what is the most popular Thai folk
Mor Lam's roots are older and originate in the northeast Thailand region known as Isaan, which has close ties to Laos. The music derives from a tradition of singers relating a tale of woe over a melody provided by the khene, a mouth organ made of bamboo pipes of different sizes, among other instruments.
While Luk Thung singers are crooners, the Mor Lam (expert singer) is a fast-paced storyteller, inflecting generic accounts of unrequited love with social commentary and bawdy humor.(Click here to hear an Isaan musician playing the khene in the fast-paced lam peun style of Mor Lam.)
In recent years there has been a great deal of cross-pollination between Mor Lam and Luk Thung. Both now share many of the same popular singers, and are played on the same radio stations. The fact that Luk Thung is more popular throughout the country means that many Mor Lam singers sing both to increase their appeal.
The lyrics for both forms of music deal with similar subject matter: the hardships of rural life, leaving behind the love of your life in the village to come work in the city and missing home cooking.
The songwriting isn’t particularly inspiring, but nevertheless it resonates strongly with Bangkok’s Isaan community. And obviously, unless you speak Thai it won’t be a factor in your night.