Arcane Candy

Sunday, August 2, 2015
Bangkok, Thailand

A weathered wall across from the SkyTrain station at Thong Lor, Bangkok, Thailand.

A peak behind the counter at ZudRangMa Records in Thong Lor, Bangkok, Thailand.

A rare 1980s Thai molam record by Yupin Saaijai priced at $59.00 at ZudRangMa Records in Thong Lor, Bangkok, Thailand.

For the third or fourth time, I scored shotgun on bus number 15, heading toward–you guessed it–Siam. Most of the way there, I spied a couple of interesting-looking Chinese Buddhist temples that I want to check out the next time I return to Bangkok. After flying on the SkyTrain to the Thong Lor stop, I headed over to Sukhumvit Soi 51, the home of ZudRangMa Records, a tiny hipster boutique that mostly sells soul, funk, afro, disco, reggae, jazz and traditional music from Southeast Asia, Africa and South America.

More rare Thai records at ZudRangMa Records in Thong Lor, Bangkok, Thailand.

A food stall on Sukhumvit Soi 38 in Bangkok, Thailand.

I went in looking for Thai molam and luk thung, and was not surprised that there were quite a few old original LPs on offer for exorbitant prices ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 baht ($29.00 to $294.00), as well as seven-inches that were somewhat cheaper. Instead, I opted for a CD comp called Isan Dancehall: Early Molam Dancehall 1960-1970 for 300 baht ($8.82). The only problem was when I opened it up back at my room, I discovered that it was actually a CD-R (which I pretty much expected), not a manufactured CD, and that it also came pre-loaded with various scratches and fingerprints. Oh, well! At least the artwork and graphic design looked nice. I hope it plays without skipping! So, let that be a lesson. If you buy anything at ZudRangMa, check the condition of the media first–even if it’s packaged up as new.

Curry, noodles and tofu on Sukhumvit Soi 38 in Bangkok, Thailand.

A painted-up van on Soi Thong Lor in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand.

The other side of the same van on Soi Thong Lor in Sukhumvit, Bangkok, Thailand.

Since I was just a few blocks from the famous street food spot Sukhumvit Soi 38, I schlepped over there for lunch. I was a little too early for Mr. Dum and his legendary Pad Thai, who usually gets his stall up and running by 6:30 pm, so I opted for a bowl of yellow curry, noodles, tofu and rice at another stall whose name, written only in Thai, escaped me. It was cheap and quite good, though. Of course, dinner at May Kaidee’s back in Banglamphu later in the evening was far superior. Not even a standard steady downpour could put a damper on the shining spirit of her delicious grub.

Words and photos ©2015 Arcane Candy.

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