my evening with a LIKAY troupe.

[Brink15]

OK, at the risk of sounding like a complete philistine, what is the difference between mo-lam and luk-thung music?

 

Could you give me an example of each?

 

My interest in Thai music has mostly been limited to Carabao although I do like some Sunaree (sp?) and Byrd songs. I probably have heard both styles of music before but never new what style it was.

 

Also P127, I would love to see the photos. If you don't have my e-mail address any longer PM me.

[thai3]

 

 

went to cham issan (soi 105) last night and they have a jintara lookalike singer who is a katoy, not too bad at all. There is a better jintara singer at issan holiday soi 69/1 but she looks a bit rough, some good singers there. This sunday 12th there is a morlam concert. Spent a good part of this afternoon getting the GF to call grammy to ask about concerts, just given the run around, nobody knows anything!!!

Not many concerts on, as mentioned villa and dara cafe closed, pra nam kow does not have much on only rung sureeya on the 20th. Might try thonburi cafe one night-peter

[pattaya127]

I am not sure really, except maybe luk thung is always a song, and mo-lam can be both instrumental and singing, and is more indigenous as far as instrumentation and music patterns. I just see Luk thung as more pop and "modern" than the rougher mo-lam. Just a guess really.... I am sure the 2 styles can cross-over each other. I stand to be corrected.

[markle]

'luk thung' is a generic term for 'country' music in Thailand.

Esentially it is pop music with rural themes and a bit of traditional Thai musical flavour.

 

'mor lam' is unique to Issan and the North(?) the music is very traditional in its arrangement and instrumentation. If I'm not mistaken 'mor lam' is performed in Isan dialects also.

Going out on a limb I'd say that 'mor lam' (which means dance doctor) is an old form of social interaction with roots in shamanism. The value of a good 'mor' is his/her ability to whip the crowd up into a (sexual) frenzy of dancing which is unususal given the restrianed conservative nature of Isan people generally.

[Brink15]

Markle and P127,

 

Sorry I didn't see your posts until now.

 

I think I understand the distinction. Luk Thung is probably what I've heard in sing a song bars. When they sing something that sounds more traditional than normal Thai pop.

 

Mor lam must be the stuff I used to hear my neighbors play when I was living in Phuket. They said it was from Isaan and it had a much rougher feel to it. Although I thought some of it was performed by singers. Is any mor lam done by singers or is it strictly instrumental?

 

[thai3]

It can be difficult to tell what is what, especially since the sounds develop as time goes on. Luktung is generally slower and has more romantic themes than morlam which has many styles, at least 5. Morlam has uses more traditional intruments than luktung, although going back to the 70's luktung used more traditional, and pretty awful sounding backing music.

What I find difficult to tell apart is luktung and lukrung, lukrung is often described as 'city music' or upper class luktung. To me they often sound very similar. To make things more confusing many singers sing in more than one style and have developed cross over styles which are really not pure morlam or luktung.BTW the avatar is one of the greatest luktung singers ever IMO, her name is Yew Pim Peyom. She gave up singing about ten years ago, but you can still see some of her CD's around in the bargain sections-peter

[Brink15]

Peter,

 

Thanks much. That was a great explanation. I'm going to see if my wife or any of our Thai friends have any of Yew's CDs.

 

I also remember my wife playing a CD for me a few years ago by a very pretty woman who had died of cancer or some other disease. Her songs sounded like a cross between pop and Thai country music. Any idea who she might have been? I'll try to ask my wife. Maybe she was a famous luk thung singer.

[thai3]

 

I think that might be the queen of country music, the one and only Pumpuang Duangchan, died in 1992, some type of immune problem with the blood. There is a great VCD of hers just out, a concert at the dusit thani in 1986 i think. Amazing performer. Don't buy VCD apart from this as many hardly feature her, if at all. Another great singer is sunaree rachesima, voice of an angel. Also good are Yui Yatt Yerr (baby pumpuang) both have new CD's out. Fon Thanasunthorn is another great luktung singer. The girls might like mike piromporn, chalermpol malekam, Got or Deang Jitakorn.-peter

[Brink15]

So Sunaree sings luk thung? I've liked her stuff for quite a while but never knew what style she sang. I think Pumpuang must be the one I was thinking about. I think my wife said something like "luet mai dee" and I took this to mean something like leukemia. Immune disorder would make sense. Did she have some kind of nickname?

[thai3]

 

 

Not many singers use their real names, pumpuang was her nickname I guess. Sunaree sings luktung and lukrung. Spent a lot of time with a singer in a cafe in khon kaen who spoke good english. Her definitions were that lukrung was more popular years ago and that it is romantic music which tells a story about love, luktung is more direct and deals with more everyday problems of life, lot harsher stuff, eg parin ya jai the siriporn song or the monsit song gluwa. Lots of accidents death and sadness in luktung as well as love songs. Also you need a stronger voice for luktung. To make things more confusing the new sunare CD has a famous morlam song on it but sung in a luktung style.

Some singers a thought were morlam she tells me are luktung. Morlam ruen (sp) is the main style of morlam sung by singers like nok noi and banyen.

Yesterdy went to the mall bang kae for the concert, saw mike piromporn the most popular luktung singer as well as monsit and christy gibson, excellent-peter