Abstract:
This research aims for 3 objectives, to study the movement of Isan music to main culture, to study the change of adapted Isan music in the age of New Isan Culture and lastly, to study the digital media as a disruptive technology in the movement of Isan culture. To gather the needed data, difference methods are used in the study including, textual analysis of 20 Isan songs, in-dept interviews of 5 singers, artists and creators of adapted Isan song, and focus group of 8 Isan music listeners. Adapted Isan songs sang mainly by Isan singers, with Isan dialect, added with some other dialects or languages. There are diversified kinds of musical instruments used in the songs, both traditional Thai and western musical instruments. Age range of the singers is approximately 20-25 years old. The lyrics mostly are about love story, or describe life of rural Isan people in modern world. Unlike in the past, people in Isan these days, which are main characters of adapted Isan songs, no longer have to struggle with impoverished lives or harsh environmental problems. They rather satisfy with their lives, and take pride in being Isan people. The next identity is that adapted Isan music still maintains what is all-time well known identity of Isan aesthetics, humor. Adapted Isan music are produced by independent music companies in the provinces. The music then become big hit all over Thailand, thanks to the help of internet as a main streaming channel.