On a busy Friday evening at the end of the month, I felt a sudden urge to revisit songs from my early 90s high school days. Since I didn't select the playlist myself, the streaming platform's algorithm chose popular hits from that era for me. Slow songs by artists such as J Jetrin, Christina Aguilar, Asanee Wasan, Nuvo, and U.H.T. played at similar tempos, helping ease the stress during a long traffic jam, until one song caught my attention.
That song was “Fak Fah Talay Fun,” one of the most popular tracks from “Had Sai Sai Lom Song Rao,” the debut album by Thongchai McIntyre, released in 1986, or 40 years ago.
I remember as a child listening to this song often but not really liking it because its slow tempo was too much for a kid. The melody was quite steady and plain, and although it had a hook, it didn’t particularly resonate with me. Nonetheless, it was a pleasant song and served as one of the soundtracks of my childhood.
I hadn’t listened to this song for at least 10, perhaps 20 years, but accidentally revisiting it now, after having heard thousands of songs across genres, I discovered the music sounded nothing like the version I knew as a child. This is far from an ordinary song. Personally, I consider it a masterpiece—not just for one label but as an exemplar in the Thai contemporary music industry of that time, enduring to this day.
The soundscape of this song is both complex and profound, yet remarkably simple. The opening waves and bird calls evoke a touch of world music. The looping guitar chords hypnotize listeners, cymbals mimic waves lapping the shore, keyboard synthesizers create spaciousness, and the blues-accented slide guitar adds texture. This makes the song more than just a typical pop or ballad—it is a progressive pop with world music elements, decades ahead of its time.
I eagerly pressed repeat, discovering new layers each time—from multi-layered vocal harmonies in the hook that add depth and breadth, to meticulous layering, mixing, and mastering that set a high production standard. The song was influenced by West Coast Pop and AOR (Adult Oriented Rock) sounds.
AOR, both a genre and production style, offers accessible yet highly refined music. Popular bands of that era included Journey, REO Speedwagon, The Alan Parsons Project (a Pink Floyd engineer's side project), and Toto. In short, the quality of this song is so high it could easily serve as a single for any of these international acts.
Legendary producer Quincy Jones once said shortly before his passing, “There’s no music scene anymore,” because music creation has entirely changed. Artists’ income now comes from relentless touring and merchandise sales rather than CD sales. Marketing strategies like timing releases or sending singles to radio for chart success have made quality and artist branding nearly irrelevant.
Quincy Jones also remarked, “In the past, what you heard was exactly what we produced, 100 percent. Achieving that required balancing sound in the studio, precise microphone placement, and accuracy at every step. You couldn’t mix like we do today.”
Brian Eno, former Roxy Music member and producer for U2, Coldplay, and others, commented insightfully on digital editing in modern music. He said, “The temptation of today’s technology is to make everything smooth until every music room sounds the same. It’s so artificial that no trace of human life remains.”
Before discussing Grammy Entertainment’s music from the 1980s to mid-1990s—which laid the foundation for the “T-Pop sound” central to this article—it's necessary to understand the entire "music production" process in depth to grasp the forthcoming discussion.
The main music production steps are: (1) songwriting and arrangement, (2) recording, (3) editing—primarily selecting the best takes, timing adjustments, volume corrections, etc., (4) mixing, and (5) mastering to ensure consistent sound quality across playback systems and platforms.
We’ve analyzed “Fak Fah Talay Fun” technically, but that’s only part of the story. Credit first goes to the core production team, who applied their intellect and cutting-edge knowledge at that time to craft music that was not just good but artistic and challenging.
They are curators who harnessed the full potential of artists, instruments, and the best available production tools, ensuring the music equally engaged listeners of all backgrounds—whether working class or wealthy.
Paiboon Damrongchaitham, founder and chairman of GMM Grammy, once said, “Old records were vinyl LPs that required pickups to play. Poor people couldn’t afford them, so they listened on plug-in radios. Then technology advanced—vinyl became cassette tapes, radios became transistors, and suddenly you could listen anywhere.” He added, “Early music production was like making a product; we needed a theme first because our team came from being advertising copywriters.”
“For example, with P'To Rewat Putthinan’s first three albums, we plotted the concept: he’d be the kind older brother talking about love from a big-hearted man’s perspective. Nuntida was portrayed as a pure, straightforward woman. ‘Chan Pen Chan Eng’ (I Am Myself) was her story. Bird (Thongchai) was warm and funny. We designed clear character themes for each artist—Mai Jaroenpura, Christina Aguilar, J Jetrin—so that songwriters, artists, lyrics, melodies, and art all aligned. This was common sense in communication and creativity—it had to be felt, understood, and conveyed.”
Grammy clearly structured each artist’s character to create cohesive music and production fitting that persona. This foundational concept of plotting clear themes underpinned everything.
It’s like designing a house blueprint: each home’s structure gives unique beauty and characteristics. Some interior spaces might be similar but never identical, influencing interior design choices like furniture, wallpaper, shelving, artwork, openness, and more. Thus, each artist’s “house” had distinct style and feel, yet all were equally inviting.
Grammy Entertainment was among Thailand’s first to establish a comprehensive music production system, overseen by Rewat Putthinan (Toe), former member of The Impossible and Oriental Funk bands. After co-founding Grammy Entertainment with Paiboon Damrongchaitham, Toe became the main songwriter and producer from the early days. Somchai Krisanaseree, drummer of The Bless—an important early 80s string band with members Itti Plangkul, Surasee Itthikul, and Somchai Krisanaseree—was Toe’s trusted producer and arranger. Asanee Chotikul (Pom), besides being an artist, was a producer and songwriter at Grammy from the start, collaborating with Chaturon Emsabut, a skilled producer and songwriter supporting many early Grammy artists.
Songwriters who played key roles at Grammy during its formative years into the 90s included Kalyarat Waranawat (Sifa), Surak Suksevi, Pracha Pongsupat, Jakrawut Saengphon, Monchip Siwasinangkul, Thana Chaiworaphat, Waratchaya Promsathit, Chana Sewikun, Kettaran Lertphipat, and Kritchayot Lertprai. On the technical side, Grammy had master craftsmen like Solas Pungkabut (mixer) who greatly advanced Thai music’s global quality, Maeng Na Lamphun (sound engineer and recorder), and Krit Thomas, who played a major role in developing sound dimensions.
“Toe 1” (1983) was Rewat Putthinan’s first solo album, pioneering modern string music with a blend of rock, soft rock, pop jazz, funk, and folk in an AOR style. Every sound was meticulously crafted. The song “Jao Sao Tee Glua Fon” (The Bride Afraid of Rain) exemplifies Toe as a progressive artist unafraid to break traditional boundaries to bring contemporary freshness to Thai music.
Forty years ago, digital technology had no role in music creation. All instruments were analog, recorded under 100% human control. Toe wrote the lyrics himself, and the melody was composed by Asanee Chotikul.
The lyrics metaphorically portray rain as fear and disappointment in love. The bride, representing a woman, hesitates to step out of her comfort zone, though she knows the gentle rain can soothe her heart. The coolness offers comfort and relief from loneliness, but she fears getting wet and uncomfortable—an unavoidable reality.
This illustrates a dilemma: a woman desiring love yet fearing it, wanting happiness but fearing pain, about to marry but fearing the ring will take away her freedom. On a broader level, the lyrics hint at Toe’s vision of embracing the falling rain without fear of getting soaked or ill.
These themes reflect dreams, courage, and ambition to transform traditional global music forms in Thailand, similar to what Suntaraporn band once did, blending Thai beliefs with Western music perfectly. Most importantly, this was a crafted work far from being hastily made.
Early Grammy music featured poetic metaphors, characters, storytelling, and wordplay in rhyme and meaning. “Jao Sao Tee Glua Fon” embodies these qualities. Musically, the strumming chords remain modern today. The electric guitar has a dreamy quality, and the sound is easy to listen to but subtly complex, especially the soft keyboard arrangement. High-frequency control blends chorus-effect guitar, acoustic guitar, and keyboard smoothly, allowing bass and drums to stand out with dimension.
Each instrument occupies its own space without overlap. Toe’s vocals are placed precisely to stand out. This showcases the era’s engineers’ skill in elevating sound quality beyond typical Thai music. This production style—clearly defining each instrument’s position without conflict—formed Grammy’s distinctive sound, later enhanced by early digital music tools in the mid-90s.
To better understand Grammy’s soundscape evolution and artist image design, analyzing significant works reveals how these evolved.
“Waew Ta” (The Look), a ballad from the 1995 album “Choola Choola” by J Jetrin Wattanachind, lyrics by Pradap Pantong (pen name of Nitipong Honark), is a fascinating example of seamless blending of digital and analog technologies. Its use of synthesizers for R&B rhythms creates beautiful melodies and harmonies simultaneously. Remarkably, digital technology enabled more precise editing to select best takes and arrange rhythms, improving on analog tape editing of the 80s.
“Kha Jai” (Doubt) by J Jetrin from the 1993 album “108-1009” predates “Waew Ta” by two years but features even more advanced sound dimension, especially in mixing. What sets it apart is the use of diverse synthesized sounds to build a tight rhythm pattern.
Delving deeper, this complex synthesized rhythm likely drew influence from Michael Jackson’s 1991 album “Dangerous,” where beatboxing formed the rhythmic base for added musical layers. Producer Teddy Riley enhanced rhythms through vocals, beatboxing, echoes, synthesized sounds, and drum machines, creating distinctive funk, rap, and R&B styles known as New Jack Swing.
No artist had previously made music like this then, making “Kha Jai” and “Waew Ta” exceptionally progressive for their time and still fresh today. Vocal harmonies were multi-tracked extensively to create wide, dense, and deep choruses. Instrument layering avoided note overlap, crucial for the hook’s strong impact.
Grammy’s chorus patterns concretely shaped artist characters as planned by Paiboon Damrongchaitham. Credit goes to Rewat Putthinan and his team overseeing vocals and melody, especially Krit Chokthipphatthana, Chatree Kongsuwan, Solas Pungkabut, Sifa, and all chorus members.
Chorus vocals were not merely decorative but treated as a principal instrument, filling song sections with multi-tracked harmonies to build a human sound wall that evokes diverse listener emotions.
This mirrors techniques in alternative and post-rock bands, which multi-track guitars with different effects to create unique sounds. Grammy’s mainstream pop songs employed similar production, often overlooked due to their genre.
Technically, harmonies fill frequency gaps that other instruments can’t reach. Soft chorus bridges the lead vocal and instruments like keyboards or guitars, making the sound rich and lively. Globally, bands like The Beach Boys (notably "Pet Sounds"), Queen, Eagles, ABBA, Steely Dan, as well as new age Enya, dream pop Cocteau Twins, and symphonic black metal bands Amon Amarth and Emperor have all used chorus as a foundational musical element.
Asanee (Pom) and Wasan Chotikul (Toh) grew up immersed in music. Following their dreams from Loei province to Bangkok, they won Thailand’s folk song championship in 1974, then formed the band Isn’t, playing folk rock and pop with the hit “Nung Mit Chit Klai.” Pom later produced and recorded for many artists, absorbing meticulous West Coast American music influences, especially from Simon & Garfunkel.
“Ba Hob Fang” (1986), Asanee-Wasan’s first album, initially released by Nightspot and later by More Music under GMM Grammy, is considered one of Thailand’s earliest progressive rock albums. It reflects visionary musicianship and extensive experience producing quality music.
Before digital recording technology, layering instruments with rich soundscapes and ecosystems was challenging. “Ba Hob Fang” is intricately structured, starting with a drumming intro and double-tracked vocals, then adding drum machine, keyboard, and echoing electric guitar before distortion in the breakdown. The hook combines acoustic guitar, keyboard, live drums, and layered vocals, each sound dynamic and non-overlapping, precisely managed across mid-high to high frequencies.
The chorus features densely layered harmonies, sounding like a “human sound wave” rather than just a few voices, reflecting the heavy burden (“straw”) the song’s character carries.
For fans of experimental or progressive music and music production, “Ba Hob Fang” is a must-study. Its sound design, arrangement, and concept showcase advanced music akin to Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Tangerine Dream, The Alan Parsons Project, Genesis, and Kraftwerk, with T-Rock guitar accents possibly originating here. The vocal harmonies enrich the song and set Grammy’s 90s production standard. The lyrics blend traditional Thai music with contemporary Western styles. Comparatively, “Ba Hob Fang” is as daring as Moderndog’s “Love Me Love My Life.”
Butterfly is a progressive musical collective pivotal in diversifying and modernizing Thai music to international standards. Founded in 1978 by Jiraporn Angsawanon, Surasee Itthikul, Danu Hantrakul, and Krit Chokthipphatthana, they established Butterfly Sound and Film Services Ltd., producing movie and commercial music. Their exceptional work helped elevate advertising film music to unprecedented recognition among music lovers.
Later members included Asanee Chotikul, Kettaran Lertphipat, Saksit Chuakul, Sinnapa Sarasas, Kalyarat Waranawat, Chaturon Emsabut, Solas Pungkabut, Somchai Khamloesakul, and many others. Each played vital roles in raising early Grammy artists’ music to international quality. Their deep knowledge of AOR, progressive, and other cutting-edge Western styles of the time influenced nearly every album they worked on, leaving a lasting impact. Below are albums they contributed to.
Albums include Butterfly II (1983), Toe 1 (1984), Nuntida '27, Chan Pen Chan Eng (Thitima Sutsunthorn), Bot Pleng by Isn’t (1985), Kalpawasan (Surasee Itthikul), Dan Civilize (Thanet Warakulnukroh) (1986), Had Sai Sai Lom Song Rao (Thongchai McIntyre) (1996), Ba Hob Fang (Asanee-Wasan) (1986), Hoon Krabok (Tao Wan) (1985), Rock Lek Lek (Micro) (1986), Thamda...Mun Pen Reuang Thamda (Petch Osathanugrah) (1987), Dok Mai Ban...Jao Aey (XYZ) (1987), and many more.
Butterfly continued producing Grammy’s landmark albums like Sabai Sabai (Bird Thongchai), Khon Kian Pleng...Banleng Cheewit (Thanet), Muen Fahrenheit (Micro), Waek Fah...Kwa Dao (Somprasong Singhaowanwat), Pen Yang Nee Tang Tae Gerd Loei (Nuvo), Mai Muan (Mai Jaroenpura), Ninja (Christina Aguilar), Khon La Fun (Inca), Mai Jamkad (Company), Moss...Er Her (Patipan Pathaveekarn), and even country music like Luk Thung Thailand 1 with Rak Khun Ying Kwa Khrai (Jakrapon Abkroburi). They also worked with U.H.T., Saowalak Leelabut, Tata Young, Y Not 7, Sunita Litikul, Fly band, Nicole Theriault, New Jiew, Jirasak Panphoom, Sutasinee Putthinan (Rewat’s daughter), Fahrenheit’s debut, and more.
Butterfly upheld Paiboon Damrongchaitham’s original idea of crafting artist personas through music genre and lyrics (apart from costumes, choreography, vocal style, etc.). Each member’s deep skills and creativity meant artists’ works, though primarily pop and rock, contained delicate soft rock, progressive rock, Motown, post-disco (the root of boogie, synth-funk, and electro-funk pioneered by Madonna), and early pop dance influences.
When thinking of Micro, fans often recall hits like “Ao Pai Loei,” “Term Namman,” “Rak Pon Pon,” “Bok Ma Kham Diao,” and “Dub Krueang Chon.” Micro’s music blended 80s power pop and hair band styles, especially in ballads, but also retained hard rock influences. Guitar riffs echoed bands like Poison, Ratt, Def Leppard, Van Halen, and Mötley Crüe, sometimes with electric blues touches like Gary Moore.
Yet some songs clearly exhibit progressive elements, such as “Payu” from the album “Rock Lek Lek.” This showcases Grammy’s creative team’s prowess, proving that Thai pop and rock could match international quality.
“Payu”’s intro guitar is somber yet hopeful, using minor key picking reminiscent of The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes.” The music gradually grows complex and intense, reflecting the storm’s turmoil starting innocuously but worsening over time. Keyboard sounds create a vast, mysterious, and threatening atmosphere, with synthesized flute-like sounds representing wind—techniques used by Pink Floyd and Genesis in their mid-career.
“Payu” defies typical pop formulas, featuring clearly sequenced movement—a hallmark of progressive music. Lyrics by Kettaran Lertphipat suggest life must bend like roadside grass to survive the storm, as even deeply rooted trees can fall. The poetic use of metaphor is profound, especially the last lines reflecting life’s hard-earned lessons. This song is a Butterfly team masterpiece introducing progressive music’s importance in Thai music, revealing another side of Micro beyond their fun songs.
“Mok Rue Kwan” by Thongchai McIntyre from the album “Boomerang” (1990), with lyrics by Sifa and music arrangement by Chatree Kongsuwan, marks Grammy’s development toward denser sound textures across artists. The label meticulously chose instruments to suit each song’s atmosphere, using chorus not just for beauty but to enrich song structure with complex sonic details.
This song features precise frequency management, focusing on mid-to-high ranges. Complex layered harmonies add depth to its simple theme. The saxophone stands out, sounding like tears flowing amid smoke. Its soft sax and reverbed, chorused guitar create a sensation akin to morning mist.
The song’s arrangement seamlessly evokes shared feelings by skillfully using each instrument to paint the misty or smoky atmosphere. This concept was heightened by Bird’s sign language during concerts. His vocals were mixed softly, floating above the misty music, requiring exact frequency control to prevent drowning in keyboards.
Progressive music’s core is visualizing sound beyond hearing, as in “Payu.” This song opens with synthetic sounds creating gloom and blur, reflecting “mist” and “smoke” imagery. Pad synths provide spacious backgrounds, following production methods used by The Alan Parsons Project and Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here.”
It’s remarkable that Christina Aguilar’s song from the 1992 album “Awut Lap” (lyrics by Opas Pandee, pen name of Nitipong Honark) and arranged by Anuwat Suebsuwan also employs progressive music sound design. Its intro synth pad is advanced, with moving high-frequency shifts creating an 80s art rock signature, evoking wandering through branching paths.
This sound design supports the song’s theme of surprise mixed with joy over rekindled love, though deep down there’s doubt about its longevity. The song subtly conveys this internal conflict through non-linear structure, building tension from fragile verses through rhythmically complex pre-choruses, exploding in the hook. Thick, wide harmonies act as an instrument filling high frequencies softly. The chorus, especially near the end, contrasts with sharp synths to soften the sound.
The use of chorus, reverb, and delay effects to create dreamy, floating sounds was Grammy’s hallmark in that era. Engineers and mixers, mostly from Butterfly, managed high-frequency instruments like guitar, keyboard, synthesizer, and saxophone within close ranges. This allowed bass, drum machines, and drums to be played lightly yet clearly heard. Such mixing enhanced vocal dynamics and control.
Songs like “Nathi Tee Ying Yai” (Christina Aguilar), “Yak Yud Way La” (Saranya Songsomsawat, from the 1989 album “Plaek Trong Tee Hua Jai”), and “Khob Jai Jing Jing” (Bird Thongchai, from the 1987 album “Rub Kwan Wan Mai”) showcase highly detailed production. Even love songs with heartbreak themes used soothing keyboards for a calming effect, as did “Man Koi Doo Lae Raksa Duang Jai” by Bird Thongchai (lyrics by Nitipong Honark, arrangement by Aphichai Yenpoonsuk).
Many more songs could be mentioned, but these examples illustrate how sound design and instrument choice amplify lyrics’ power and meaning. Such production requires producers and creative teams with precise musical literacy.
Synth-pop: The Sound Reflecting Grammy’s 1990s Identity
Written by Opas Pandee (Nitipong Honark) and arranged by Chatree Kongsuwan, it’s a pop song with slight rock elements like guitar solos but fundamentally a pioneering, high-quality synth-pop track.
Its intro blends guitar solo and clean keyboard sounds, with synthesizer rhythms in higher ranges. The mix has deep dimension: rhythm guitar in the background, lead guitar upfront, synths slightly ahead of guitar, drums centered, and harmonies blending with keyboards seamlessly—like a carefully framed photo with distinct foreground, middle ground, and background, avoiding overlap.
At that time, digital tech was new, so humans controlled most music creation. Producers, mixers, and arrangers needed deep understanding of musical layering and frequency ranges, ensuring each part fit perfectly with the song’s theme and vocalist’s tone. Harmonies were placed in mid-to-high ranges to brighten the otherwise dark-toned song, empowering the hook to reach listeners. This is a remarkable example of frequency management in pop music.
In my opinion, the synth sound design and accessible production complexity by Grammy’s Butterfly team rivaled international acts like The Cars, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Cyndi Lauper, and even Madonna, especially in songwriting ideas (excluding production, instruments, and promotion where budgets were limited).
Many other synth-pop songs matched “Kong Wai”’s production quality, including “Plaw Rok Na,” “Plik Lok,” and “Ninja” by Christina Aguilar (1990 album “Ninja”), “Plik Lok” and “Fak Liang” by J Jetrin (1991 album “J-Je-B”), “Sanchat Yad” by Nuvo (1991 album “Boon Khun Pu Dam”), “Robruan Ma Rak Gun” (1995 album “Amita Tata Young”), “Yang Yin Dee Krub Puean” by U.H.T. (1994 album “Doo Dee Dee… Na Puean”), “Kid Tung Gun Bang Mai” by Jason Young (1996 album “Jason Youngster”), and “Took Nathi Tee Tur Tong Karn” by U.H.T., notable for excellent a cappella vocal frequency management.
Today, many new Thai synth-pop artists produce catchy, pleasant music, but overall quality often doesn’t match late 80s to mid-90s Grammy synth-pop. Firstly, the tangible music industry has nearly vanished, drastically reducing production investments. Unlike before, when major labels competed fiercely, generating significant album sales—some surpassing one million copies (excluding CDs and vinyl)—allowing full investment in well-equipped studios.
Nowadays, artists can produce music at home studios without needing 48-channel digital mixers, 2-inch multi-track tape recorders (state-of-the-art in the 90s), or Lexicon 480L Digital Effects Systems (then the best reverb units). Good Digital Audio Workstations like Pro Tools, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, or Ableton Live enable quality music creation entirely on computer screens.
However, these software tools cater more to user convenience than inspiring creative ideas. While new music may be genuinely good and catchy, creativity often falls short compared to older pop music. Modern producers can easily tweak sounds, frequencies, filters, effects, and timing with precision, but this convenience sometimes suppresses complex sound detail born of human imagination.
This causes an imagination block unlike older producers who had only 24-track recorders and had to carefully plan every sound and frequency priority. Detailed pre-production thinking was essential, unlike today’s trial-and-error software approach, where initial ideas can be lost to technology’s sophistication. Consequently, many vintage synth-pop songs sound more progressive than contemporary Thai synth-pop when considering ideas and production steps.
As children, songs sounded pleasant simply because they were pleasant. But as we grow, gain listening experience (or even play and produce music), we realize the remarkable thought, creativity, and meticulous analog recording behind these tracks. We discover the soul of the creators in every note, and such beauty never dies.
As long as we keep listening, singing, and appreciating these songs,
...from generation to generation.
Reference: https://optimise.kkpfg.com/cover_story_30.php (Article "The House That He Built" Paiboon Damrongchaitham opens his Sukhumvit 38 home sharing his journey building Grammy’s music empire, by Thanakorn Juwangpanich, section "First Song Release," paragraphs 3 and 4)
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