Khun Narin’s Electric Phin Band initially caught the ears of music enthusiasts via a YouTube clip posted to the Dangerous Minds blog in 2013 with the caption “Mindblowing psychedelia from Thailand”. Helped by some interpreters at his local Thai restaurant, sound engineer Josh Marcy travelled to a small village near Lom Sak to record the band professionally. The result was their eponymous 2014 debut.

The music Khun Narin’s Electric Phin Band plays is called phin prayuk. A phin is a 3-stringed lute, on which the band uses a string of BOSS effects pedals, including a phaser, distortion and digital delay. The ever-rotating cast of members spans several generations of musicians who play on hand-made instruments and take special pride in their custom mobile PA system: an imposing tower of 8 loudspeaker horns atop a huge bass cabinet. A standard engagement sees them performing during morning rituals, playing several low-key sets from the comfort of plastic lawn chairs. After a mid-day banquet, they lead a parade through the community to the local temple, picking up more and more partiers along the way.

A fan of their casual yet participatory playing environment, Marcy returned to Lom Sak in early 2015 to record more. II features covers of traditional Thai pop songs, introduces some new players including new phin players Aob and Bas while retaining some members of the old guard