Laos

Ethnic music from Laos.

CD A COMPILATION OF THA , A PAIR OF FLAT GONGS , RECORDED IN CAMBODIA AND LAOS BETWEEN 2004 AND 2006

A very unique way of using gongs in this part of south east asia, the Nyaheun and mostly some subgroups of the Braos in southern Laos as much as in northern Cambodia have developped this technique. During animist ceremonies 2 men are facing eachothers sitting on the ground or on the bamboo floor of the house, having set up 2 thick flat gongs hanged between them, each man hit the gongs with 2 long bamboo sticks, one hits the inside of the gongs while the other hits the outside of the gongs, developping rythmically on that basis. They use the word THA or THAI for this pair of gongs and the pair is usually of higher value than normal gongs.

The NYAHEUN is a small ethnic group, which music combines gongs, mouthorgan and melancholic molam (singing), they are close to the Braos, therefore they use this Brao technique of THA. The BRAO belong to the MON khmer family and are the first inhabitants of this area, spread over Cambodia and Laos. With other ethnic groups south and east, they share a lot musically, especially the fascination for gong playing in animist ceremonies. The Kavets are the pros of THAI playing. As far as I know no other ethnic group involved in gong playing in south east asia has the equivalent of THA .

1 Nyaheun using gawg neer youan (pair of flat gongs) in Oupasa village in Champassac, Laos, 2006
2 Kavet using thai ( pair of flat gongs) in Lalai village in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, 2004
3 Brao using tha ( pair of flat gongs) in Taveng in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, 2005
4 Kavet using thai ( pair of flat gongs) in Lalai village in Ratanakiri, Cambodia, 2004
5 Brao Lave using tha ( pair of flat gongs) in km36 village in Champassac, Laos, 2006
6 Nyaheun using gawg neer youan (pair of flat gongs) in Oupasa village in Champassac, Laos, 2006
7 Brao Kanying using tha ( pair of flat gongs) in Eetoom village in Attapeu, Laos, 2006
8 Kavet using thai ( pair of flat gongs) in Phoohom village in Attapeu , Laos, 2006
9 Brao Jree using thai ( pair of flat gongs) in Vieng xai village in Attapeu , Laos, 2006
10,11 Brao Kanying using tha ( pair of flat gongs) in Eetoom village in Attapeu, Laos, 2006

CD ATTAPEU PROVINCE IN LAOS ; BRAO KANYING / BRAO HAMONG ETHNIC GROUPS RECORDED IN FEBRUARY, MARCH 2006

Attapeu is the southern province of Laos, bordering Cambodia and Vietnam, it is famous for having received a huge amount of American bombs during the Vietnam war. Here you can listen to KANYING and HAMONG, 2 subgroups of Brao people, half of the Braos are living in Cambodia and the other half in Laos , they belong to the MON khmer family and are the first inhabitants of this area. With other ethnic groups south and west, they share a lot musically, especially the fascination for gong playing in animist ceremonies,. but also similar bamboo instruments. The music can be divided in 2 categories according to the purpose, various bamboo instruments and singing being used in entertainment music and ensembles of gongs being used for animist ceremonies.

1,2 kanying ensembles of gongs
3,4 kanying poetry
5,6,7 kanying ding boo, bamboo tube
8 kanying umbrook, panflute
9 kanying tha, 2 flatgongs
10,11 kanying gongs
12,13,14,15,16 kanying jingriangsong, 10 stringsinstrument
17 kanying meut mouan, lying down song
18,19 kanyin draw, 2strings bowed instrument
20,21 hamong gongs
22,23,24,25,26 hamong ndouit ndouit, poetry
27 hamong meut mouan,lying down song