chaloemphon malakham: songsan khon ban klai

artist: เฉลิมพล มาลาคำ (chaloemphon malakham)
album: สงสารคนบ้านใกล้ (songsan khon ban klai)
tracklist:
01. สงสารคนบ้านใกล้ (songsan khon ban klai)
02. จดหมายคนจน (chot mai khon chon)
03. คิดถึงอดีต (khit thueng adit)
04. อยากมีเมีย (yak mi mia)
05. บักเขียวพาเพ (bak khieow pha phe)
06. รักแรกพบ (rak raek phop)
07. กลับบ้านนาเถิดน้อง (klap ban na thoet nong)
08. หยุดเถิดหัวใจ (yut thoet hua chai)
09. เย้ยกันทำไม (yoei kan thammai)
10. เมียใจร้ายแม่ยายทีเด็ด (mia chai rai mae yai thi det)

more great sounds from isaan this week, courtesy of mr. chaloemphon malakham! chaloemphon is from surin province in southern isaan and like most modern stars, made his way to the stage through local singing contests. he recorded his first album in 1985, becoming one of the pioneering singers of the molam-influenced luk thung isaan style that still dominates thai country radio today. chaloemphon is perhaps better known as a songwriter (for the likes of poifai malaiphon & other siang isaan stars), but he has a great many hit records to his name as well, often singing alongside phimpha phonsiri. he's recorded in a number of styles, from kantruem & lam phu tai to luk thung ballads, but this tape seems to be mostly straightforward lam phloen, carried by sax & synth with some great distorted guitar leads sprinkled in as well. enjoy!

khwanchit siprachan: luk thung 5 thotsawat

artist: ขวัญจิต ศรีประจันต์ (khwanchit siprachan)
album: ลูกทุ่ง 5 ทศวรรษ (luk thung 5 thotsawat)
tracklist:
01. กับข้าวเพชฌฆาต (kap khao phetchakhat)
02. แม่ครัวตัวอย่าง (mae khrua tua yang)
03. ก็นั่นนะซี่ (ko nan na si)
04. เศรษฐีเมืองสุพรรณ (sethi mueang suphan)
05. วุ๊ยว๊าย (wui wai)
06. ผัวบ้าๆ (pua ba ba)
07. พ่อเพาเว่อร์ (po power)
08. น้ำตาดอกคำใต้ (nam ta dok khamtai)
09. สุดแค้นแสนรัก (sut khaen saen rak)
10. สาวสุพรรณ (sao suphan)
11. อ้อมอกเจ้าพระยา (om ok chao phraya)
12. แหลมตะลุมพุก (laem talumphuk)
13. รักมฤตยู (rak maruettayu)
featuring กู้เกียรติ นครสวรรค์ (kukiat nakhonsawan)
14. ลิเกหลงโรง (like long rong)

this week, by special request, we'll hear from luk thung folk star khwanchit siprachan! khwanchit was born & raised in central thailand's suphan buri province. from a young age she took an interest in local folk song, but her father forbid her to pursue it, fearing the corrupting influence of the stage (as well as the prospect of losing a domestic hand!). nevertheless, she eventually left home to study with the great pleng isaeo songmasters of suphan, becoming a respected artist in the folk song community for her powerful voice & clever improvisations. she was an audience favorite upcountry, and in time even became a regular on the stage of sanam luang in bangkok. here she was courted by many luk thung groups, but found waiphot phetsuphan's to be most consonant with her love of folksong. she joined the group and quickly set to recording the string of hits collected here. by the early 70's, however, she had left luk thung behind. she returned to the folk songs she loved so much, as both performer and preservationist, and eventually was named a national artist for her contributions to the artform. hope you enjoy!

yusoh bothong dikir hulu

artist: ดีเกฮูลูคณะยูโซะ บ่อทอง (yusoh bothong dikir hulu)
album: วิทยาลัยดุริยางคศิลป์ มหาวิทยาลัยมหิดล พ.ศ. 2550 (college of music, mahidol university, 2007)
tracklist:
01. ตาโบะห์ บานอ (โหมโรง) (taboh banor (homrong))
02. ปันตนดีเกฮูลู (pantun dikir hulu)
03. กาโร๊ะห์บูกอยาแล (ไหว้ครู) (karoh buko jalae (wai khru))
04. ยูวาปาดี (ขายข้าวสาร) (juwa padee (selling rice))
05. ฮูแยรีติ ตูโรงปาฆี (ฝนตกพรำๆยามเช้า) (hujae riti turong pagee (morning drizzle))
06. เมาะบางา (mah ba nga)
07. บัรตือมาสอ (เมื่อไรเราจะได้อยู่ดวงกัน) (bartuemasor (when will we be together?))
08. บือนาสารัง (เก็บไว้ในดวงใจ) (buenasarang (save in my heart))
09. กาโร๊ะห์แยะคีปาแย (karoh yaekee payae)
10. กาโร๊ะห์วาบูแล (karoh wabulae)

sorry it's been so long, just got back from a trip to malaysia & singapore! traveling by land mostly, we made a few stops in thailand's south, so i thought it would be nice to share some fantastic music from that region. yusoh bothong & his group are from pattani in the deep south and play a style known as dikir hulu, meaning "northern-style liké" (northern, because many in thailand's border provinces consider themselves northern malays, rather than southern thais). like central thai liké, dikir hulu is typically a community event centered around a musical stage show, although this album features a 2007 performance yusoh & his group gave at mahidol university in bangkok. after the overture & wai khru, yusoh leads the troupe through a selection of beautiful old dikir hulu tunes from his childhood, sung in the thai-malay jawi language. he's joined in spots by singers ma padiyo & yalee kayae from narathiwat, with an excellent musical backing of frame drums, gongs & assorted other percussion. wonderful stuff, hope you enjoy as well!

suang santi: 1 2 3 duan song thaeo

artist: สรวง สันติ (suang santi)
album: 1 2 3 ด่วนสองแถว (1 2 3 duan song thaeo)
tracklist:
01. 1 2 3 ด่วนสองแถว (1 2 3 duan song thaeo)
02. 4 5 6 ด่วนสองแถว (4 5 6 duan song thaeo)
03. เขาว่ามา (khao wa ma)
04. คนสุโขทัย (khon sukhothai)
05. หนุ่มหนองคาย (num nong khai)
06. เมาจนนึกไม่ออก (mao chon nuek mai ok)
07. รักตัวกลัวเมีย (rak tua klua mia)
08. บ้าพอกัน (ba pho kan)
09. 900 โรงจำนำ (900 rong cham nam)
10. 900 ความระกำ (900 khwam rakam)
sung by เตือนใจ บุญพระรักษา (tueanchai bunphraraksa)
11. ผู้ยิ่งใหญ่ ภาค 2 (phu ying yai, pt. 2)
12. เมาให้ลืมเมีย (mao hai luem mia)
13. น้ำมันแพงอีกแล้ว (nam man phaeng ik laeo)
14. น้ำมันมีน้อยใช้สอยประหยัด (nam man mi noi chai soi prayat)
15. เซ็นซิ (sen si)
16. หิ้วถุงปุ๋ย (hiw thung pui)
17. ควาย (khwai)

this week we've got a great tape from luk thung funk rock star suang santi! hailing from sukhothai, suang made his living as a boxer before joining with phiphat boribun & his band. after marrying bandmate namphueng boribun, he struck off on his own, first singing with siphrai chaiphra and finally mongkhon amatayakun's famous chularat band. suang pioneered a crossover style of luk thung and heavy funk rock which few others attempted, and won success not only with his own recordings but songs he penned for others, everyone from phanom nopphon to the royal sprites. sadly, suang was killed in a car accident in 1982 while on tour... this tape captures some of his last work, featuring a mix of straight funk tracks & few of his older hits redone in "talking music" style. enjoy!!

fine arts department band

artist: กรมศิลปากร (fine arts department band)
album: เพลงงานแสงเดือน (pleng ngan saeng duean)
tracklist:
01. งานแสงเดือน (ngan saeng duean)
ชาวไทย (chao thai)
รำซิมารำ (ram si ma ram)
คืนเดือนหงาย (khuen duean ngai)
02. ดอกไม้ของชาติ (dok mai khong chat)
ดวงจันทร์วันเพ็ญ (duang chan wan phen)
03. หญิงไทยใจงาน (ying thai chai ngan)
ยอดชายใจงาน (yot chai chai ngan yot chai chai ngan)
ดวงจันทร์ขวัญฟ้า (duang chan khwan fa)
บูชานักรบ (bucha nak rop)
04. เชิญชวน (choen chuan)
หล่อจริงนะดารา (lo ching na dara)
ยวน ยวน ยวน (yuan yuan yuan)
05. ซ่อมมาลี (som mali)
เธอรำว่างน่าดู (thoe ram wang na khu)
ยวนยาเหล (yuan ya lae)
06. ดอกฟ้าร่วง (dok fa ruang)
ตามองตา (ta mong ta)
ใกล้เช้าไปอีกนิด (klai chao pai ik nit)
ลา (la)

an interesting bit of history this week.. we've got an album from the thai government's fine arts department band, featuring their neo-classical ramwong style! a major event in the history of popular music in thailand, the ramwong (or "circle dance") was a sort of an engineered dance craze created during the phibun era by famed propagandist luang wichitwathakan & his fine arts department, intended to inject a bit of national pride into the imported dance steps (swing, rumba, cha cha cha, etc.) which had been sweeping the country. originally these ramwong were lively, sax-driven affairs, but by the time of this release we can see the fine arts dept. attempting to establish ramwong as being closer to classical tradition, thus the piphat and khrueng sai instrumentation. the ramwong still provides the rhythmic basis for a great deal of thai music today, and these very recordings can still be heard thorughout the kingdom on a number of national holidays. enjoy!!

kaifa daduang + siriphon amphaiphong

artist: ไก่ฟ้า ดาดวง + ศิริพร อำไพพงษ์ (kaifa daduang + siriphon amphaiphong)
album: ลำขอนแก่น (lam khon kaen)
tracklist:
01. ทุ่งร้างนางลืม (thung rang nang luem)
02. ทุ่งร้างนางคอย (thung rang nang koi)
03. ที่เก่าเวลาเดิม (thi kao wela doem)
04. มาตามนัด (ma tam nat)
05. รอยยิ้มพิศวาส (roi yim phitsawat)
06. รอยยิ้มมหาเสน่ห์ (roi yim maha sane)
07. คนกินดิน (khon kin din)
08. เสียงร้องจากน้องหนู (siang rong chak nong nu)
09. ฮักสาวท่าสะแบง (hak sao tha sabaeng)
10. เสียงครวญจากสวนแตง (siang khruan chak suan taeng)
11. สาวต๋อง ๆ (sao tong tong)
12. สาวตุ๋ย ๆ (sao tui tui)

this week we'll hear some early recordings from one of thailand's biggest contemporary country singers, the great siriphon amphaiphong!! born & raised in udon thani, siriphon left school at a young age to help out on her family's farm. when not working the fields, siriphon studied with lam with her father, a local performer. she began performing onstage at 16 and a year later joined the siang isaan group, before being discovered in khon kaen by doi inthanon. during her khon kaen period she often sang together with kaifa daduang, who joins her on this album. siriphon is well-loved for her unique husky voice, often likened to a cat's, and though her specialty nowadays is slow sorrowful songs, this album captures a rare set of uptempo khon kaen-style lam. enjoy!!

chatthong mongkhonthong

artist: ฉัตรทอง มงคลทอง (chatthong mongkhonthong)
album: ร้องสดหน้าเวที (rong sot na wethi) + สาละวน (salawon)
tracklist:
01. สาละวน (salawon)
02. รักสาวทุ่งกุลา (rak sao thung kula)
03. เสียงครวญจากหมอแคน (siang khruan chak mo khaen)
04. ตุ๋ยจ๋า (tui cha)
05. คลำแลถี (khlam lae thi)
06. เคว็ดกลับบ้าน (khwet klap ban)
07. หนุ่มใต้เตือนสาว (num tai tuean sao)
08. กิเลสมนุษย์ (kilet manut)

01. ร้องสดหน้าเวที a (rong sot na wethi a)
02. ร้องสดหน้าเวที b (rong sot na wethi b)

like sutrak aksonthong, chatthong mongkhonthong is one of just a handful of luk thung singers to come from thailand's south. though hailing from nakhon si thammarat like sutrak, i think that chatthong had a bit more success country-wide.. sadly, he was killed on his first big national tour. this tape captures one of his live shows, and while it's an interesting document, the quality is nearly unlistenable, so i've included it alongside an album from the same period. hope you enjoy!

phophin phetlanna: sao samai

artist: โผผิน เพชรลานนา (phophin phetlanna)
album: สาวสมัย (sao samai)
tracklist:
01. สาวสมัย (sao samai)
02. รถถีบเฒ่า (rot thip thao)
03. แอ่ว 21 จ.ว. (aeo 21 changwat)
04. หมอยาเมือง (mo ya mueang)
05. ฝากรักที่เมืองแพร่ (fak rak thi mueang phrae)
06. สาวเมืองแพร่ (sao mueang phrae)
07. บะใหม่บะเหมือนบะเก่า (ba mai ba muean ba kao)
08. เมียโหล (mia lo)
09. แก้ว 3 ดวง (kaeo 3 duang)
10. สายบุ (sai bu)
11. โผผินมาแล้ว (phophin ma laeo)
12. ฮักสาวบ้านไกล (hak sao ban klai)

another one from thailand's north this week! phophin phetlanna sings luk thung in the northen thai (or kham mueang) language in a manner similar to phensi phongsi, but with less molam influence and more eclectic rhythms. i don't know anything about him, though... the internet turns up only a few fond rememberences and little history. i really like him, he's got a funny voice that reminds me a bit of sangthong sisai, and i'm a fan of the combo backing him as well, they have a tight, local sound. i've heard 1982 as a date for this... it sounds a bit older to me, but that might be down to technological limitations! anyway, it's great... enjoy!

thongsuk khamsombun & chumnum silapin lanna

artist: ทองศุกร์ คำสมบูรณ์ ชุมนุมศิลปินลานนา (thongsuk khamsombun & chumnum silapin lanna)
album: ดนตรี สะล้อ ซอ ซึง เชียงใหม่ (dontri salo, so, sueng chiang mai)
tracklist:
01. ลาวลำปางใหม่ (lao lampang mai)
02. สร้อยสนตัด (soi son tat)
03. กุมารทอง (kuman thong)
04. สร้อยแสงแดง (soi saeng daeng)
05. มอญรำดาบ (mon ram dap)
06. เขมรปากท่อ (khmer pak tho)
07. ปุ๋มเม่น (pum men)
08. ลาวกระแซ (lao krasae)
09. ดาวพระศุกร์ (dao phra suk)
10. รำวงลอยกระทง (ramwong loi krathong)

this week we've got some beautiful sounds from thailand's north! thongsuk khamsombun and his lanna artists' collective play in chiang mai local style, but unfortunately, there seems to be very little written about them online. i can tell you that thongsuk leads the ensemble with the pi koy, a small free-reed flute unique to the north, and is backed by salo (northern-style three string fiddle), the so (standard two string fiddle), and sueng (northern-style lute), as well as some nice percussion. the song selection is an interesting mix of local melodies, thai classical standards and newer folk-style pop tunes. i think this one is from the late 90's... it's too bad the players seem to have vanished just over a decade later! at least we have some great recordings.. enjoy!!

sai sai mao: ahmadaya shan tei su mya

artist: sai sai mao
album: ahmadaya shan tei su mya, vol. 2
tracklist:
01. yuen mok ha pa pi le
02. pong nong mi kay
03. khaaw jaam khay han
04. te hak naang ko
05. mo hum
06. taang hak naue pan
07. pen loy waasanaa
08. hue kwaang lot meng pueng
09. unknown title
10. instrumental
11. nong khay yu laue
12. loe se maak ho tsaue
13. pi naang me haang
14. kwaam hak naue tsaue
15. en aan kaang tsaue
16. kop mi wot sang
17. am soe lay moe pong yaan
18. unknown title
19. instrumental
20. instrumental

this week we have another fantastic album from shan rock icon sai sai mao! a member of the shan (or tai yai) ethnic group, sai sai mao was born in burma, in the chinese border town of mu se, and often traveled with his grandfather between northern thailand and taungyi in shan state. at age 15 he picked up the guitar, and 3 years later was performing for shan communities in chiang rai. sai sai mao's broadcasts on radio thailand were eagerly received both locally and across the border in burma, where his songs, such as "likhommai panglong", about burma's unfilfulled promise of shan independence, were banned. sai mao cut most of his early albums in chiang mai or bangkok while serving in the shan state army, the rebel faction who funded his recordings. an estimated 75% of popular music in burma consists of "copy songs" (foreign songs rewritten in local languages), and sai mao is no exception. his songs are quite reliant on chinese melodies, though i feel that he imbues them with a nostalgic sentiment and unpolished urgency very much apart from the originals. hope you enjoy!

many thanks to alif silpachai for help with shan script!