Music

Soul power

By Suwitcha Chaiyong, Photos by Suwitcha Chaiyong and courtesy of Spicy Disc

Suburbian wants to take fans higher

Anybody who’s tuned-in to Thai pop will have heard the sounds of songwriter and producer Soodson Vongsamuthara (Noey).

The 32-year-old has been the main man behind the top-selling albums Fan Ja by Thongchai McIntyre, Tata Young’s Dangerous and many other releases on the Bakery, Sony BMG and GMM labels. He’s also co-founder of hip-hop label Gancore Club.

• Did you know •

Woody Pornpitaksuk won a Grammy in 2001 for his mastering of Louis Armstrong: the Complete Hot Five and Hot Seven Recordings.

When he’s not busy making other artists successful, he’s Suburbian, an artist in his own right. Suburbian’s albums Suburbianone, Rak Ron (Flying Love) and Suburbian’s Urban Love Songs were hits on the underground music scene. With his latest album, Higher, and hot new single “She’s Just a Girl,” he seems set to enter the mainstream.

Suburbian is a well-rounded musician who likes to colour his urban-soul style with vintage electric instruments and synthesisers. To give Higher the best sound quality available, he brought in award-wining mastering engineer Woody Pornpitaksuk to complete the recording.

Student Weekly recently caught up with Suburbian to talk about style, mainstream success and reaching higher.

>> Student Weekly: Why do you release your solo work under the name Suburbian?

<< Suburbian: I live in Nonthaburi, and I find the urban vibe to be too chaotic. That’s why I call myself Suburbian.

>> Student Weekly: How did life in the suburbs inspire you to make Higher in an urban soul style?

<< Suburbian: It’s kind of ironic. Using my suburban point of view to create an album for urban people creates something interesting and different.

>> Student Weekly: Can you explain to us what urban soul is?

<< Suburbian: It’s a type of neo-soul music created specifically for city people. It’s a new style that originated in New York City and Philadelphia.

Sometimes people like to escape the city ambiance, hang out in a park and chill out with this kind of music. I want Bangkokians feel relaxed when they listen to my songs.

>> Student Weekly: What made you decide to promote your songs to a mass audience?

<< Suburbian: When I made my previous albums, I just wanted to focus on the music. I didn’t want to do all the promotional work.

I decided to release Higher with Spicy Disc because I know that the owner really understands music and musicians.

>> Student Weekly: What does Higher mean to you?

<< Suburbian: It’s like a journal. I’ve been in the music business for 10 years. I feel that I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about music, that I’ve reached a higher point.

>> Student Weekly: Why are all your songs about love?

<< Suburbian: Soul music is usually about love or politics, but I don’t know much about politics. Love and women are my inspirations.

>> Student Weekly: Are you an expert on the subject of love?

<< Suburbian: No, I don’t know much about love. But somehow it’s easy to write songs about love.

>> Student Weekly: Why do you like to mix Thai and English in your songs?

<< Suburbian: My Thai language skills aren’t very strong. I failed Thai language class when I was young.

I studied graphic design in the US for five years, so I can express myself in either Thai or English. I sing in whichever language suits the song.

>> Student Weekly: How did you come to work with Woody Pornpitaksuk?

<< Suburbian: Khangoen Thaitanium introduced him to me.

I never thought that an album produced in Thailand could have such great sound quality. I got some great feedback from a neo soul artist on my MySpace page. He said that he doesn’t know where Thailand is, but our production sounds great.

>> Student Weekly: How do you feel about the big labels focusing on music downloads and EPs, rather than full albums?

<< Suburbian: I believe that there should be a balance between art and business. If business dominates art, the value of art is diminished.

I don’t feel sorry for the giant labels losing money because of pirated CDs. It’s time for everybody to work hard and fight for great quality.

	mainstream (n): the ideas and opinions that are thought to be normal because they are shared by most people well-rounded (adj): having a variety of experiences and abilities urban (adj): connected with a city vintage (adj): typical of a period in the past and of high quality mastering (n): the final stage in producing a commercial sound recording chaotic (adj): in a state of confusion and disorder ironic (adj): strange or amusing because it is different from what you expect neo (adj): new ambiance (n): the character and atmosphere of a place chill out (v): to relax and not worry about anything promotional (adj): connected with advertising journal (n): a written record of the things you do, see, feel, etc. suit (v): to be right or good for something feedback (n): advice or criticism about how good somebody’s work is dominate (v): to control or have a lot of influence over something diminish (v): to become or to make something become smaller, weaker, etc.