Showing 1 - 10 of 81
A wander through pink hotel rooms
Life, Anna Neatpisarnvanich, Published on 21/03/2026
» We've all been there. You've paced all seven floors, had coffee breaks until you're full and stared at enough mannequins to last a lifetime. Bangkok moves at a rapid speed, and sometimes the "mall crawl" leaves you craving a quiet corner and a chance to actually make something rather than just buy it.
Gone But Not Forgotten
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 23/12/2025
» 2025 really needs to slow down. The world is mourning as we lost so many talented people across film, television, music and more.
Passing of a giant
Life, John Clewley, Published on 11/10/2025
» Sad news reached the World Beat desk this week that Prof Dr Terry E. Miller of Kent State University in the US passed away on Oct 1. He was 80 years old.
Exile songs resurface
Life, John Clewley, Published on 27/09/2025
» From the early 1970s to the 80s, Mogadishu boasted one of the Horn of Africa's liveliest night scenes with groups from this "Golden Era" like Dur Dur Band entertaining at clubs and hotels across the city. A coup in 1991 and subsequent civil war put a stop to the music and musicians had to go underground or migrate. Those who went by the latter route took their music and culture across the Somali diaspora (one of Africa's largest).
The lion roars on
Life, John Clewley, Published on 29/07/2025
» Musician and bandleader Thomas Mapfumo is 80 years old this month. The man, often dubbed the "Lion of Zimbabwe", is still hugely popular in his home country, despite having gone into exile and resettling in Oregon in 2000.
Revisiting a golden age
Life, John Clewley, Published on 04/06/2025
» Arabic popular music produced several divas in the 20th century, with each blessed with a powerful distinctive voice. Some of them included the "Egyptian Immortal" Oum Kalthoum, who dominated Arabic radio with her expressive voice; "Algerian Rose" Warda; Farouz, "The Star of Lebanon"; and "Syrian Mystic" Asmahan, whose life was tragically cut short at just 32.
Punta rock still rolls
Life, John Clewley, Published on 06/05/2025
» In 1987, a compilation of Central American Garifuna music, or punta rock, was recorded in Andy Palacio's Sunrise Recording Studio and released to great acclaim. It featured the unique sound created by Garifuna communities, mainly in Belize and Honduras. Palacio was the big star of punta rock, a popular style in the Caribbean and Central America.
A deep dive into music history
Life, John Clewley, Published on 07/01/2025
» In 1965, Joe Boyd was stage manager at the Newport Folk Festival when Bob Dylan plugged in and went electric, shocking the conservative folk world. And having navigated that seismic shock, he went on to produce Pink Floyd, Nick Drake and Fairport Convention in the 1960s and 1970s.
Soulful grooves
Life, Tatat Bunnag, Published on 04/12/2024
» On a recent warm Bangkok evening, Shintaro Sakamoto stepped onto the stage at Maho Rasop Music Festival for his first-ever performance in Thailand. For fans of the Japanese singer/songwriter, it was an electrifying moment -- a rare opportunity to witness the visionary artist who has quietly redefined modern music with his eclectic blend of soft rock, reggae, bossa nova and psychedelia. As a founding member of the legendary rock band Yura Yura Teikoku and now a celebrated solo artist, Sakamoto's ability to push creative boundaries has made him a revered figure in Japan's music scene and beyond.
Echoes of Persia
Life, John Clewley, Published on 22/10/2024
» The santur is an ancient stringed instrument, a dulcimer, with 72 strings that can be dated to 500 BC. Assyrian and Babylonian stone carvings show the instrument back in 669 BC. The instrument spread widely in the Middle East and later further afield where it morphed into the hammered dulcimer, the qanun, cimbalom, Indian santoor and even the Thai classical instrument, the kim.