Mor Lam and Luk Thung: A guide to Bangkok's Thai folk music scene

by Maher Sattar

Khao San Road’s bars and clubs might paint a different picture, but the most popular form of music in Thailand is actually Luk Thung, or Thai country music.

You’re most likely to come across it in Bangkok during a taxi ride as many drivers -- who typically come from up-country –- keep their radio stations set to listen to a steady stream of Luk Thung and its folk music cousin, Mor Lam.

Here's a guide to the history of Thai country music and where to experience it in Bangkok, proving that a night of loud, rowdy entertainment does not have to preclude new cultural experiences.

The music might sound jarringly foreign at first but that’s the point, no?

What are Luk Thung and Mor Lam?

Luk Thung developed in the early 20th century in central Thailand in the provinces just north of Bangkok. Suphanburi province in particular became the Memphis of Luk Thung, producing multiple hitmakers in the 1960s including the "Thai Elvis" Suraphol Sombatcharoen, the most influential Thai country musician of that era.

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