Khun Narin's Electric Phin Band

Khun Narin is the latest band to emerge from Thailand's north-east region, Isan, following the popularity of numerous YouTube uploads under the heading ‘Mindblowing Psychedelia from Thailand.’ Los Angeles-based producer Josh Marcy was so impressed that he grabbed his gear, flew to Thailand and recorded the band in a field in Petchabun province. Khun Narin is an electric phin band – the phin being a two- or three-stringed Isan lute – playing what is called phin prayuk or phin fusion music. The band, led by Khun Beer, has a rotating membership and plays at local events like festivals, temple parties and weddings. The music is fast-paced and percussion driven instrumental, based on various song types such as lam phu Thai.

Using locally made percussion instruments rather than a Western drum kit gives the band a funky, raw-edged sound that works perfectly in a Thai cultural setting but is less successful on recordings. After the first three tracks – all excellent – the rhythms begin to seem too similar, and lack the counterpoint provided by the khaen, a bamboo mouth organ that is the other famous instrument from this region. So while this short album begins with a real kick, the music gets too repetitive too quickly.