khana thongmi phatthana: mae nak phra khanong

artist: คณะ ทองมีพัฒนา (khana thongmi phatthana)

album: แม่นาคพระโขนง (mae nak phra khanong)

tracklist:

01. แม่นาคพระโขนง ตอน 1 (mae nak phra khanong, pt. 1)

02. แม่นาคพระโขนง ตอน 2 (mae nak phra khanong, pt. 2)

with halloween coming up, it's time for some isan style campfire tales!  mae nak phra khanong is probably thailand's most famous ghost story; based on actual events, the story concerns the tragedy of a young wife who dies in childbirth while her husband is off at war.. the war ends and the husband returns to live with his family, not realizing that they are both long dead.  friends try to warn him in vain that he is living with ghosts, only to meet with horrible fates shortly after.  eventually the husband realizes the truth and runs to the shelter of the local temple, while his wife's ghost continues to terrorize the community.  the spirit still attracts devotees to her shrine off bangkok's th. on nut, where they leave clothing, toys, art or what-have-you for her & her child.  on this cassette, our molam are mr. thongmi malai & ms. nit sotsi from yasothon, backed by the thongmi phatthana band.  great stuff!

preview:

  MRPT157 by monrakplengthai

waiphot phetsuphan: la buat 20 pi thong

artist: ไวพจน์ เพชรสุพรรณ (waiphot phetsuphan)
album: ลาบวช 20 ปีทอง (la buat 20 pi thong)
tracklist:
01. ไวพจน์ลาบวช 21 มิถุนา (waiphot la buat 21 mithuna)
02. ไวพจน์ลาบวช (waiphot la buat)
03. ต้นฉบับลาบวช (ton chabap la buat)
04. โห่ 3 ลา ไวพจน์กลองยาว (ho 3 la, waiphot klong yao)
05. เบิกบายศรี (โห่ ลา) (boek bai si (ho, la))
06. ทำขวัญนาค (tham khwan nak)
07. บวชพระดีกว่า (buat phra di kwa)
08. กล่อมใจนาค (klom chai nak)
09. ก่องข้าวน้อยฆ่าแม่ (kong khao noi kha mae)
10. แหล่ลำนำอิสาน (lae lamnam isan)

any fan of vintage thai music ought to know the word ton chabap... meaning "original", this is typically a sure sign that you'll be getting the old-school sounds you're after, not re-performed or adulterated with new bass lines, drum machines or so on.  except in this instance.  i was probably too excited by waiphot's fancy robe & bald pate that i didn't read closely enough, as it turns out the cover (rather honestly) advertises "original lyrics" only!  but the biggest surprise of all?  i don't mind in the least.  that's because on this time the new sounds come courtesy of a full isan music combo... that means electric phin shredding, classic northeastern bass & liberal use of cowbell.  as far as i knew waiphot had never performed in this style, so enjoy this rare look into his classic lae tracks, isan-ified!

preview:
  MRPT156 by monrakplengthai

rock ah yah: hong nam krathoei

artist: ร๊อคอ๊ะย๊ะ (rock ah yah)

album: ห้องน้ำกระเทย (hong nam krathoei)

tracklist:

01. โฟวินเหยียบดัง (four wheel yiap dang)

02. ห้องน้ำกระเทย (hong nam krathoei)

03. ต่างคนต่างเศร้า (tang khon tang sao)

04. สิ้นแล้วสัญญาใจ (sin laeo sanya chai)

05. ฝากคำไปนำฟ้า (fak kham pai nam fa)

06. สาวอึ่ง (sao ueng)

07. ส่างอ้ายเถาะ (sang ai tho)

08. สู้เพื่อเรา (su phuea rao)

09. คุมโปงคอยนาง (khum pong khoi nang)

10. จ.ม. รักนักจัดรายการ (cho.mo. rak nak chat rai kan)

11. แหล่รักเรือล่ม (lae rak ruea lom)

12. หนุ่มซอรอแฟน (num so ro faen)

13. จำจองใจ (cham chong chai)

14. สาวใจดำ (sao chai dam)

1-4: สนุ๊ก สิงห์มาตร (sanuk singmat)

5-8: สมนึก มีแก้ว (somnuek mikaeo)

9-11: ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ มิตรอรัญ (saksit mitaran)

12-14: เสน่ห์ มนต์อีสาน (sane mon'isan)

the group is rock ah yah! from yasothon, consisting of 3 relative-unknowns and 1 super-known.  the odd man out, of course, is sanuk singmat and if you were in thailand at any point around 2010, then you heard his song "luk thewada".  the song became an anthem concerning the perceived spoiled youth of thailand, pillorying interest in motorbikes & cellphones over tradition.  today's tape, the lead single of which carries similarly topical commentary mixed with humor ("transexual bathroom") seems to have made less of a lasting impact.  nonetheless i think it's great: exemplary & stylistically diverse molam - luk thung from 2001.  featuring music from masters sawat sarakham & sawai faidam, the sound is just the right proportion of live instrumental precision to electronics.  enjoy!

preview:

phumphuang duangchan: x.o.

artist: พุ่มพวง ดาวจันทร์ (phumphuang duangchan)

album: เอ็กซ์โอ (x.o.)

tracklist:

01. หน้าอย่างเธอจะรักใครจริง (na yang thoe cha rak khrai ching)

02. แม่ร้อยใจ (mae roi chai)

03. อ.ส. รอรัก (o.s. ro rock)

04. สาวนาคอยคู่ (sao na khoi khu)

05. เกลียดได้เกลียดไป (kliat dai kliat pai)

06. ตุ๊กตาใจดำ (tukta chai dam)

07. ทำบุญร่วมชาติ (tham bun ruam chat)

08. ทหารเกณฑ์ ผลัด 2 (thahan ken phlat 2)

09. แหม่มปลาร้า (ma'am pla ra)

10. นางกวักมหาเสน่ห์ (nang kwak maha sane)

any fan of thai pop music has surely heard of phumphuang duangchan, the woman who revitalized luk thung in the 1980's and redefined notions of stardom in thailand.  phumphuang got her start as "namphueng mueangsuphan" in waiphot phetsuphan's band, though it was her eventual pairing with songwriter lop burirat that brought her to fame.  i'm imagining the music on this tape shortly predates her bigger hits; while the sound is definitely more internationally-minded, big-band disco grooves & chorus, it doesn't yet have the fully integrated pop style that would make her later material so memorable.  the selections here are mostly covers of well-known tunes, the work of songwriters chonlathi thanthong & surin phaksiri, including songs from the mon rak luk thung soundtrack and some made famous by sayan sanya.  enjoy!

preview:

  MRPT154 by monrakplengthai

namphueng mueangsurin: rueam anre

artist: น้ำผึ้ง เมืองสุรินทร์ (namphueng mueangsurin)

album: เรือมอันเร (rueam anre)

tracklist:

01. อันเร (anre)

02. กัจปะกา (katchpaka)

03. จะอังกรอง (cha ang krong)

04. ตำเร็ยยูลได (tamre yuldai)

05. ซันตูจ (santuch)

06. เบริญ (broen)

alexandra was out in surin recently and, of course, brought back a bag full of great old khmer tapes from the city!  while my natural inclination would have been to save this one, really why not just start with the best of the lot?  namphueng mueangsurin is at the head of surin's kantruem traditionalist revival movement, electing to minimize the thai & international influences in her music as compared to the genre's more popular, modern practitioners.  while this is certainly a bold move, namphueng has won a devoted audience for it, and her recordings will almost invariably be found  wherever kantruem music is sold.  the music on this cassette is simply beautiful, a carefully-paced interplay between drum & fiddle supporting namphueng's soulful voice.  it's a real treasure... enjoy!

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

phra wetsandon chadok

artists: พระอาจารย์ มหาสดใส เตชธโร, พระอาจารย์ มหาสุรัตน์ สุติรโต, พระอาจารย์ มหาทองดา โชติปัญโญ + พระอาจารย์ มหาสมเด็จ สุวณโณ (phra achan mahasotsai techaro, phra achan mahasurat sutinto, phra achan mahathongda chotipanyo & phra achan mahasomdet suwanno)
album: พระเวสสันดรชาดก (phra wetsandon chadok)
tracklist (1) (2) (3):
01. กัณฑ์สักกบรรพ (kan sakkabap)
02. กัณฑ์ฉกษัตริย์ (kan chokasat)
03. กัณฑ์นครกัณฑ์ (kan nakhon kan)

it's thet mahachat season in thailand, and so today i'd like to share this epic boxed-set, featuring a northeastern take on the sermons.  thet mahachat (or "the great birth sermon") is the reading of the vessantara jataka (phra wetsandon chadok in thai), the final and most popular of the tales concerning the buddha's past incarnations.  celebrated throughout southeast asia, the story features prince vessantara & his journeys, wherein he exemplifies the virtues of charity & selflessness.  our monks here orate using thet lae, the unmistakably isan style of sing-sermonizing.  after a brief instrumental flourish, they launch forth with the final 3 of the jataka's 13 chapters (chapter 10 "the words of indra", chapter 12 "the six kshatriya" & chapter 13 "the return to the city" [i assume it also features chapter 11 "the great king", but i don't know the text well enough to identify it]).  these are old tapes and have a good bit of mechanical noise, but if you can get through it, you'll find a great document of a unique & compelling tradition.  it's a 3 hour set, so i've kept with the original tape divisions and put it up in 3 parts.. make sure you get all three, and enjoy!

preview:
  MRPT151 by monrakplengthai

khana arab bombay: nasib prayuk

artist: คณะ อรับบอมเบย์ (khana arab bombay)

album: นาเสปประยุกต์ (nasib prayuk)

tracklist:

01. นาเสปประยุกต์ ตอน 1 (nasib prayuk, pt. 1)

02. นาเสปประยุกต์ ตอน 2 (nasib prayuk, pt. 2)

this week, another installment of fantastic thai-muslim music!  this cassette features a prayuk or "applied" version of the malay nasib.  for a description of that genre, let me defer to jon ward, of the inimitable excavated shellac: "nasib, or "song of fate" ... is an aching, slow lament; a deeply melancholic popular song type which is built around the singer’s misfortune in life ... the origins of the nasib derive ... from indonesian/malaysian stambul theater music ... where theatrical groups would perform musical dramas, many with stories which had origins in india or the middle east ... nasib is sung by a singer who is in fact playing – or at the very least channeling – a character or situation from these classical stories, rather than singing [t]he[i]r own blues."  here the characters of nasib take one step further in their journey!  in it's prayuk form, thai nasib seems to stress group participation, with a solo singer & chorus trading call & response, as well as greater variations in tempo.. whether these are local innovations or a return towards the genre's theatrical routes, i couldn't tell you.  i also wish i could say more about our performers, khana arab bombay, but i can't find anything.  any further information would be greatly appreciated... until then, enjoy!

sobah wongmasoh & kue baby

artist: ซอบะห์ วงษ์มะเซาะ + กื้อ เบบี้ (sobah wongmasoh & kue baby)
album: รวมเพลงภาพยนตร์อินเดีย 3 (ruam phleng phapphayon india 3)
tracklist:
01. bobby (บ๊อบบี้)
02. zindakyja (ซันดากียา)
03. khudakawa (ฮูดาคาวา)
04. pholo kata (ปูโล คาตา)
05. yadoky (ยาดูกี้)
06. tumbill (ตุมบิล)
07. yatumha (ยาตุมฮา)
08. jallte (ยัลเด)
09. rona (โรนา)
10. amere betee (อเมรี บีตี)
11. rimkim che (ริมคิม ซี)
12. jalterajal (ยัลเตราจัน)

as a lucky follow-up to last week's indian-derived material, today we have bollywood sounds of a different stripe.  just the other day, i came across a great arab-malay tape shop in bangkok.  among their collection was this cassette featuring sobah and kue, past members of bangkok's own baby arabia (recently the subject of a fantastic documentary), doing takes on classic filmi tunes.  unfortunately, i don't know a great deal about contemporary thai-muslim music, but i would guess that these melodies reached thailand's islamic community by way of malaysia/indonesia, where they had played a major role in the development of that region's famous dangdut genre.  to my ears, this tape bears definite dangdut influence... i know some readers here are much more knowledgeable about this scene than i, so if you know anything further, please contribute!

phleng thai tham nong india

artist: various

album: เพลงไทยทำนองอินเดีย (phleng thai tham nong india)

tracklist:

01. หนี้กรรม (ni kham)

sung by สุมิตร สัจจเทพ + ยุพิณ แพรทอง (sumit satchathep & yuphin phraethong)

02. ขอทานรัก (kho than rak)

sung by สุมิตร สัจจเทพ (sumit satchathep)

03. รักเธอเสมอ (rak thoe samoe)

sung by สุมิตร สัจจเทพ + ยุพิณ แพรทอง (sumit satchathep & yuphin phraethong)

04. อย่าหลอกฉันนะ (ya lok chan na)

sung by สุมิตร สัจจเทพ + ยุพิณ แพรทอง (sumit satchathep & yuphin phraethong)

05. ช้ำเพราะจน (cham phro chon)

sung by สุมิตร สัจจเทพ (sumit satchathep)

06. คนใจร้าย (khon chai rai)

sung by เพชร โพธาราม (phet photharam)

07. อานุภาพรัก (anuphap rak)

sung by ยุพิณ แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)

08. มนต์เสียงเพลง (mon siang phleng)

sung by ชาตรี ศรีชล + ยุพิณ แพรทอง (chatri sichon & yuphin phraethong)

09. โฉมนาง (chom nang)

sung by ชาตรี ศรีชล (chatri sichon)

10. อย่ามาหลอกฉัน (ya ma lok chan)

sung by ยุพิณ แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)

11. ธรณีชีวิต (thorani chiwit)

sung by ชาตรี ศรีชล + ยุพิณ แพรทอง (chatri sichon & yuphin phraethong)

12. มารักกันเถอะ (ma rak kan the)

sung by ชาตรี ศรีชล (chatri sichon)

13. สวรรค์บนดิน (sawan bon din)

sung by ยุพิณ แพรทอง (yuphin phraethong)

14. วอนลมฝากรัก (won lom fak rak)

sung by บุปผา สายชล (buppha saichon)

15. รอยรักรอยมลทิน (roi rak roi monthin)

sung by ไพรวัลย์ ลูกเพชร (phraiwan lukphet)

here it is!  the first major find since returning to bangkok: a greatest hits of thai songs featuring indian rhythms!  although tracks 7 to 14 have been featured on this blog already, this collection is full of great new tunes from phraiwan lukphet, phet photaram and the star of the show, sumit satchathep!  sumit was born to a family of indian silk merchants in bangkok's bang rak district.  although his upbringing instilled in him an appreciation for the music of his mother country, his surroundings influenced him as well, and at the height of the brief 70's luk thung-bollywood craze, the scene found its first bilingual voice.  teaming with chatri sichon's former partner yuphin phraethong, sumit had a run of duet & solo hits in the late 70's.  the first track here, written by surin phaksiri, was his biggest single... most versions today have clipped the flute intro because a skip in the master recording, but i decided to leave it in.  hope you enjoy!