Capturing Isaan

I spent this past Friday and Saturday recording some Isaan music. It was a good experience. It was my first time recording so many instruments simultaneously. It was also my first time recording music in a non-Western style. Coming from another culture, from a different music aesthetic, I had to be careful not to impose a Western aesthetic on the recording.

I’m still going over the recordings, but you can hear a sample here.

Operating in the Isaan language for two days was fun, though it put a severe draw on the ol’ gray cells. Talking with the drummer, an older blind man, I had the following exchange:

Drummer: “How do the drums sound?”
Myself: “I think they sound great”
Drummer: “Good, because I can’t see and sometimes I miss the drums”

Another benefit of the venture was a few meals worth of Isaan food.