Sounds of Siam, The [coll] – [Soundway Records]

This collection is an outstanding fusion of Thai folk with western funk and rock. It???s the result of years of crate digging in Bangkok???s Chinatown by UK DJ and producer Chris Menist. Luk-thung (“country song”) was the music of the poor, its wavering ??? often female ??? voices tell tales of hard work and heartache over beats borrowed from James Brown or the Stones, and Bollywood-tinged arrangements. A very cool example is track 9. For a taste of Molam, from the Laotian north, try Sodsri Rungsang, (track 16) wailing over a blues bass line, fiddle drone and twanging surf guitar. Don???t miss track 12 which has a wonderful Jumpin??? Jack Flash riff. A standout! AArbor