Thamkrabok Music – Volume One

This album is a 14 -track compilation that comes from a collection of over one thousand songs recorded in Thailand's Thamkrabok Monastery since the Autumn of 2003.

The first thing that should be noted about the album is that like Thamkrabok Monastery, everything has been created under the express wishes and guidance of the Monastery's 80 year old abbot, Luang Por Charoen Parnchand.

The second thing that should be noted is that the strong reverence the performers of these songs have for Luang Por and Thamkrabok does not inform the genre of the music.

Sure, there is traditional Thai folk accompaniment and beautiful chanting that one might expect from an album recorded in a Buddhist Monastery in Thailand. There is also lo-fi indie guitar pop (I Almost Lost My Heart), nightclub Blues (Work To Be Done) and festival tailored ambient dance music (Human). Luang Por and Thamkrabok are unique in this respect.

Lest we forget that there are also 30-year life-monks at Thamkrabok who have famously learnt how to program Apple Mac's to create music from mountains…

Westerners often attempt to place the wisdom of holy men of the east on a pedestal as if we want our 'other worldly experiences' to be something different from ordinary life.
Luang Por's attitude has always suggested that this is the reason we find it hard to follow enlightened paths. The answer does not lie in a Relaxation CD or fantasy we can escape to, it lies in the real life we already lead.

As a leader and teacher to thousands of followers and visitors, Luang Por has always encouraged one thing: to understand what you are, become the best version of that and commit it to positive action. That is why you can hear monks chanting and blues singers singing blues. The link between these two is of course Luang Por's words (the English language songs are translated from the original Thai text of Luang Por's vast collection of poetry and Dharma).

For a great man who has dedicated his life to helping and healing thousands of people, we hope that the influx of musicians traveling through Thamkrabok continues to grow and that this volume will be the first of many…


Available from iTunes May 1st 2007

www.thamkrabokmusic.com

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