Isaan Music

[The Isan Project]

I have been facinated by the culture especailly about the music. Upon entering the actual region, you will feel the difference not only in the scenery but also the people. The people are amazing and seem to treat life like a big party. It teaches us a lesson in life that no matter how much hardship we experience, there is always something to smile about. Music is what brings joy to a lot of the people from this region.

I would like to share a teaser of a project that we have been working on. Hear music producer, Will Robinson's insights about Isan and it's whole heritage.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=p6jgLNzP74g

[firefox999uk]

Interesting video…. thank you for posting.

I live in the heart of Issaan (Mahasarakham), and I to love the Morlum music.

But when there is a funeral or a wedding or a monk initiation in the

Village and you here it 24 hrs a day for about 3 days, at about 150 decibels

my love for it starts to wear a bit thin.

Have a Nice Day.

[Gonsalviz]

I thought I was going to hear some Thai music, not a Brit giving a narration of his thoughts about Thai music. I am being nice.

[rgs2001uk]

I thought I was going to hear some Thai music, not a Brit giving a narration of his thoughts about Thai music. I am being nice.

The Brit should add the words LiKay to his vocabulary, some of those hand sewn dresses cost hundreds of thousands of baht,

The Brit should learn the term. mair yok.

The Brit in search of the "Next Big Thing" should learn that, Cuban, African, Latino, etc etc has been done to death.

Deep Forrest beat him by at least 20 years.

Sek Loso tried and didnt conquer the farang market.

[glegolo]

As usual blind and deaf people just critisize.... Here is a nice video about a guy that just love this kind of folkmusic... what the hell let him....

I live up here and have heard this folkmusic now for 6 years, and I can hear that it is just folkmusic nothing more. We have folkmusic in England and Sweden as well...

and that too is great music very often....

I suggest appreciate the video for what it is, and dont be so da#n jealous at everything.. you are just bitter...

Glegolo

[Docno]

Thank-you for sharing this. I have managed to retain my enthusiasm for Isan culture (music, dance, food, etc), but I don't stay there year-round and have never had to withstand 3-days of non-stop mor lam (like some others here)... All the best with your project.

[Eric Loh]

Got to add that the Carabao Band has influence much of today Issan songs by blending the folk style with other forms. Aed Carabao, song writer and leader is a ardent fan of Carlos Santana and brought in lots of Latin influence. Think the project should explore that too.

[garyinhuahin]

It starts out good, looking like a fundraiser for a film documentary of Isan music and culture. Looks and sound fine in the short clips seen, and I think that idea would be a very good one.

Then it turns into pimping an uncompelling 'fusion' song of some guy named Richie Rokstar. Huh?

How about a project to make a decent and entertaining film of Isan music culture, and then bring a good group of performers to New Orleans and Rio? With the right setup, the music and dance could go over very well there and provide a launching pad for it to be another recognized 'world music' category.

[willyumiii]

Interesting video…. thank you for posting.

I live in the heart of Issaan (Mahasarakham), and I to love the Morlum music.

But when there is a funeral or a wedding or a monk initiation in the

Village and you here it 24 hrs a day for about 3 days, at about 150 decibels

my love for it starts to wear a bit thin.

Have a Nice Day.

I agree with every point you make.

I find it very frustrating to be forced to listen to music that I enjoy at such a high volume that it is distorted and sounds horrible!

I have often wondered why the level of the volume seems to be more important than the quality of the sound to most Thai people.

Any theories on this?

I was once told that when Thais could first afford radios, very few could afford one, so they played it as loud as they could so the neighbors could enjoy it too!

There must be more to it than that!

[onionluke]

http://youtu.be/f_ZAkchXjW8

mor lam dubbbbbbbbbbb

[sirineou]

I Love Isaan music, and cant find anything wrong with anything good anyone has to say about it.

Who can not like this?

[media]

[media]

[soihok]

Hearing Isaan music makes me miss home.

[sirineou]

Hearing Isaan music makes me miss home.

Me too Brother, me too

I dont know when , and dont know how, but it is funny that after living in so many different places in the world, I was surprised to find my self saying to my wife the other day as we are planing our annual trip to Isaan.

"Honey I cant wait to get back home"

[belg]

as long as there is alcohol, gambling and daughters that go work in pattaya/phuket to support your lazy lifestyle, life can be great for thai men

[soihok]

Troll

[kennypowers]

Hat off to these guys for at least attempting to understand the music and culture and bring it to the western world. It's much needed, after all, most people talk about Isan in terms of hookers working in Pattaya, without ever knowing real Isan people.

What most foreigners don't understand is that in Isan culture people express their emotions through music. Feelings of love, regret and sadness are often hidden, but translated through the many styles of the Morlam genre.

Generally, Isan people are reserved with their emotions, feelings and opinions, but music provides an outlet for expression.

Morlam, and indeed Isan culture (derived from a number of cultural influences) has had a huge impact on Thai culture in general, with modern-day Thai music using diluted elements of Morlam in many of the popular tracks - especially some of the more recent dance tracks.

[TravelerEastWest]

The video was fun to watch.

Best of luck to the OP with his project.

[slojamm]

Interesting project.

I wonder if anyone would know. Where in Isaan would be considered the centre of Morlam music? Are there studios in Isaan or is the recorded music all produced in Bangkok?

[JLCrab]

This one is my favorite -- no slick studio production. No producer.

[lostinisaan]

There must be more to it.......

Morlam in my wife's village near Sisaket

Edited August 11, 2014 by lostinisaan

[cooked]

This one is my favorite -- no slick studio production. No producer.

Dancing sitting down. Now that's what I call sensible.

[cooked]

There must be more to it.......

Morlam in my wife's village near Sisaket

This one sums up what I hate about what has happened to music in Thailand.

[lostinisaan]

There must be more to it.......

Morlam in my wife's village near Sisaket

This one sums up what I hate about what has happened to music in Thailand.

The second one was made at a "Tamboon" for a guy who passed away the year before at the local temple. Love it, or hate it.

[sirineou]

This one sums up what I hate about what has happened to music in Thailand.

No I dont believe it does, I guess you can find anything in any music it all depends where you look .

For every video such as the above, I can post one as the one below

[media]

[media]

[lostinisaan]

This one sums up what I hate about what has happened to music in Thailand.

No I dont believe it does, I guess you can find anything in any music it all depends where you look .

For every video such as the above, I can post one as the one below

[media]

[media]

And both types are Morlam music. Mine was more Morlam dance. Once, you're familiar with living in Isaan, you'll find those events in all villages, cities, towns...

Cheers-

[bina]

if u all are truely serious there are several musicians u MUST see/listen to/follow:

one is Sochok Soonontad plays the phin, which is an issaan only instrument, used to be hand made by the person playing it, nowadasy there are masters. he is based outside of korat. unfortunately we didnt get to him as hubby wimped out (didnt want to buy one in the end or too lazy to drive all the way out to the guy, either way, go to his facebook page and go from there. )

and then there is that guy with the whole group, the comedienne /singer...that wears the kilt, he has played for international groups as well...

morlum is mnore then just music... it was used (and still today) as a way to do parody/satire of political situations in a way that wouldnt get poeple in to trouble, etc... there are some old threads about morlum /issaan music in the issan forum , try to find them.

very old morlum is spoken/sung and differs from the luek tung /morlum sing of today, along with the chachacha music styles...

i love it all; i listen to the words as well... i also noticed that my husband likes real lao morlum style sing and also enjoys music from burma and khmer music as well (he says its more authentic nowadays, mostly the lao music from laos).

[cooked]

This one sums up what I hate about what has happened to music in Thailand.

No I dont believe it does, I guess you can find anything in any music it all depends where you look .

For every video such as the above, I can post one as the one below

[media]

[media]

And both types are Morlam music. Mine was more Morlam dance. Once, you're familiar with living in Isaan, you'll find those events in all villages, cities, towns...

Cheers-

You may have missed my point. I was very much into the folk music and dance scene for 40 years and used to get a bit annoyed when perfectly good songs got modernised, synthesised, had their cadence rhythm mucked about with and otherwise made unrecognisable.

Folks music is (or should be) about someone singing or playing music from the heart. As soon as a modern group gets together and gets a piece of music into their repertoire, repeating it a 1000 times to make it perfect, it loses its soul. The same with dance, most of the stuff you see on tv has been stylised to death. (Exceptions: dances that don't claim to be folk danses).

So you will get a group on stage, a piece of pre-recorded music is played, I think, ah something fine is coming up and then they plunge into some electronic fantasy 'based on the original'. And the stuff that has been around for generations is laughed at and retreats even further into obscurity. In the village here they tend to prefer the music as in in the second video to the first.

[The Isan Project]

Thank you very much for all the comments. I would just like to keep everyone posted about the progress of the Isan Project. We have recently released the dance remix version of the song "Forever" The Isan project has taken Isan sounds and fused them with western music, and the same for some of the dance styles, from Udon Thani to New York City.

Check out the video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40pNCuyB0QA

Everyones opinion, good or bad, is very much appreciated.

Edited October 28, 2014 by The Isan Project