediately fell in love with the wild mix of surf guitar and traditional percussion, resulting in a sound unlike any i had heard before.

this record was the first record from thailand that i ever bought. i was hoping that it would sound like johnny guitar or payong mukda (also known as pocket music / son of p.m.)... but what i got was something much more bizarre. more like xavier cugat goes gamelan. it almost sounds like there are two bands in the studio - one your typical latin-esque jazz band, the other some kind of gamelan orchestra - and they are fighting over who plays what. like some kind of battle of the bands gone horribly awry, yet in all of the right ways.

phoem khlaibanleng & his international mixed mahori orchestra were part of the suntaraphon collective - which was a state sponsored group of artists and musicians. during the vietnam war, the u.s.-backed field marshal thanom kittikachorn encouraged westernization throughout every sector of life. one of these sectors was ballroom dancing - with orchestras supplied by the government public relations department. eventually, due to their popularity, these musicians began performing and recording outside of the state sponsored system and to the top of the charts.

if anyone out there has volume 1, please contact me."

the impossibles: raroeng chon

this week's post comes courtesy of radio personality & record-collector extraordinaire jesse kaminsky. you can hear his weekly fm broadcast the intercontinental on wmbr cambridge, wherein he plays music from just about anywhere you could think of.

band: ดิอิมพอสซิเบิ้ล (the impossibles)
album: ระเริงชล (raroeng chon)
tracklist:
01. ระเริงชล (raroeng chon)
02. จูบฟ้าลาดิน (chup fa la din)
03. มิสเตอร์สโลว์ (mister slow)
04. สาริกาหาคู่ (sarika ha khu)

the impossibles were the biggest of thailand's western-style pop ('string') groups throughout the "import-substitution" craze of the 1970's. this 45 rpm e.p. collects the band's songs from the 1971 (พ.ศ. 2514) film of the same name, starring sombat methani, phetchara chaowarat and sangthong sisai. the songs run the gamut from smooth, harmonic ballads & wah-funk to a noisy drum-driven finale, featuring friends from the film! lots of fun to be had, in spite of the short runtime.