Beats of The Heart: The Two Faces of Thailand

On the topic of the music of Thailand, the musical genres in reference fall upon a broader spectrum than typically thought of in the context of Eastern music. Thailand's music is a miraculous display of the blend of Eastern and Western tradition, with Western forms present through Thai genres of all social backgrounds. Rather like conditions in the United States, in Thailand, one's musical taste depends heavily upon their socioeconomic status. For example, in the US members of the upper class are more likely to attend the Symphony than someone who requires low income housing. If you live in the projects, you may explore musical forms that are more immediately accessible to someone with a low budget, such as rap or spoken word. In Thailand, music is socially divided in much the same way. While Western forms like jazz are popular among the upper class, and even performed and composed by the king himself, those of low socioeconomic status find more in common with the Luk Thung style of music. However, contrary to what you may assume, Luk Thung music, while stylistically very different from the straight Western music that is popular among most of the upper and middle classes, still contains very tangible Western influence. The style is very expressive, and often has a slow tempo and heavy vibrato. Luk Thung music, like rap music, speaks more clearly to a certain demographic. The music reflects the hardship associated with living a rural, impoverished lifestyle. In this sense, people from rural areas seem to be more emotionally connected to their music than the upper class, given much of the music that is considered "high art" in Thailand is not based in Thai culture. And still, I find it surprising that the Western influence is so present in Luk Thung. It seems to me the lower class would want to somehow separate themselves and their art forms from that which is considered high culture, but Western tradition still found its way into the countryside. In one scene in the film we see a small group of young women singing a Luk Thung song. The song is performed on all Thai instruments and in an Eastern modality, but the singer rocks back and forth with a microphone in a poppy manner singing in a style that resembles American pop vocals. Thailand, for a country that is severely culturally divided, contains elements of Western tradition through the majority of the population, despite social class.