Various Artists - Luk Thung: Classic & Obscure 78s from the Thai Countryside (Parlortone 2011)

Fourteen outstanding funky performances of Thai country groove music from the 1950s and early 1960s. All previously un-reissued, carefully transferred and mastered from the original 78rpm records and presented with detailed full color liner notes. Compiled by David Murray, with notes by Peter Doolan. Murray is a 78rpm collector and the curator of Haji Maji, a blog dedicated to Asian music from the 78 rpm era. He also plays Greek Rebetika music, is a fiddler for the old-time Squirrelly Stringband, and is graphic designer. Peter Doolan spent the last year in Bangkok researching the music of Thailand. He shares his passion for Thai music through Monrakplengthai: Enchanting Sounds of Thailand.luk Thung is the down home, funky "Country Music" of Thailand that blossomed as rural Thais migrated to Bangkok for work in the 1950s and 60s. "Luk Thung" evolved out of a complex stew of traditional folk styles and international influences. Wild accordions and Latin horn sections mingle with Thai hand drums and finger cymbals, while exquisite vocalists swagger and sing stories about life's struggles. For fans of the Sublime Frequencies' Molam and Thai Pop Spectacular series, as well as the Thai Beat A Go Go LPs on Subliminal sounds, "Luk Thung: Classic & Obscure 78s From The Thai Countryside" is the missing piece of the puzzle: the origins, the home-spun, country roots behind the electric movements to come. *Piccadilly Records

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