Saturday, May 23, 2009

khana hua fai samakhkhi: dontri phuen mueang chiang mai, vol. 2



band: คณะ หัวฝายสามัคคี (khana hua fai samakhkhi)
album: ดนตรีพื้นเมืองเชียงใหม่ 2 (dontri phuen mueang chiang mai, vol. 2)
tracklist:
01. ลงผีมด (long phi mot)
a. ผีมดห้อยผ้า (phi mot hoi pha)
b. เพลงน้อยบ่าเก่า (phleng noi ba kao)
c. ผีมดกิ๋นน้ำมะพร้าว (phi mot kin nam maphrao)
d. เพลงฟันดาบ (phleng fan dap)
02. เพลงตีมวย (phleng ti muay)

from the northern city of chiang mai, successor of the ancient lanna kingdom, we have music for ghosts & music for pugilists. the group is a ปี่พาทย์พื้นเมือง (piphat phuen mueang), an ensemble specific to northern thailand. the first side is music for a yearly dance ceremony held during the rainy season to satisfy the ghosts of ancestors. traditionally this event would feature a great amount of eating, drinking, dancing, and spiritual possession, culminating in the killing of a chicken and divining of its entrails.. i can't speak with authority on the matter, but i imagine nowadays the festival has been condensed into a routine geared towards outside observers, and likely omits the more gruesome aspects. the second side is music which accompanies the world-famous muay thai boxing. busy horns, drums, cymbals & metallophones abound!