Showing 1 - 10 of 12
Isan sound goes global
Life, John Clewley, Published on 13/09/2025
» Last month, World Beat was invited to join a government sponsored event to promote molam music from Isan on the international stage. The event was held on Aug 12 at Queen Sirikit National Convention Center in Bangkok as part of the National Science and Technology Fair 2025.
Global grooves
Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/11/2024
» Manu Chao released his last studio album La Radiolina in 2007. Prior to that, he released Clandestino in 1998 and Proxima Estacion: Esperanza in 2001 to global acclaim. He took off with a huge ensemble to tour the world after that, which resulted in the live album Radio Bemba Sound System in 2004. And prior to that, he had already played his version of punk rock, inspired by The Clash, with the legendary band Mano Negra.
House of the rising Son
Life, John Clewley, Published on 27/09/2022
» Son House is regarded as one of the greats of early blues, along with early recording stars like Charley Patton and Robert Johnson. He made 78rpm records in the 1930s but a spell in penitentiary halted his career and by the 1940s he had abandoned recording. It wasn't until 1964 that Nick Perls, Dick Waterman and Phil Spiro "rediscovered" him working at a gas station. He was completely unaware of the interest in folk blues at the time (Skip James and Bukka White were already playing crossover folk clubs).
Where cowboys rule
Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/07/2022
» The Colombian writer and journalist Gabriel Garcia Marquez was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1982. At his award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, a delegation of Colombian musicians performed for the event. Harp player Carlos "Cuco" Rojas, the founder of the Cimarron band, and lead singer Ana Veydo joined the musicians, adding their festive joropo dance music from plains of the Orinoco River (in Colombia and Venezuela) to the music on the Nobel stage.
Latin soul with a Thai twist
Life, John Clewley, Published on 29/03/2022
» Amaru Tribe, a Latin band based in Melbourne, Australia, released their second studio album, Between Two Worlds, on March 18. The band visited Thailand in 2019 for a mini-tour, which culminated in a full band concert at Studio Lam, for which they jammed with phin and khaen players from Toom Turn Molam Band.
Can I interest you in South American psychedelics?
Life, John Clewley, Published on 25/05/2021
» The Caribbean is in the spotlight in this week's column, with two new and contrasting albums from different parts of the region featuring.
Blurring the boundaries
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/07/2020
» The summer festival season has been cancelled as have many major sporting events. Under the current Covid-19 measures, some events like the Notting Hill Carnival in London, which is usually held at the end of August each year, have gone online. Sound systems and steel bands will still perform live but revellers will only be able to enjoy them online.
Cumbia comes to Bangkok
Life, John Clewley, Published on 05/11/2019
» Amaru Tribe, a Latin cumbia band based in Melbourne, Australia, made their full-band debut in Bangkok on Oct 23 at Studio Lam. The six-member outfit come from Australia, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela, but all have been resident in Australia for many years.
Jungle music
Life, John Clewley, Published on 08/10/2019
» In 2017, I wrote about the wonderfully infectious dance music of Amazonian Peru, known as "chicha" (also Peruvian cumbia). Chicha is a funky version of cumbia, a style of music that mixes African roots and folkloric traditions found in Colombia and Panama. The collection I reviewed at the time, Roots Of Chicha, is an essential addition to any music collection.
Joy to the world of music
Life, John Clewley, Published on 25/12/2018
» It's been a busy year for "World Music" fans. There have been some fabulous new releases from artists across the globe, and compilations of music that might easily have gone unnoticed. But while we are celebrating new music and golden hits from the past, some musical giants have left us for the great stage in the sky.