At first listen, this song sounds like it’s built around the stuttering squeals of a synth patch. But what you’re hearing is actually a real woodwind instrument.
It’s called the khaen (pronounced “can”) and it’s the national instrument of Laos, although it’s significant in neighbouring countries as well, particularly Thailand.
The khaen typically comprises 16 bamboo tubes connected to a small reservoir of air, sealed with beeswax. You can play it by blowing into it, or by inhaling through it, and it’s a bit like a southeast Asian remix of a kazoo and a bagpipe.
It’s been around since the bronze age, but with the help of Belgian khaen-ist Jérémy Ragheb and Spanish dance duo Palladian, it’s been brought into the western world of the 21st century.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The old and the new.
2. The fast and the slow.
3. The stuttering noise I alluded to at the start of this post is actually a khaen technique called “flutter tongue” which, I guess, isn’t strictly speaking beautiful, but it’s cool as hell.
Recommended listening activity:
Taking a picture of the oldest thing in your neighbourhood.