THAILAND: MUSIC AND DANCE

Thai music is a wonderful blend of Chinese, Indian, Persian, African, Greek, American, and European styles. Thailand was never colonized, and that made them all the more diverse in what they took in and adopted.

Much of their classical music forms were centered on what was played in the courts, having now developed for nearly 800 years. As this music spread with their borders, it influenced Lao and Cambodian musical styles as well. One of the main styles is Piphat, a style that signifies the dancing of a dragon (because you know, everyone knows how dragons dance). It’s created by putting together an ensemble consisting of two xylophones, an oboe, barrel drums, and two sets of tuned gong-chimes. There are several other classical styles that all consist of different ensembles types with slightly different styles.

Thai music utilized many instruments that were native to other countries: a type of drum from Indonesia called a klong kaek, a three-stringed fretted zither of of Indian origin called the jakhe, a type of Persian hammered dulcimer called the khim, and a type of Persian drum called the klong thap. Some of the traditional instruments you’ll find in Thai music include the khong wong lek (a set of 18 small gongs arranged in a semi-circle), the sueng (a type of plucked stringed instrument), the khaen (similar to a large bamboo panpipe), and the klong yao (a type of hand drum).

Dance has long been an integral part of entertainment in Thailand for many centuries and is also closely tied to music and theatre as well. It’s essentially divided into two categories: classical dance and folk dance. Three of the main classical dances are the khon, lakhon, and fon dance. As for folk dances, there are far more out there. Every ethnic group in every region has their own particular type of folk dance. There’s also a type of artform called nang yai, or shadow puppets. These lifesize puppets are painted on buffalo hide as a prop for a dance that goes with the story.

The 20th century saw an influence of American music on Thai styles. One style they really latched onto is jazz. Starting in the 1940s, jazz bands started popping up throughout the country and with that, an influx of Western-style instruments like guitars, saxophones, and brass instruments. King Bhimibol (also known as Rama IX) was very much into jazz and wrote quite a few compositions of his own. In fact, he went on to perform (he played both saxophone and clarinet) with American jazz greats like Benny Goodman, Benny Carter, and Stan Getz. After this, rock made its way into Thailand in the 1960s and hip-hop in the 1990s.

I found quite a few Thai musicians and bands on Spotify and had a quick listen. The first genre I listened to was the rock bands. The first one I listened to was Stone Metal Fire. They kind of reminded me of the 1980s hair bands style, even their ballads. I am kind of intrigued. I can’t read any of the song titles since I can’t read Thai. But, another band that falls in this category is Hi-Rock. They remind me a little of Whitesnake, or a band like them. 

Then I moved into the mainstream/alternative sounding bands. The first one I listened to was Moderndog. I liked what I heard; they had a nice beat and solid vocals, I thought. The next one was Silly Fools. Their music was a little harder than the previous one. But the melody lines were catchy. Reminds me a little of some harder J-pop stuff I’ve heard. I listened to a greatest hits album of Clash (not to be confused with the English band The Clash). They are definitely more chill than the others. And one band whose name I laughed at is called Big Ass. They’re a pretty decent rock band. I’m starting to get the feeling that Thai bands can do rock pretty well.

The band Bodyslam takes rock and mixes a little more of a subtle techno sound into it. I liked their sound, although they reminded me a little of Coldplay at times in their transitions. I also checked out Slot Machine. There are a couple songs I heard that sounds like they used some traditional instruments and electronica. And I would definitely put the band So Cool in this category. They have a nice mix of EDM and rock that’s put together really well.

Thaitanium

I even found a few Thai hip-hop artists as well. The first one I checked out was Dajim. It was pretty up-beat and had kind of a dance beat on some of the songs. I also checked out Thaitanium. I think they were one of the few Thai musicians/bands that I heard that uses English quite a bit in their songs. But their use of English rivals that of J-pop or Japanese hip-hop. The last one I listened to was Youngohm. His music was a little more on the R&B side of hip-hop. I could definitely chill to this.

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