Lao Folk Songs (Cassette 1996)

Bought at a shop in Van Vieng, Laos in 1996. Lao folk music, which can be heard in Northeast Thailand as well, is based around vocal singing and storytelling accompanied by the Kaen (a bamboo free-reed mouth organ, varieties of which are found throughout Southeast and East Asia). The production on this is pretty terrible, with tons of drum machines and keyboards cheesing everything up, but I still find it quite enjoyable. You can hear the Kaen in most of the songs on this cassette although it might be buried in the mix, and the keyboard and guitar (actually, it's an electrified 2-string lute) lines mimic that of the Kaen. The vocals are the main draw here for me, the ornamentations and octave leaps are absolutely thrilling. Lao is a tonal language (as are most of the languages in Southeast Asia once you get north of Malaysia) and as I understand, the melodies are sung in accordance with the pronunciation rules for each word (for example, the falling tone that distinguishes one word from another similar word will be incorporated into the melody of a song to keep the meaning of the lyrics intact). In fact, there are instrumental forms of music in the region used for ritual purposes in which the instrument's melody line will follow the articulations of speech to communicate a specific idea or meaning, even when there are no lyrics at all. So a certain melody, played a certain way, can communicate specific instructions to deceased relatives regarding the best way to find one's path through the afterlife, for example. The way the songs are structured is really interesting to me as well, as the lyrics seem to dictate the length of each measure so the lines stop and start in unexpected places. I hear some parallels between this and the West African "desert blues" of Tinariwen and Etran Finatawa that has become popular internationally -- everything's pentatonic, lots of hypnotic repetition, almost a blues feeling to it (to my ears).

[@mariantile_i8433]

Enamored with Laos and its music. This cassette is a treasure, a big thank you!

[@josesegoviano5657]

I love this song even if I am Mexican American I still love it and I love Mexican music and lao folk

[@penelopenouthavykoun8169]

I'm lao sabidee everbody

[@metalicheadnz]

Penelope Nouthavykoun ສະບາຍດີທ່ານ🙏 ຄົນລາວເຮົາຢູ່ທົ່ວໂລກຈົ່ງມີແຕ່ຄວາມສຸກ ຄວາມກ້າວໜ້າຈະເລີນຮຸ່ງເຮືອງ...

[@cozmicbetty6692]

Ich mag diese Art Musik. Habe ich oft gehört als ich eine Freundin im Südosten Thailands besuchte, ihr Heimatdorf ist nahe der Stadt Ubon Ratchathani in der Nähe der Laotischen Grenze. Die Leute dort feiern sehr gerne und wir waren auf vielen Festen wo diese Volksmusik aufgeführt wurde, sie ist live tatsächlich genauso intensiv und durchdringend. Danach hatte ich diesen Sound monatelang als Ohrwurm.

[@jasonp209]

Love this oldie ❤❤❤❤❤

[@RagggedTrouseredPhilanthropist]

I've just been sat at home listening to Tinariwen and looking at some photos from Laos, so decided to look for some Laotian music and found this. I read your interesting video description and noticed the bit at the bottom where you mention Tinariwen! ha ha, made me smile! This reminds me of the music the bus drivers play in Laos :-)

[@jaimegarciagarcia3782]

I am traveling across Laos and I felt in love with the folk music, thanks for uploading this!

[@bounmeeboamanichanh820]

It is a very good music.

[@ammamoto]

Love you Laos.....................

[@sebastiansterzer4031]

Sabaidee. Wow, I love this music! and Lao people as well! khop chai

[@namwanchanthone4016]

I missing my mother

[@DH-br9kq]

that a very detailed description thank you for your knowlege and good taste

[@shovinylmashups]

big love from JP

[@LittleRichard1988]

The drums were definitely played on a Roland R-8 drum machine.

[@millie_amillie]

Wow, thank you for this! I was wondering how I can listen to some songs I love from cassette. LOL

[@khanthalyluangamath789]

Thank you for sharing wonderful Lum Lao..

[@MimLuangraj]

Thanks for sharing!

[@metalicheadnz]

Very good Joe! You the Lao culture alive 👍

[@laotionsensei]

Ah how I remember these cassettes. hahaha lost them all somewhere :( . glad you uploaded this. thank you.
Danny

[@mariantile_i8433]

Does anybody know of any names of artists and songs appearing in this tape?

[@wakazashi20]

thanks much! great to see your commentary as well.

[@joes9192]

Thanks for the upload

[@luisaugustoromeroandreu7411]

Hey Joe! do you still have the file?

[@seanmao858]

Sa Bai Dee.

[@jackobyoshua4700]

Sabaidi Сабаиди مرحبا

[@Fujidogfood]

Laotian classic songs

[@phanomsinhissaramounarart6991]

This cassette has many different Lao regional styles of mor lum (mor means master/doctorate and lum is this style of singing).

[@LimePharmacy2012]

Does it also sell in Thailand? ฺ Be cause I see the Thai alphabets.

[@EVENINGDRAGON]

❤️👍

[@wizardguy857]

Lao tribal nation

[@user-vi1cp3ql7t]

ຢາກຊື້ຕົ້ນສະບັບນຳ

[@isslo9667]

Dee Mak

[@rohan.8299]

Anyone here after the Dahmer series in Netflix ?

[@sirrom5155]

Lao-sy.

[@user-hz3cx1mf5n]

ຂັບລຳລາວ

[@arm5938]

1992 not 1996

[@BlazinBuhLakay00]

He purchased the cassette in 1996

[@MrXayyy]

Thanks for upload!