Burma is now officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar,
most commonly shortened to Myanmar.
The country was under military control from the coup d'état led by General Ne
Win in 1962 until 2011. During this time, the United Nations reported
consistent systematic human rights violations in the country, including
genocide, the use of child soldiers, systematic rape, child labor, slavery, human
trafficking, & suppression of freedom of speech. Since the military began
relinquishing control over the government, coupled with its release in 2010 of Burma's
most prominent human rights activist, Aung San Suu Kyi. the country's
relationships have improved rapidly, especially with the European Union, Japan, & the U.S. Trade sanctions that had been imposed by the European
Union & the U.S.
were eased. However, in 2013, human rights groups have reported that Burmese
authorities began the ethnic cleansing the Rohingya minority in western Burma. Hundreds
of thousands of refugees have been forced to flee across the border to Bangladesh & Thailand.
I try not to post too much music from Sublime Frequencies.
They have great music, don’t get me wrong, & most of the older releases are
no longer available. But they offer most if not all of their releases as
downloads, so I don’t want to be taking away revenue that will help them
continue to do what they do so well. However, sometimes their releases are some
of the only, or at least some of the best, music available from some of these
nations. With that said, here’s some great music from SF. This is one of my
favorite examples of music from Thailand.
There is little reliable information about these mysterious pioneers and most
Burmese have never even heard this material. The cuts on this CD are almost
impossible to find in any form or quality. They were transferred directly from
old cassette tapes. A few tracks have dropouts, some of them quite severe. Most
of the master tapes are thought to have been lost or destroyed many years ago
so this may be the only link to a phenomenal lost scene.
Shan State is Myanmar’s largest province. It is
larger than the entire state of New
York, USA.
Most outside this Burmese region have never heard of Shan State.
This massive sub-tropic tableland has an average elevation of 3000 feet,
perfect for the cultivation of poppies. This area is very well known as the
center of the notorious heroin trade ‘Golden Triangle’. This music is rarely
heard outside the tiny minority of the Burmese Shan or Pa’o community. It is an
unbelievable collection of garage/psychedelic rock, raw folk blues ballads,
& country-western music. The songs are mostly the product of music from the
early 70s. Here is music by Lashio Thein Aung aka ‘the Burmese Texan’, Khun Paw
Yann, a ‘Black Shan’ rocker, & Saing Saing Maw, the original Shan musical
legend who wrote & sang garage psyche rock songs, played the hottest
electric guitar in Burmese history, usually backed by a tight unit of organ,
bass, & drums. There is little reliable information about these mysterious
pioneers and most Burmese have never even heard this material.
Sublime Frequencies SF024, 2005.
decryption code in comments
Tracklist –
Saing Saing Maw –
Than Shin Ley Ye Khan
Lashio Thein Aung – You Got
What You Got
Saing Saing Maw –
Lake They Mah Shoke
Saing Saing Maw –
Lah Ley Cham
Khun Kan Chwain – Naung Ywe
Unknown – Unknown
Lashio Thein Aung – Don’t Say Goodbye
Khun Paw Yann –
Unknown 1
Khun Kaung Kay Maung – Nga Ley
Saing Saing Maw –
Lam Lah Lo May Shoke
Khun Paw Yann –
Unknown 2
Lashio Thein Aung – A Girl among Girls
Khun Kan
Chwain – Nan
Pohn Sah
Saing Saing Maw –
Lam Sai-Tahio
Nan Phin Sar – Mu Nohn Taan
Khun Paw Yann –
Hopes & Goals
Saing Saing Maw –
Khin Kam
Khun Paw Yann –
Unknown 3
Lashio Thein Aung – Mistake
of a Small Bird
Khun Hla Maung Law – Moon
Saing Saing Maw –
Unknown
This is not from Sublime
Frequencies. This disc is part of a long out-of-print multi-volume set on
Shanachie, another purveyor of fine music.
White Elephants &
Golden Ducks presents an array of contemporary & traditional music from
Burma.
Burma is situated alongside China, India,
& Thailand,
its music contains aspects of each of those cultures but has a unique lovely
sweetness that aligns it more with Balinese or even Hawaiian sensibilities. One
of the things that sets its music apart from its neighbor’s is the unique
instruments. The prevalent instruments, indigenous to Burma, are the pat waing (a circle
of 21 tuned drums), the maung zaing (a set of small, knobbed gongs), the hne
(an oboe-like double reed), & the saung gauk (a Burmese harp) alongside
western instruments such as the piano, mandolin, violin, & Hawaiian
acoustic slide guitar, often accompanied by lovely emotive vocals. The songs
appear to have been selected not only for their inherent beauty but also to
showcase several of these instruments & singers. You've probably never
heard music like this. The master Burmese musicians here have taken native
& western instruments & done things with them that no Westerner ever
imagined. The results are stunningly beautiful & creative.
I have little information
as to who the various artists are on this recording: Kyaw Kyaw Naing is master
of the pat waing & plays on tracks 1, 7, 10, & 15; U Yee Nwee - piano
& Daw Yi Yi Thant - vocals on tracks 2 & 11; Ko Thein
Htay - drums on track 5; Ko Myint Sein - mandolin
on track 6; U Tin Yi – violin on track 8; U
Ba Than – suang gauk on track 9; U Ohn Lwin – guitar on track 12; & Thein Tan – suang gauk on track 16. Well, I guess the only ones I’m
really not sure of ar tracks 3, 4, 13, & 14. Whatever. This was recorded
at Khin Sabe Oo Studios, Rangoon,
Burma, in November
1996.
Shanachie Records 64087, 1997.
decryption code in comments
Tracklist –
Chit Kyoo Thwe Tog Nyin
Hmar Lar (Will You Accept My Love or Not?)
Mingala Thiri
(Prosperous Majesty)
Sabe (Jasmine Flower)
Phu Pwae Lat Tin (The
Huggenots)
Chauk Lon Bat Let Swan
Pya (Improvisation on Chauk Lon Bat Drums)
Ar Kar Na Ban (Heavenly
Space)
Shwe Soan Nyo (Golden
Brown Hawk)
De Pya, Ne Pya (One
Penny, Two Pennies)
Hylat Pan Khway Nwe (Powerful
King of Thunder & Lightning)
Shew Kyet Kel Han Chi
(Jaunty Air of the Cock)
Kyar Chi Yan (Waiting
for the Beloved King at the Royal Bed)
Thabyay Ywet Yi (Auspicious
Leaves, the Sign of Victory)
Nan
Bhon Thi Har Bway (Distinguished Palace for Royalty)
Kyay Say Ta Mann
(Messenger Dove)
Seit Kuu Yin Ah Hla
(Dreaming of Beauty)
Kyaw (Palace at Mandalay
Hill)
NØ
Guitars of the Golden Triangle
ReplyDeleteZAO9y22gOBa3J6vbPftE_Tx5vGFMg9gElBaGUnTiwkc
White Elephants & Golden Ducks
YAdxEwOcmOUEvz7ryFXC0yGeTtENQkm4ZoVhSZTm-do
Hey NØ
ReplyDeleteBlog is very cool, came here on a weird Zamrock trip and started looking around.
Have you seen any of the stuff on Burmese punk? There's been a bit in the media which I pulled together here: http://subcultatlas.blogspot.com.au/search/label/Burma
Thanks for the Zamrock and no doubt I'll be grabbing stuff from Rwanda to Lithuania soon, cheers
Thanks for the insight & links to info about the Burmese punk scene. I'm not that familiar with it, but understanding the kind of governmental oppression that goes on there, I know that the punks must be true to the philosophy of rebellion, anarchy, & DIY. Hope anyone that visits here & is interested will check out the links you provided & also check out your blog. I put it in the links (Museum of Radio Sessions, folks, check it out).
Deletewould love to check out the post you mention. any chance you could send me an invite?
Delete