Chris Menist, Maft Sai

300 essential LPs and 45s from across South and Southeast Asia, selected and annotated by Chris Menist and Maft Sai, co-founders of the Paradise Bangkok label and party. Five chapters trace modernized folk and devotional music through surf, garage, psych and disco, with rarity scores, collector's checkboxes and full-color original artwork throughout.

Western bands have long been influenced by the music of the Eastern hemisphere, but simultaneous sonic conversations have occurred in South and Southeast Asia among local bands amalgamating imported sounds with tradition. The psychedelic repetitions and drones that Western groups have drawn inspiration from have long been crucial elements in music from South and Southeast Asia, and too often overlooked.

Records from Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Singapore, Vietnam, Iran and Bangladesh, from molam and luk thung to dangdut, qawwali and Lollywood film scores, with 12 essential compilations, 14 guest selector lists (among them Kieran Hebden, Dan Snaith, Gilles Peterson and Andy Votel) and an extended interview with the authors. Cover by Marigold Santos.

Written by Chris Menist and Maft Sai. Edited by Anna Blumenthal. Fourth volume of Vinyl Digest, the series of collector's field guides published by Dust & Grooves Editions.