On Thu, 10 Jun 2004 01:53:35 -0400, ericksna@umich.edu <ericksna@umich.edu> wrote:

Anyone with Tokyo recommendations also have some recommendations for south east Asia by chance? I am currently spending ten weeks in Phnom Penh, and outside of the very interesting local buddhist music emanating from the temples at five in the morning, I've found nothing but pirated versions of top 40. Anyone know of any good shops in Bangkok, etc?

I haven't been to Bangkok in a few years and to Phnom Penh for even longer, but I used to do a fair bit of CD shopping at the Tower Records in Siam Square, which, in the day, was pretty cheap and had a good selection of improvised music, including Zorn, Derek Bailey, Laswell, etc. If you are in Phnom Penh, you should ask the locals about good Khmer rock music and ask to get a hold of some tapes to try out. I've heard some really good Khmer rock, and some time ago, there was a reissue on CD of Cambodian rock music of the early 70s, which had a lot of rave reviews. You're not likely to find that particular CD there, but you might find music from a lot of the artists from it. If you're in Thailand, you most assuredly should check out the raucous rhythms of the music of Isaan and Southern Laos. For that, I'd suggest a trip up through Northeast Thailand--hit the big places like Surin, Nakhon Ratchathani, and Nong Khai and ask around. That's my favorite place in all of Thailand and it gets only 2% of the tourists. Don't miss it.