Planet Lam by Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band

Bangkok, the mid-2000s: sifting through crates of cheap secondhand vinyls in Chinatown record shops, Chris Menist and Nattapon “Nat” Siangsukon, aka DJ Maft Sai, came across the traditional Thai folk genres of Molam and Luk Thung. Enraptured by them, the two formed The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. The experimental band blend infuences from traditional Thai folk music to psychedelic rock to Afrobeat grooves, exemplifed in their 2016 album Planet Lam

Molam and Luk Thung originated in the north-eastern Isan region of Thailand and Laotian and Cambodian borders in the 17th century. They are characterised by the khaen, a bamboo mouth organ, which provides a warm, all-encompassing sound, underneath a vocal melody. The genres underwent a shift in the 1970s as American GIs stationed in the region brought with them American popular music. Musicians began incorporating this alongside traditional elements as they entertained soldiers. It is these experimental records which the collaborators frst focused on, playing them at live events, before forming the band in 2012.

The band consists of Piyanat “Pump” Chotisathien, former bassist of Thai Indie Rock band Apartment Khunpa, Sawai Kaewsombat on the khaen, Kammao Perdtanon (described as Thailand’s answer to Jimi Hendrix) on the phin, Phusana “Arm” Treeburut playing drums, and

Siangsukon and Menist on percussion and production. Finding success nationally and internationally, playing sets at Glastonbury and garnering support from Mick Jagger and Damon Albarn, the band have been instrumental in re-situating perspectives on genres previously disregarded by middle class urban Thais as “taxi driver music”.

Their 2016 album Planet Lam opens with an improvisatory-like riff on the khaen, surrounding the listener with warm, glowing harmonies. Described by Jotikasthira as “surreal”, it binds syncopated cymbals and funky bass lines to create a psychedelic feel.

The album proceeds with the upbeat rocklike cut, “India Chia Muay - Thai Boxing Re-fx”, commencing with a phin solo. Infuenced by “the urgency and drive” of The Stooges, the cyclical phin weaving around the infectious drum beats, with tempo changes coming midway through, captivate the listener. The Stooges infuence can again be heard on the fast-paced “Adventures of Sinsai”. If you fnd yourself running late to a lecture, I recommend listening to this on repeat, as you will fnd yourself subconsciously speed-walking along to the track (albeit with some perplexed stares from those you pass).

More experimental, electronically focused tracks can be found in “Exit Planet Lam” and “Exit Dub”. Combining dub reggae and ambient classical infuences, the sparse arrangements showcase producer Nick Manasseh’s stamp on the work.

“Studio Lam Suite” is the band at their best, an eleven-minute culmination of traditional and electronic infuences. It launches itself with a trance-like phin solo, the free tempo providing an improvisatory feel. After fve minutes of enthralling phin playing, an electronic drone phases in and out before percussion organically emerges, complemented by feld recordings of Bangkok street noise. A warm, introspective sound is constructed, comparisons ranging from Aphex Twin to Sade, as the funky bassline and laid back groove come to the fore.

Listening to 80s house hits such as “Missing You” by Larry Heard last Sunday as I frantically tried to complete an essay on eighteenth century opera, my mind drifted to Planet Lam, and I couldn’t help but be bemused by the transgressive power of music. How is it that my brain connects this house groove from a Chicagoan producer to a band in Bangkok? How is it that the khaen’s drone-like role in parts of the album remind me of Celtic folk instruments, such