I created a mix CD featuring Thai records from the '60s and '80s (THAI FUNK, POP, DISCO, Luk Thung, Morlam, etc.).
Before my old stomping ground, Nihonbashi RHB, opened, STUDIO MOJO (Takao-kun) set up a high-sensitivity stereo microphone on the empty dance floor to record a live mix CD titled "THE GODFATHER OF THAILAND." Mastering was handled by DEVIL TOMATO (VIVASHERRY), with cover art by DR.SATOMATA (Mizuki of the Experimental Discussion Room).
It features 22 tracks totaling 70 minutes, carefully selected from my collection of Thai records that I’ve been building for nearly 10 years.

Since I’m fully aware that I grew up on strange garage punk compilations, when selecting records I’d recall the “VA/BIG ITCH” series, and the wild, relentless first half of the mix—recorded live—evokes the vibe of “VA/I WAS A TEENAGE CAVEMAN.” but above all, I want garage enthusiasts, soul listeners, and rock fans—rather than world music aficionados—to hear the coolness, fun, and near-madness of the Thai music world, which is like an uncharted, unsystematized “swamp” that no one knows about yet, just like *VA/BACK FROM THE GRAVE*, and be blown away by it…!
For example, take a listen to the eighth track on this mix, “Khao Mai Rak Rao Rhok” by Suang Santi. Suang Santi is a rocker who champions a new concept called “Luk Thung Underground.” It’s a track that radiates such intense energy, it makes you wonder: “If Lou Reed had been born in Thailand, wouldn’t the Velvet Underground’s second album have sounded something like this?” (The fact that the breaks are longer than the vocals is also mind-blowing.)

These are records I’ve collected—a DJ (me) who’s never been to Thailand and doesn’t speak a word of Thai—after getting recommendations from senior and fellow DJs, scouring for streaming links, buying them on Yahoo! Auctions, agonizing over choices in Akabane, or taking the long way around just because they were cheap at events or on Mercari.
Will they make you dance or amaze you?
Or will they make you cry?
Will they make you cry and dance at the same time?
This collection consists entirely of masterpieces, oddities, and rarities selected based on those criteria.
Frighteningly, these tracks are still nothing more than a tiny fraction of a fraction of a fraction of the tip of the iceberg… I would be delighted if you could enjoy even a small glimpse of the charm of the rich and labyrinthine world of Thai music.

SOFT,HELL! Presents…
"THE GODFATHER OF THAILAND"
All Thailand vinyls Selected and Mixed by DJKJ

Live recorded at RHB (Nippombashi, Osaka) on July 18, 2025
One-mic recording by STUDIO MOJO
Mastered by DEVIL TOMATO
Artwork by DR. SATOMATA (Experimental Salon MONDO)
English notation by Guitarow Hakaba (TENPARI TEMPLE)
Selected and Mixed by Kingjoe