SALIN BROUGHT AFRO-THAI FUNK EUPHORIA TO THE LODGE ROOM IN LOS ANGELES
Salin, the internationally renowned drummer and trailblazing architect behind the genre-blending phenomenon known as “Afro Thai Funk,” brought her electrifying artistry to The Lodge Room in Los Angeles last week—and left the city spinning in her wake. Born in Thailand and now based in Canada, Salin has spent the past year building a firestorm of momentum. Between the release of her groundbreaking 2025 album Rammana and a jaw-dropping KEXP session that’s been making the rounds on every music lover’s feed, it’s safe to say she’s no longer a rising star—she’s a comet in full blaze.
Her performance in Highland Park wasn’t just a concert. It was a ceremony. A near sell-out, the show gathered a vibrant, multi-generational crowd—fans who had clearly been waiting for this moment. And when Salin and her impossibly tight band took the stage, the room didn’t just light up, it exploded. We’ve covered countless shows at the Lodge Room over the years—from sweaty hardcore matinees to transcendent indie rock nights—but never, never, have we seen a room so unified in pure joy. There was smiling. There was dancing. There were people who forgot where they were and just moved, carried by the hypnotic magic of the rhythm.
Songs like “Current” and “Si Chomphu” felt like spiritual awakenings. Salin’s drumming wasn’t just precise—it was alive. Her rhythmic phrasing wove seamlessly through dizzying psychedelic guitar lines, juicy bass grooves, bombastic horns, and keys that shimmered like sonic moonlight. You could hear the influence of Thai molam and funk legends alike, but what made the set so captivating was how she made it all unmistakably her own. This wasn’t fusion for fusion’s sake—it was a vibrant, fearless expression of identity, culture, and serious musicianship.
Her band? Good luck finding tighter players. Every note felt intentional but free, like they were all plugged into the same spirit and just letting it move through them. The connection between band and audience was immediate and unbreakable. You could see it in the head-nods, the cheers, the spontaneous outbursts of “WHAT?!” during every particularly filthy drum fill.
At Get Some Magazine, we go to a lot of shows. It’s literally our job. But every once in a while, something happens on stage that makes you forget you’re working. Salin did that. And then some. We’re already counting down the days until she returns for what has to be a full-scale North American tour. If last week’s show was any indication, that tour is going to sell out fast—and deservingly so.
