Salin, an innovative drummer, composer, and producer, joined Indra Raj on KGNU to share music that has shaped her journey. Blending Afrobeat, funk, jazz, and traditional Thai folk, Salin discussed how her global influences—ranging from Afro-polyrhythms to Thai and psychedelic rock—inform her unique sound. Salin previewed her upcoming Denver and Boulder shows, where audiences can expect an energetic and joyful musical journey featuring tracks from her new album Rammana. (Guest DJ: 6/16/25)
Indra Raj: You are listening to KGNU FM 88.5 Boulder, KGNU 1390 Denver. My name is Indra Raj, and right now I am joined by an electrifying force in global music. Salin, a drummer, composer, and producer, blends Afrobeat, funk, jazz, and traditional Thai folk to create a sound that’s truly her own. Her new album, Rammana, came out in March of this year, and she’ll be playing with the Tyler Adams Organ Trio this Friday, June 20th at Cervantes’ Other Side in Denver, and again on Saturday, June 21st at the Flatiron Sound Festival in Chautauqua, which is a part of KGNU’s ongoing Presents calendar. Thank you so much for joining me today, Salin.
Salin: Thank you for having me.
Indra Raj: Today we’re going to be listening to some music that has been influential to you throughout your life. But generally, I’m just very curious about your trajectory with music and how you arrived at where you are now with the music that you’re making.
Salin: In general, I actually started very young. I was trained as a classical pianist since I was six years old. By the time I was 12, I realized my fingers and hands were too small to play piano, which requires big hands — you have to play an octave — and I was really struggling with that. Even though I loved music so much, it was a turning point for me to go to another instrument because I still loved music. Then I found the drums, and it stuck with me. I got to play with one of the most famous bands in Thailand when I was 17, and that was my first job. So I got into music pretty quickly — my first job was in music, and I’ve stayed there since.
I came to the States to study for a year, and then I moved to Canada because a band invited me to play with them. At the same time, I was also studying anthropology, and that’s how my music became ethnographic stories through sound. And that’s how I came to make Rammana.
Indra Raj: And with some of the African traditions that you’ve brought into your music, was it something that you studied before you heard it, or at the same time?
Salin: I am based in Montreal, and in Montreal, there are a lot of immigrants from everywhere. I have friends who are Congolese Canadian and friends who are Haitian, so I was just surrounded by a lot of influences — a lot of world music and Afro-Phora music. I got a chance to go to Morocco as well as South Africa. So I think I got to hear a little bit of that influence before understanding it.
And then one day it just clicked — oh my God, there’s a similarity between the Afro-Polyrhythmic sound and Thai sound. If you listen to a lot of Greek folk songs, sometimes you think, oh, that’s like Thai folk songs! If you look deeper into the history of music and world music, you’ll find similarities across the globe. It’s not just Africa and Thailand — I was really drawn to the Afro-polyrhythmic rhythm. If I were to make another album with other influences, I could probably cross cultures with all of them. I could probably find similarities in them. But I was drawn to this mix and feel of African culture, and when I realized how cool it could be, that’s what excited me to go in this direction for this album.
Indra Raj: All right. I think that’s a good segue into some of the music that we’re going to hear together today. The first selection you chose is from Sékou Keita, who is a Malian kora player. This selection is called N’naffa. Do you want to say a little bit about why you chose this piece of music?
Salin: I love Sékou Keita’s playing. He’s a kora player, but I find that this song has a jazzy feel in the sense that it’s always improvised — and jazz comes from African music anyway. There’s this element of improvisation, and I just really love the rhythm of it. The way he plays the kora is also very similar to how Thai guitarists play Thai guitar. You’ll hear it in the song — how even the rhythm could work if I played a Thai rhythm underneath it. There are all these rhythmic aspects and instrumental aspects that cross cultures, and that’s why I chose this song.
Indra Raj: Next up is a selection from the artist Ji, who is an artist I am not familiar with — and probably not many of our listeners are either. Tell us a little bit about why you chose this.
Salin: I chose this piece because you can hear how her vocal style is very similar to Thai folk. She is a singer from Northeast Thailand. You’ll hear the influences in the way the guitar is played and the rhythm as well.
Indra Raj: Can you tell us a little bit more about the tradition she comes from, for those who may not know?
Salin: Mor lam is a genre that comes from Isan, the northeast of Thailand. It is a folk style that arose through the mix of Thai people and U.S. soldiers during the Cold War, when Thailand became a hub where soldiers socialized and found entertainment, jamming with local musicians. When you hear mor lam style, there is this mix of rock, psychedelic rock, and traditional elements. The song I chose is more traditional compared to modern mor lam, but you’ll hear a bit of that influence.
Indra Raj: You chose some music from The Impossibles — a song called Give It Up. Tell us a little about this selection.
Salin: The Impossibles were actually a funk band from the 1970s. You’ll hear a lot of American influence — the funk movement from America really inspired musicians around the world, including in Thailand. This is how Thai funk came about — they were one of the most popular Thai funk bands. I just love the groove so much and how tight it is. They’re probably one of the only bands from Thailand signed to Warner Music, if I’m not wrong. But yeah — here it is.
Indra Raj: And the last selection you have today is from the band Khruangbin. This is the song Dá Lạ. Tell us a little bit about why you chose this.
Salin: Dá Lạ is actually about a Thai traditional game that Thai people play. I used to do that when I was little. You cut a coconut in half, tie a rope from one coconut to another, step on it, and walk — so it’s walking Thai style. The first time I heard the song, I thought the melody sounded very Thai to me. I don’t know if they copied from somewhere, but it just sounds like Thailand. It has a very distinctive sound — the prominent Thai funk guitar style now — and that also inspired my stuff. So yeah, here is Dá Lạ from Khruangbin.
Indra Raj: You’re going to be playing a couple of live shows here in Denver and the Boulder area. What can people expect from the shows?
Salin: I’m definitely taking people on a journey. We’ll start from one place and go to another. They’ll hear songs from my new album, and we’ll play a couple of songs from my old EP as well — Kuta and Siam. We just want to have fun, have a good time, and share some joy and love in the chaoticness of this era right now.
Indra Raj: Yes, that’s very much needed. Thank you so much, Salin, for sharing some music with us today. We look forward to having you here on the Front Range very soon.
Salin: Thank you, Indra.
Indra Raj: Thank you.
