Thxa Soe to revive old beats
August 30 - September 5, 2010
Thxa Soe sits in his new studio, Diamond Pussy, located in Tarmwe township on August 9. The musician is planning an album release in October, which will feature a number of older, previously unreleased tracks.
ELECTRO musician Thxa Soe, well known for his cont-roversial use of Myanmar traditional music combined with dance beats, is expecting to release his sixth album in the beginning of October.
The forthcoming release comes fast on the heels of Thxa Soe’s last album, released in March and aimed at Thingyan revellers.
Not surprisingly for a musician who enjoys courting controversy, the song and album title Ngway Myin Yin Lin Lote Me (Married for Money) has already created a stir.
“It sounds controversial. Some people have complained about the choice of album title, they accuse me of being negative about women. I don’t insult women. I wrote the title song because I just want to express what’s happening within society and how people try to follow money,” says Thxa Soe.
Although some of the songs on the album have been recorded recently in his new studio Sein Pussy (Diamond Pussy), located in Tarmwe township, many are older, unreleased tracks.
“They didn’t fit with my previous albums. I kept them, aiming to release them as a collection because they’re mostly different from what I usually create.”
One such song is A Mone Tway Shi Thwar Lar (Are You Hateful?), which was recorded in 2005. The lyrics are still “fresh” the musician says.
“I bought the song from L Sai Zi [a popular female pop singer] five years ago. At that time she was a new singer... It’s quite a long time since we recorded it but it’s still great. The songs on the album are like wine: The older they are, the better they taste,” says Thxa Soe.
In December 2009, the Thabin Asiayone (Myanmar Theatre Association) forbade Thxa Soe from using traditional orchestras in his songs so the musician had to create the sounds of the orchestra using computer software. “Other than that, I use sounds from real instruments like violins, mandolins and the piano,” he says.
Though the songs have different styles, he believes the overall result is inspired by his previous albums Yawthamahmwe (Blend Of Music) released in 2006 and Theory (2000).
Thxa Soe has been accused by some of sullying traditional Myanmar music, however, he argues that his use of traditional songs is making them relevant again to a younger generation.
“We can even increase people’s interest in traditional music by mixing it with electro music,” says the musician.
The album also features a number of collaborations with new artists, including Yadanar Phyu Phyu Aung, Kha Kha, Mya Kyar Nyo and Nadi Wint Hlaing, and was set to include a collaboration with late actor, writer and singer Thu Maung called “Aung-parsay” (Be Successful). Before Thu Maung died, the two planned to release an album, Thxa Soe says.
Looking to the future, the musician plans to release another album in time for next year’s Thingyan Festival in April.
