taofek thong thale sai

artist: เตาเฟก หวังเกษม (taofek wangkasem)

album: เตาเฟก ท่องทะเลทราย (taofek thong thale sai)

tracklist:

01. มาอากะกั้ลเลาะห์ (ma'akakallah)

02. ยาอัต เลลา (ya'at lela)

03. อัลบุคร่อ (al bukhro)

04. บิ้ลอูยูน (bil uyun)

05. ว่ารอกี้ (waroki)

06. อ้าฆุ้ลลัค (akhula')

07. ลุบนาน (lubnan)

08. ยาอัต เลลา (บรรเลง) (ya'at lela (instrumental))

this week, another great entry from bangkok's islamic music scene! there is very little info around about mr. taofek; a record label head who puts out his work could tell me only that he's not a musician by trade. like our tape from soliha & mohamad yamal yusef a while back, this is another fantastic collection of arab-malay grooves. to my ears, the music here is closer to a middle eastern precedent than that of the k.t. band.. heavy on the hand drums & accordion, with an archetypal arabic orchestra sound behind (though fear not, surf-guitar are hand-claps are intact!) enjoy!

preview:

sonphet la buat

artist: ศรเพชร ศรสุพรรณ (sonphet sonsuphan)

album: ศรเพชรลาบวช (sonphet la buat)

tracklist:

01. บอกบุญทางอากาศ (bok bun thang akat)

02. จิ๊กโก๋ลาบวช (chikko la buat)

03. โกนหัวใจหาย (kon hua chai hai)

04. ลาสาวเข้าโบสถ์ (la sao khao bot)

05. นาคคนจน (nak khon chon)

06. แตรวงการกุศล (trae wong kan kuson)

07. ลำตัดงานบวช (lamtat ngan buat)

08. รถทัวร์บอกบุญ (rot tour bok bun)

09. ลิเกการกุศล (like kan kuson)

10. เด็กหน่วยเร่หนัง (dek nuai re nang)

tomorrow is khao phansa, the beginning of what's sometimes called "buddhist lent", which will see many thai men leave secular life on a 3 month monastic retreat for the wet season. in celebration, i'd like to share what might be the most unique and raucous music on the topic of this event in my collection. this album commemorates suphanburi-born star sonphet sonsuphan's entry into monkhood, gathering the talents of famous lae songwriters chiw phichit & yotthong bunthup. you'll hear disco swells, yodeling, psych-y organ licks & guitar sounds augmenting a handful of folk genres traditionally associated with the ngan buat ceremony. enjoy!

preview:

bangkok sikh vidyalaya school choir

artist(s): bangkok sikh vidyalaya school choir

album: asa di var

tracklist:

01. asa di var, pt. 1

02. asa di var, pt. 2

thanks to michel from the kadao ton kao blog for today's great tape!

the sikh people of thailand are a statistically small but visible minority with a historic presence in the country. from their most impressive gurudwara in bangkok's phahurat neighbourhood to smaller temples throughout the country, the group is represented in most major urban centers. apparently, a tradition of parents sending their children to boarding schools in india has kept the student body at thai-indian schools small, but nonetheless the sikh vidyalaya has been around for decades. this cassette features children singing kirtan, the responsory praise music of sikh devotional ceremonies. the choir here is reciting the "asa di var", a collection of stanzas from the guru granth sahib. enjoy!

preview:

MRPT181 by monrakplengthai