Mor lam, traditional music of the Isaan
Mor lam, traditional music from Isan
What is mor lam?
หมอลำ (pronunciation: mǒh lam) mor lam is a form of music quite characteristic of the Laotian culture, and therefore also of the Isan. A similar form of music exists throughout Southeast Asia. In Northern Thailand it is called ซอ soh.
The songs are often about the hardness of everyday life and unrequited love. Sometimes they are longer, sometimes hours-long stories from the past; legends, about the life and past births of the Buddha, often with an educational and moralizing slant. Many songs are accompanied by irony and humour. This style of music is often compared to the American one rap, a style that is quite international by the way.
In addition to these monologues, there are also dialogues between man and woman, with mischievous, erotically explicit and provocative remarks.
In the past, only the แคน khaen (photo) was used as an accompanying musical instrument, but from the XNUMXs all kinds of other instruments were added, such as flutes, lyres, drums and electronic equipment. I am a complete layman when it comes to music, if you want to know more I refer to the Wikipedia site via the link below.
From the XNUMXs onwards lug thung songs (Thai: ลูกทุ่ง lôe:k thôeng) with many style elements from the mor lam tradition. They are also about unattainable love, the struggle for existence (after the migration to Bangkok and the surrounding area) and the nostalgia for village life. The lively design, the beautiful costumes and the sexy dancers often hide that sad and longing content.
Tawan Daeng (Isaan) music venues
Tawan Daeng (Thai: ตะวันแดง 'the Red Sun') is a franchise with eleven properties spread across Thailand, founded many years ago by วีระ ขันธีวิทย์ Veera Khanthiwit (Lek Lensnu). He was a communist guerrilla fighter before the XNUMXs, then a journalist until the XNUMXs, after which he set up the Tawan Daeng music temples.
His past is still evident in the portraits that brighten the music hall in Chiang Mai: Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, Chit (or Jit) Phumisak, the Thai Marxist who was murdered in 1966 near Sakon Nakhorn, and outside Pridi Phanomyong.
One of the goals of this franchise was to preserve the memory of protest songs like the Song of Life (Thai เพื่อชีวิต pheua chiwit). The singer Carabao is an example of this. But many kinds of Thai and especially Isan music are played in these halls.
Where to listen in Bangkok
(After all, Bangkok is actually Isaanstad)
- 'Tawan Daeng Isan' on Pattanakan Rd, Bangkok (near Ekamai/Pridi Panomyom Rd)
- 'Isan Isan' on the Ladphrao Road, Bangkok (near Big C Supercenter, Ladphrao).
Outside Bangkok there are Tawan Daeng halls in Chiang Mai, Surin, Khon Kaen, Udon Thani, Khorat and maybe in other cities. Everyone knows them.
Knowing more? See this link:
- Short, authentic mor lam song, English subtitles: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL4HQhvUfk0
- More modern mor lam/luk thung songs: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6UGEozaXdY www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBOl_4yvZiY
- Life song of Carabao, English subtitles, moving: www.youtube.com/watch?v=grcDn_2Fzsw
Mor Lam Sing live concert at Roi Et Isaan Thailand. Folk music
About this blogger
-
Born in 1944 in Delfzijl as the son of a simple shopkeeper. Studied in Groningen and Curacao. Worked as a doctor in Tanzania for three years, then as a general practitioner in Vlaardingen. A few years before my retirement I married a Thai lady, we had a son who speaks three languages well.
Lived in Thailand for almost 20 years, first in Chiang Kham (Phayao province) then in Chiang Mai where I liked to bother all kinds of Thai with all kinds of questions. Followed Thai extracurricular education after which a diploma of primary school and three years of secondary school. Did a lot of volunteer work. Interested in the Thai language, history and culture. Have been living in the Netherlands for 5 years now together with my son and often with his Thai girlfriend.
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Finally a website to follow the lyrics of the songs!
The website below contains many songs with the Thai text, its phonetic representation and the English translation. Search by artist name:
http://deungdutjai.com/lyrics-directory/
And on this website there are many songs of Carabao, as shown above:
http://carabaoinenglish.com/
Dear Mr Kuis, thank you! How I can enjoy the show and music of Mor Lam in Thai company. To be fair, I must admit that the consumption of the richly flowing whiskey is also an important factor. I hardly understand a word of the text and although sometimes something is translated for me, I let my imagination run wild. My 'tilak' also likes to sing, I think she does it very well (of course I'm not entirely objective) and, like so many Thais, knows quite a few lyrics by heart. Sometimes when listening to Mor Lam I think I can still dance with my old rickety body, but that must be because of the aforementioned whiskey.
Dear Leo,
"Keep on rolling" , stay young!
Yet when I hear it in the Netherlands I get homesick for Thailand.
But when I'm in Thailand, I'm terribly annoyed by this, by the way, all Thai music.
The bass loop is the same for every song.
And then there's that horrible organ.
But luckily music is a matter of taste.
Don't think that morlam and lucktung with the best will, nothing but nothing at all.
Incidentally, don't be alone in this because many Thais also don't like it, in fact I also know several Isaners who have nothing to do with those old-fashioned tunes, with parties they sometimes want to give in to it, but outside of that they prefer the more modern music, song and dance.
For example, Korean and Taiwanese artists are very popular in Thailand, similar to many Dutch people who prefer to listen to British and American artists.
At one of those village festivals or fairs in the Isaan it is always nice to take a look and listen. But to hear that for hours on the way in the bus from Bangkok to the Isaan…
In the past when I still went to these kinds of parties, it was always a fight between rival groups with the drink in the (Thai) people. So I left after an hour of Thai fun to avoid this mess. After all, I come here for my peace and not to be annoyed by this kind of behavior. It's a pity because it's not the music and the artists that matter. Have also experienced it in Indonesia at gatherings with folk music and it is certainly not a Thai phenomenon in behavior.
We have often been to this kind of Isaan morlam festivals and always did not leave too late.
Those festivals are often held after the harvest season of the rice fields.
The use of whiskey often led to fights.
Fortunately, there were guards around and there was also a kind of lion cage with bars where the drunken fighters were placed.
An interesting article about the Mor lam music.
I am grateful to Tino for the web information and will certainly look it up.
Over the years, at a record store in Prakhon Chai, Buriram province, I've had quite a few
bought a number of CDs and DVDs with Isaan music, which I play from time to time.
I have also attended performances at many temple fairs, where it always strikes me,
that Thai people enjoy life.
Nowadays it has nothing to do with music anymore, it used to be great to listen to with the different instruments, but now with that electronic noise and especially the bass sound, I don't go there anymore, in our village no concerts have been organized for years due to fights and drug use.
Here in Ubon Ratchathani we still enjoy Mor Lam performances and fortunately there are no fights.
By the way, I enjoyed the YouTube video and I especially noticed the “Lee Towers” elbow.