Vinyl Digest: Folk, Rock & Psychedelia in South & Southeast Asia

Written By Chris Menist and Maft Sai

Edited by Anna Blumenthal

300 essential LPs and 45s from across South and Southeast Asia, selected and annotated by Chris Menist and Maft Sai, co-founders of the Paradise Bangkok label and party. Five chapters trace modernized folk and devotional music through surf, garage, psych and disco, with rarity scores, collector’s checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout.

Western bands have long been influenced by the music of the Eastern hemisphere, but simultaneous sonic conversations have occurred in South and Southeast Asia among local bands amalgamating imported sounds with tradition. The psychedelic repetitions and drones that Western groups have drawn inspiration from have long been crucial elements in music from South and Southeast Asia, and too often overlooked.

“We wanted to include records that people won’t be able to read about elsewhere. There are some records in this book that are being properly documented for the first time.” —Chris Menist

AT A GLANCE

300 records: LPs and 45s, each individually annotated

5 chapters: Essentials · Folk & Devotional Music · Surf & Garage · Psych · Soul, Funk & Disco

12 essential compilations with a survey essay on the reissue labels that opened the genre

14 guest selector lists from DJs, musicians, label heads, scholars and journalists

Extended interview with Chris Menist and Maft Sai, conducted by Anna Blumenthal

Rarity scoring 1 5 — from common pressings to the holiest grails; Collector’s checkboxes on every entry

Records from 10 countries — Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Vietnam, Iran, Bangladesh

Glossary of 50+ regional terms — molam, luk thung, dangdut, qawwali, gamelan, pop yeh yeh, nh(c vàng, keronchong and more

Full index of listed artists and guest performers; Blank notes pages at the back for want-lists and annotations

Cover Artist Marigold Santos

ARTISTS INSIDE

Sroeng Santi · Angkanang Kunchai · Petch Phin Thong · Waipod Petchsuphan · AKA · Panbers · Harry Roesli · Yanti Bersaudara · Benjamin S · Sohail Rana · Nazia Hassan · Ilaiyaraaja · R. D. Burman · Bappi Lahiri · Asha Puthli · Boy Katindig · The Panthers · Saloma

MUSIC STYLES COVERED

Molam · luk thung · pop yeh yeh · dangdut · qawwali · gambus · keronchong · nh(c vàng · Lollywood film scores · Sunda · Minang

GUEST SELECTORS

Kieran Hebden (Four Tet) · Dan Snaith (Caribou) · Gilles Peterson · Andy Votel (Finders Keepers) · Alice Whittington (Sama Sama) · Discostan · Natasha Noorani · Don Leisure · Nishant Mittal (Digging In India) · Jawa Jones · Naza Mohamad (Sputnik Rekordz) · Samson Pho · Pritpal Ajimal · Dangdut Banget

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Chris Menist

Chris Menist is a London-based writer, DJ, and musician best known as the co-founder of the Paradise Bangkok label and the Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. He co curated Sound of Siam Volumes 1 and 2 for Soundway, Thai? Dai! for Finders Keepers, Qat, Coffee and Qambus for Dust-To-Digital, and Life Is A Heavy Burden for Strut, and hosts the monthly Paradise Bangkok show on NTS. His writing has appeared in Songlines and The Wire.

Maft Sai

For more than twenty years, Maft Sai has been chasing records across Southeast Asia and beyond. Based in Bangkok, he founded the Zudrangma Records shop and label, and Studio Lam, a bar and music venue, to share these discoveries. He is the founder and co-producer of the Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band, helping bring molam to audiences around the world, and hosts the weekly United Sounds of Asia radio show on ROVR.