Luktung/Morlam venues in Bangkok?

[waerth]

Thonburi Plaza is a big entertainment complex. Next door to it there is an Isaan/Morlam place indeed.

 

If you are coming from Sathorn, you cross the bridge over the Chao Phraya. At the intersection with Ratchada (Thonburi side) you take a right turn and you will see a big building after 300 meters. That is Thonburi Plaza. The morlam venue is on the right in a small building next to the parking lot.

 

Most taxidrivers will know Thonburi plaza, but might bring you to Krungthon complex which is on the same stretch of road closeby and also an entertainment complex and many people confuse the two.

 

Waerth

 

 

[yahuseyyah]

Thank you very much for your quick reply.

[drogon]

Waerth have you been to the coyote dancers area within the complex?

[Hugh_Hoy]

> two Tawan Daeng just opposite each other. one is for Luk Thung/Morlam, the other for Phua Chivit (Carabao-style).<

 

Which is LukThung/Morlam? Tawan Daeng Issan?

 

 

What's the difference between the two?

I don't understand the terms.

 

HH

 

[samak]

difficult to explain if you do not know the terms.

Morlam is definitely rural music from Isaan; luk thung is also music from the countryside but not limited to Isaan. but then some refer to "Phua Chivit"/Carabao-style also as "Thai Country"! everything clear?

[simie]

Samak, i'm sure you know more about this topic than i do, but i always thought Morlam was rather Lao orientated. In fact my wife usually refers to it as Lao music and she's from Korat. But maybe more from the "depths" of Isaan e.g. Nong Khai etc? As Korat is rather on the fringes.

Simie.

[Hugh_Hoy]

everything clear?

 

Clear as mud! Thanks for attempt to educate me. :thumbup: Maybe I just need to go to both kinds of places. Probably similar to "country" in the U.S. "Bluegrass" vs. whatever.

 

HH

 

[waerth]

The comedygroup I play in used to play there 2 times a week. So yes I went there manytimes. They skipped the comedygroups (at least ours) though in favour of the coyotes. There were some very hot ones. But you need money in these places. Thai guys easily spend 10.000 baht without even sleeping with the girl. But they are a lot of fun.

 

I went to Noar cafe which is like Thonburi plaza last night. Me and my buddy only spend 380 baht for 4 hours and we had a lot of fun. He did tip a girl a 1000 baht though . But I had a girl that knows me from performing there. She went singing twice and got 1500 baht twice from the same Thai guy. But she sat with me practically all evening

 

Waerth

[preahko]

morlam in its original form (singing accompanied by the reed instrument khaen) is indeed Lao; there are myriad forms throughout Laos and Thai-occupied Lao land (heheh) otherwise known as Isaan. in the early 90s they electrified it and added synths, organ, electric guitars and electric phin (the latter based on a traditional instrument) and started yet another form (morlam sing) which has become hugely popular and in turn influenced luk thung.

 

luk thung is a corporate creation that purports to be somehow "traditional" or "roots music;" in fact it was created by record producers from Bangkok, though it does draw on the rural areas for its singers...who appropriately sing of the simple beauty of rural life, evils of the city, blah blah. those who know even a little about the corporate creation in the U.S. which started in the 1930s/40s called "country music" can easily see the connection, i.e. why luk thung is called "thai country music."

 

in the "early years" (1950s-80s) a disproportionately large number of luk thung singers came from central Thailand (especially Suphanburi); now they come from all over, including Isaan.

 

Plen Pheua Chiwit or "Songs for Life" had its roots in the social protest movements of the 1970s; two of the biggest names from the early years of that were the groups Carabao and Caravan. musically it ranges from what we in the West would call folk, to folk rock, to soft rock to "biker rock"...what defines it is not the music itself, but a specific type of singing. it used to be also defined by socially conscious lyrics championing the poor and decrying big business and government, but now most of what passes for "songs for life" features the same old stupid love song lyrics.

 

luk thung, by the way, is also characterized more for specific features of its singing style than for anything else (music, etc.). and let's not even get started on "luk krung," the "urban" version of luk thung, or sa-tring ("string"), the modern catch-all used to refer to everything from hair metal to schmaltzy pop ballads to...??

 

luk thung has made a huge resurgence since the late 90s; previously it was mostly looked upon as the music of country bumpkins, now it's very popular among a wide range of people...though no music in Thailand today is more popular probably than String. complex and interesting topic.

 

preahko

[Neo]

Real interesting read preahko. Couple other thoughts. Keep in mind the largest ethnic population of Laotion people in the world is in Thailand, not Laos! During the Vietnam war the US built huge infrastructure and road systems to there as they were worried Isaan might split off and join Laos.

 

Sting (used to describe pop music in my experience) is certainly the most popular in Bangkok. But in Isaan, it's pretty solid Maw Lum / Luke Toong in my experience. Typical karaoke places don't even have Sting to choose from. In the North they do listen to this though not so much and I have heard them refer to it as "Isaan music".

 

Some of the tell tale signs to identify Maw Lum is wavering voices, dancing chorus girls with extravegant feather outfits, singer in silk costumes, stringers of Thai baht notes on the singer, and the music tends to be upbeat. Luke Toong is more mellow, lots of flute sounds, more of a big band sound and for some reason ends up reminding me of the Lawrence Welk show.