various / thai funk

Thai Funk: Zudrangma Vol. 2

Any followers of the Sublime Frequencies discs will know that some of the most mental and shockingly alien sounds on the series come from the South East Asian installments, and Thailand especially. Beyond the old clichés of mysterious lands to the East, there's something genuinely freaky and utterly unique about the music from this country, whether it's the cadence of their singing or simply the joyful exuberance of their sound, we can't help but feel intoxicated with all the brilliant strangeness. 'Thai Funk Zudrangma Vol.2' is a compilation of 22 Funk and Soul tracks by some 18 artists, taking the sounds they would hear from visiting bands, radio and imported records and cassettes before giving it their own spin. Known as 'Luk Krung' in Thai, this style is considered to be more sophisticated than the rural associated 'Molam' or 'Luk Thung' styles, but still manages to adopt some of their traits to make a brilliant hybrid flavour. Quite easily our favourite has to be Soontorn Sujaridchan's two part ode to getting messy on 'Kee Mao', translating as "Pissed", and 'Kee Mao Lae' - "Wasted", swinging to a killer discofunk groove with a truly nutty Moog refrain tucked in the middle. There masses to go on and we're sure you'll have your own fave soon enough. If you're lucky you might even be able to spot the cover versions! Oh, and it comes packaged in a dapper cotton sleeve with a pull-out poster, just to make you dribble even more. Amazing.