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Artist
APICHAT PAKWAN
12+ albums
dubthaimorlummor lumEsantronics
about
Apichat Pakwan (Thai: อภิชาติ ปากหวาน) is a group from the city of Khon Kaen in the region of Esan (also spelled Isan or Ishan) in Northeast-Thailand, mixing traditional Morlam music with western electronic styles. The project got started when Dutch composer and producer Olivier Schreuder (percussion, drum programming, Fender Rhodes, kaen, electronics), who had been traveling through Southeast Asia since 2003 to study the local music, met in Khon Kaen with Pongsapon Upani, who plays the Lao mouth organ called kaen, and Artit Krajangsree, who is an expert on the Thai string instrument phin. Previously Schreuder had collaborated and toured with Thai morlam singer Chompoo Triwises, who resides in the Netherlands. Upani regularly plays with legendary morlam artists like Chawiwan Damnoen (Thai: ฉวีวรรณ ดำเนิน), Ken Dalau and Angkanang Khunchai (Thai: อังคนางค์ คุณไชย). Besides shows on national Thai television, he and Krajangsree performed in New York and Tokyo. Schreuder, Upani and Krajangsree started playing and recording a mix of the traditional music with local instruments like the kaen, phin, pi phu thai (flute), a wide range of percussion and analog and digital electronics. All on a bass heavy foundation of dubbed-out hip hop beats that evolved into a new music they call "Esantronics", which is also the name of their 2019 debut album. The line-up varies and there is always room for improvisation. Although the ensemble originally played only instrumentals, such as on t
