Authentic Koh Samui, Thailand (1989-1998)

These recordings, taped in situ between 1989 and 1998 by François Jouffa and Susie Jung-hee Jouffa, on the island of Koh Samui, the pearl of the Gulf of Siam, allow us to listen to the authentic music of this heavenly place before the tourist rush initiated in the early 2000s. It reveals an incredible array of instruments, folk bands and traditional musics (like the one that accompanies the battles of Muay Thai), all of which forged the musical soul of this island for centuries but it has now been replaced by nightclubs and disco attractions. Patrick FRÉMEAUX