V/a / Molam - Thai Country Groove From Isan Vol. 2

Sublime Frequencies

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Volume two in the Sublime Frequencies series, Molam: Thai Country Grooves From Isan. Molam is a multifaceted folk country music native to Laos and the collection of rural Northeastern Thai provinces called Isan. Molam is an umbrella term used for numerous lam styles. It literally translates to "expert singer" or "expert song." Featured here in volume 2 of this series are lam phun, lam thuy, lam plern, lam dern and lam sing styles of molam recordings from the 1970s and 1980s. All of these forms are built from a tradition that is centuries-old. A few examples of molam/luk thung (Thailand's national country music) hybrids are also featured here. In the late-1960s, at the onset of molam's modern genesis, electric guitars and organs were introduced alongside the extant folk sounds of the khaen (bamboo mouth-organ) and phin (Thai lute). Hybrid styles were formed with an electrified sound that jived with tradition while creating something entirely new. Enjoy this rarely-heard music, culled from vintage cassette and vinyl recordings, rescued from the silent places in which they've rested for the past decades.