Mor Lam

Mor lam means expert in song, and it is the music of the Lao-speaking north-east - a vocal tradition of long sung verse, originally unaccompanied storytelling, courtship exchanges and poetry, carried on the khaen, a bamboo mouth organ of paired pipes that produces a continuous drone and melody at once. It splits into forms: mor lam klon, the older two-singer verse exchange; mor lam sing, the electrified fast version that emerged in the 1990s with drums, bass and keyboards; and the enormous touring troupes, some with dozens of dancers and singers and their own generators, which play temple fairs and village festivals across Isan through the dry season and run until dawn. The music carries labour migration, poverty, love and comedy as its subject matter, and it was long looked down on from Bangkok before its recent wider recognition. The best place to hear it is a temple fair, not a concert hall.

What you actually see

• The khaen - the bamboo mouth organ carrying drone and melody together.
• The verse exchange - the older sung poetry between two singers.
• The touring troupes - large stage shows playing village fairs until dawn.
• The subject matter - migration, poverty, love and comedy in the lyrics.

When to go

The temple fair season runs roughly November to April, which is when troupes tour. Shows start late and run into the early hours. Village fairs are free.

Honest expectations

The best performances are at village temple fairs that are not advertised outside their locality - finding one means asking locally. Shows run very late and are extremely loud. Almost everything is in Isan Lao rather than central Thai.

Nearby

Khon Kaen, Udon Thani and Ubon are the main centres; troupes tour the whole region.