Best Music Documentaries To Watch Now | A Top 12
When we talk about the best music documentaries, people always mention some of the famous music documentaries. These names could be Amy (UK), Buena Vista
Many people know the famous band Khruangbin.
Some even know Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band.
But few know that their grooves come from lam storytelling and the literary traditions of khlong san.
So before we start talking about Thai psychedelic rock, I would like to discuss Molam first.
And what better place to start than with Molam’s history?
The roots of Molam stretch back to more than two millennia, as evidence by the Dong Son bronze drums, which show lam-style ritual singing in agricultural ceremonies for rain.
These early lam traditions evolved through Isaan literary forms like kap, khlong san, and klon. People used to perform such ritual singing with khaen, a bamboo free-reed instrument.
Over centuries, lam became an art form for folklore and communal gatherings.
The turning point came during the Vietnam War era, when U.S. military men brought electric guitars, Farfisa organs and funk tapes. Isan musicians, especially from Khon Kaen, Ubon Ratchathani, and Nakhon Phanom took inspiration and started mixing Molam melodies with Western instruments.
And that became the foundation of Thai psychedelic rock. Sounds interesting, right? Let’s find out more.
Mor Lam / Molam is the traditional folk music from Isan, which is in Northeast Thailand. As I discussed in the introduction, it is a part of Lao-Isaan poetic storytelling, with a Thai musical instrument, khaen. People used to perform during village rituals, agricultural ceremonies to convey folktales, social commentary, and moral lessons.
Luk Thung, which people also call “child of the fields,” came into being after World War II as a form of rural pop. It took inspiration from Molam by fusing Isaan folk melodies and khaen instruments with Western pop structures.
And one could pretty much say that Luk Thung laid the groundwork for Thai psychedelic rock.
Feature | Molam (หมอลำ) | Phuk Plung (ผูกปลุง) / Thai Psychedelic Rock |
Core Nature | It is a vocal storytelling tradition. | It is an instrumental psychedelic rock/funk. |
Artistic Focus | To recite lam (poetry/songs) based on Isan literary traditions (khlong san). | To create long, improvisational jams with an emphasis on groove and energy. |
Traditional Lead Instrument | Khaen (bamboo free-reed mouth organ). | Phin (three-string Isan lute). |
Musical Characteristics | It focuses on the narrative and the interplay between the singer’s tone and the khaen’s rhythm. | It focuses on electric guitar effects (distortion, reverb, fuzz, wah). Rhythmic, hypnotic, and highly danceable. |
Modern Reference | Traditional Lam Klawn (duet style), certain tracks by The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band. | Khun Narin’s Electric Phin Band (the quintessential modern reference), Khruangbin, Dao Bandon. |
It’s time to discuss some of the best music of Thailand. And I will make things a bit nostalgic where all it started.
People call the first wave of that era “shadow music” (wong shadow). It is an instrumental and vocal rock music which followed British surf-rock and beat groups, especially The Shadows and The Ventures. Thai musicians learned these styles through imported records and live performances in venues connected to the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
By the 1970s, this style expanded into funk and Thai psychedelic music, fusing with Luk Thung, pop, and film soundtracks. Studios began using wah-wah guitars, electric organs and fuzz bass.
So, Thai psychedelic music was basically less about improvisation and more about texture, studio effects, and groove. Here the context of the Vietnam War is interesting and you can read the following books about the Vietnam War.
Now some Thai Bands from the first wave.
The Impossibles were one of Thailand’s most influential pop-rock bands of the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was formed by musicians who met while studying abroad in Australia. However, it was the winning of the 1966 Band Contest at the East-West Center in Hawaii, which brought them national recognition in Thailand.
The band took inspiration from The Beatles, The Shadows, and Motown artists. During their peak years, they became staples of Thai radio, film soundtracks, and live performances. Hot Pepper from 1973 is one of their best LPs.
Suthep Wongkamhaeng was one of legendary Luk Krung singers. He was active from the 1950s through the 1970s. His music was heavily influenced by Western jazz, big band, and film music. And he adapted those into Thai-language songs that became popular in cities during Thailand’s postwar modernization.
Just like his contemporaries, before the rise of Luk Thung, he was a frequent presence on radio, film soundtracks, and live concerts. Although he is not associated with Molam or Thai psychedelic rock directly, he remains a pioneer of Thai pop music.
Dao Bandon is a famous Luk Thung singer from Isan region who rose to national recognition in the 1970s. He is credited with fusing Molam traditional lyrics and Isan melodies into mainstream Luk Thung.
Unlike other Luk Krung singers before him, his music is mostly about rural identity, hardship, migration, and everyday village life. Musically, he is an integral part of Luk Thung’s evolution, when traditional Isan music was performed with electric bands and amplified instruments.
Man City Lion Band were part of Thailand’s 1970s funk-psychedelic music scene. They are best known today through rare recordings that surfaced decades later via compilations of Thai funk and psychedelic music. Their sound combined funk basslines, wah-wah guitar, electric organ, and extended grooves.
Historically, they were less as public figures and more as contributors to Thailand’s first funk and psychedelic wave. At that time, they did not release any albums. Their recognition came much later through international reissue culture and DJ-led rediscovery.
The modern resurgence of Thai psychedelic rock is a story of digital rediscovery by record collectors in Bangkok. In the late 2000s, ZudRangMa Records was the driving force of this movement. By digging up forgotten 1970s vinyl from Isan and reissuing them as Thai Funk, Maft Sai and Chris Menist rebranded the genre into a global obsession.
This rediscovery eventually paved the way for the mid-2010s explosion of global bands like Khruangbin and Yīn Yīn. The Houston-based trio Khruangbin drew their inspiration from the “shadow music” and Thai funk cassettes they found on blogs like Mon Rak Pleng Thai.
And same goes for the Dutch band Yīn Yīn. A few months ago, I talked about how European bands mix sounds from other regions and cultures. Yīn Yīn was the first of the discussion! Let’s discuss some more.
The Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band grew directly out of The Paradise Bangkok DJ Sound System. Their work began with systematic digging into Isan Molam, Luk Thung, and Thai funk records from the 1960s–80s. Maft Sai, the founder, was also a co-founder of ZudRangMa Records, which also preserved the rare Molam recordings.
Musically, the band does not replicate vintage recordings. Instead, it reconstructs Molam structures using electric guitar, bass, drums and often features veteran Molam singers. Their sound draws equally from dub, funk, surf, and psychedelic rock.
Over the years, the band has travelled across Europe, Asia, and international festivals, reviving Thai psychedelic music on a global scale.
Khun Narin’s Electric Phin Band is a rural Isan ensemble from Northeast Thailand. The group centers on the phin, a three-stringed Isan lute, which Khun Narin plays through overdriven amplifiers, reverb, and distortion. It creates a trance-like sound with village performance traditions.
This music is very much like Phuk Plung–style instrumentals, which are common at temple fairs, ordinations, and local celebrations.
The band’s international recognition came when Los Angeles producer Josh Marcy discovered their YouTube videos and traveled to their village to record them in a rice field. Unlike other Thai psychedelic music bands, this band is deeply local in function, as they often perform outdoors with mobile sound systems.
While Khun Narin is all about the parade music, the Toom Turn Molam Group shows the cool side of the modern revival. With deep Isan traditions, this instrumental ensemble bridges the Thai music between the 1970s golden era and contemporary global music.
Toom Turn specializes in a tighter, high-fidelity studio sound to capture the melodic interplay between the phin and khaen. So, their music naturally feels like an evolution of the vintage sounds from legendary groups like Kwanjai Kalasin.
Through their residency at Studio Lam and appearances at festivals like Wonderfruit, the brand is a successful story about the revival of classic music of Thailand.
Tontrakul Kaewyong is a Thai composer, arranger, and producer who does the modern sound design to traditional Molam and Luk Thung genres. A master of the phin, khaen, and ponglang, he deconstructs traditional folk patterns and reassembles them through electronic music and jazz.
As a founding member of the fusion-pop ASIA7 band, he has shifted the phin from the village to the international festival circuit.
Tontrakul as a solo act also has many film scores to his credit, including The Teacher’s Diary, Homestay, and Happy Old Year. He has also collaborated with platforms like ZudRangMa Records and Paradise Bangkok Molam International Band.
The global fascination with Thai psychedelic rock is something to marvel at. And frankly, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. I discuss some of the international bands below inspired by Thai psychedelic music.
The American trio Khruangbin are perhaps the most prominent example. Their early work, especially the 2015 debut The Universe Smiles Upon You has Thai funk and psychedelic grooves. Mark Speer found their inspiration through obscure Thai recordings and blogs related to Southeast Asian music.
YĪN YĪN is one of the most explicit European bands to directly reference Thai psychedelic and funk music. The group takes inspiration from 1970s Thai funk music, particularly the instrumental studio bands. Their early albums use funk guitar and Farfisa-style keyboards that closely mirror classic Thai psych structures.
Unlike Khruangbin’s more global approach, YĪN YĪN treats Thai psychedelic music as a primary influence. The band cites many crate-dug Thai compilations as their reference music.
So far they have released 3 albums, with the new album coming in January 2026.
Sababa 5 is an instrumental group who don’t borrow from Thai psychedelic music but follow its musical architecture. The band comes from Tel Aviv and also draws inspiration from other groove traditions of Middle Eastern, North African, and Southeast Asian sounds.
Like Thai bands of the late 1960s, they prioritize ensemble rhythm over solos. So far, they have released 4 albums, with the latest coming in 2025.
One thing is pretty obvious that a vibrant country like Thailand will have a dynamic scene of Thai music festivals. And why not? Below are some of the famous Molam Festivals.
The Molam Bus Festival, or Molam Festival, is one of the biggest festivals that celebrates Isan’s Molam music and cultural heritage. Its most iconic residency happens annually from December to early January at the Jim Thompson Farm in Nakhon Ratchasima (Isan). In 2025, the festival was held in two cities, Roi Et and Udon Thani.
The festival had performances of prominent Molam troupes such as Rabiab Watasilp, Prathom Banterngsilp, San Lao Entertainment Arts, and Seng Esan. It also features contemporary Thai singers of other genres. Workshops, eco-friendly activities, local food, and markets complement the music.
The Molam International Festival in Bangkok is the urban face of Isan music. While Molam Thai has always existed in Bangkok’s migrant communities, this festival gained momentum in the late 2000s, largely due to the Paradise Bangkok collective and the ZudRangMa movement.
The festival occurs from November to January. The unique thing about this festival is that it has a cross-cultural appeal, drawing a crowd of young Thais, expats, and international tourists.
The story of Molam music is of resilience and constant reinvention. What began as a ritual for rain and oral traditions has become a global music scene. The musical bands continue to reimagine Thai psychedelic rock.
And surprisingly, diaspora Thai musicians and foreign-bands inspired by Isan music are also quite creative and diverse in producing new innovative sounds. This global revival of the 1970s is here to stay and surely will inspire many generations to come.
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