Showing 1 - 10 of 21
African voodoo vibes are resurrected on Antoine Dougbe Et L'Orchestre Poly-Rythmo
Life, John Clewley, Published on 14/03/2026
» Benin is little known for its influence on African popular music. It is better known as the home of vodun, an ancient religion native to West Africa and the root of the syncretic religion voodoo found in Haiti and New Orleans.
Rhythms of the Northeast
Life, John Clewley, Published on 21/02/2026
» The first Maha Morlum Festival, a showcase soft power event, was held in Maha Sarakham from Feb 13-14 and World Beat travelled to the Isan province to enjoy the two-day, one-night immersive experience promised by the event's organisers.
Green and grey
Life, Parisa Pichitmarn, Published on 25/04/2025
» The hotel founding family's fingerprints are all over the Aman Nai Lert Bangkok. Quite literally. But it's done so in the most magnificent and tasteful way possible. Before arriving at their suites, guests must pass a double-floored atrium, fitted with a stillwater black pool and white boulder oasis that ticks all the boxes of a Zen rock and sand garden. Towering over this peaceful cocoon are discreet but impressive plaster panels textured with curving stripes. These are not sand dune lines, but Thanphuying Lursakdi Sampatisiri's enlarged fingerprints -- a tribute to the hotel founder's grandmother and forward-thinking matriarch that has shaped Bangkok's Nai Lert Park today.
A weekend in Vientiane
Life, Pattarawadee Saengmanee, Published on 30/05/2024
» Just a 45-minute drive across the First Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge and with a linguistic resemblance to the Isan dialect, Vientiane is one of the most welcoming destinations for Thais seeking a weekend experience. This humble town radiates the allure of a bygone colonial age and its laid-back lifestyle allows visitors to avoid any rushing.
The beat goes on
Life, John Clewley, Published on 19/12/2023
» Molam continues to evolve with time. Musicians, especially from Isan, are experimenting with new musical combinations, creating new hybrids and sounds.
Messages hidden in art
Life, Suwitcha Chaiyong, Published on 14/06/2023
» Nakhon Phanom airport was established during the Vietnam War to facilitate the transportation of supplies and troops for the US military. The airport served as a strategic location for the US Army to access Vietnam by flying over Laos which borders Thailand.
TC Max is an electric cafe racer
Life, Jedd Sreshthaputra, Published on 02/05/2022
» You might not be aware, but there were electric motorbikes on sale in Thailand a few years ago whose straight-line performance should not cloud judgement. Things have changed since then and the benchmark for what makes a great petrol bike doesn't quite line up with what makes a great electric one.
Running events are back nationwide
Life, Published on 05/04/2022
» The "Olympic Day Walk-Run 2022" is back with three running events to promote good health in people of all ages and genders in three regions of Thailand, starting with Nong Khai in the Northeast on April 30 at 5pm.
Of Naga and political dissidents
Life, Kong Rithdee, Published on 13/09/2021
» The Naga is real but the murder is not. Or is it vice versa? What history chooses to remember and relegate to oblivion, what it enshrines as story and what it buries as hearsay, is how the narrative of a nation is forged in a mould of clay or a furnace of fire. Or in this particular case, in disembowelled bodies stuffed with concrete blocks. The murder is real but the Naga is not. This sounds more like it.
Against the currents
Life, Vasana Chinvarakorn and Piyanan Jitjang, Published on 21/04/2021
» Through disasters, a fellowship was struck. Ormboon Thipsuna remembers the date well, Aug 12, 2008, when a deluge of water from the Mekong swept through her hometown of Nong Khai and seven riparian northeastern provinces. Considering the rainfall was rather small and the Mekong's gradual seasonal pace of fluctuations, many locals believed the sudden mega-flood, at times water levels went up as high as 13m, was caused by China's dams upstream. Importantly, Ormboon got to know Niwat Roykaew, aka "Kru Tee", founder of the Rak Chiang Khong group based in Chiang Rai province.