Kuen Kuen Lueng Lueng "Iron Man"

Bangkok 101 sheds some light on this Luk Thung Underground hit and the artist known as Sroeng Santi.

"He called his music ‘Luk Thung Underground,’ states radio DJ Dan Buriram, one of the first to push luk thung on the airwaves. “He came up with this name himself, not the press. He loved the bass guitar and Marshall amps! He liked Shadow music too. He did a track called ‘Pu Ying Yai’, which means ‘the great person’. When he sang live he would wear a black leather jacket, and t-shirt. At the peak of the performance, he’d take off his shirt and sing ‘Nam Mun Pang‘ (‘Expensive Gasoline’). He would then burn his t-shirt at the same time as singing this track, and sometimes even his instruments! That is why he called himself Luk Thung Underground.”

"The track is taken far beyond being a mere cover of ‘Iron Man’, as Sroeng offers a strange meditation on the waxing and waning of the moon and the sun, before comparing it to the Thai economy with costs of foodstuffs only going up and never coming down! The song is carried along by a tough backbeat that always produces a mild shock for first time listeners. It’s this little documented, but vital strand of Thai music that is featured on our forthcoming Finders Keeper’s compilation ‘Thai? Dai! The Heavier Side of the Luk Thung Underground’".



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