“Laem–Max” Team Up on “Bang Sing (Ost. 4 Kings II),” Bringing In “Yai Loso” for Grunge Drums That Take You Back to the 90s

The comeback of the sequel “4 Kings II” is a huge deal — and this time, besides Neramitnung Film and Shinesaeng Ad.Venture going all-out on the film's production, they're placing just as much importance on the soundtrack. With two immensely talented singers, Laem–Sompol Rungphanit and Max–Natthawut Chenmana, starring in the film, the two are also showing off their skills with a cover of the film's theme song, “Bang Sing,” by legendary alternative band “Modern Dog,” no less. Max takes on the role of executive producer, while Laem handles music production together with Win–Withawin Amonrattanasak, bringing in 90s drumming icon Yai–Kittisak Khotkham, better known as “Yai Loso,” to create the drum sound for this song as well.

As for the music video, the whole team traveled to film at a flat in Khlong Toei as the main location. Besides Laem, Jee–Sutthirak Sapwijit, and Big–Ukrit Willebrord Don Gabriel, also known as Big D Gerrard, appeared as representatives from each gang — Kanok, Buranaphon, and Dek Baan — Max and Yai Loso also helped build the music to make the filming atmosphere even more intense, with Max getting so into playing the guitar that his hand actually started bleeding.

Laem–Sompol revealed, “Taking the song 'Bang Sing' and reworking it was difficult — we went for a new sound, fighting against its original success. We had to piece the song's story back together to tell it for this era. As for why it had to be Yai on drums — we heard a voice in our heads saying it had to be him. The drum sound that was clearest and most recognizable from that era had to be 'Loso' — it's probably the sound everyone remembers fondly. We wanted to hear that sound again.”

For his part, Max added, “Shooting the MV was wild and intense — I never thought I'd get to feel like a teenager again. I thrashed the guitar so hard, it was so much fun — it was the first time in my life I've played guitar until my hand bled. I'm not washing off the bloodstain, I'm keeping it to look at. You could call me 'Max, the Bloody Guitar' at this point. I feel honored to have covered a song by 'Modern Dog' and to have played guitar alongside Laem–Sompol, with Yai Loso on drums too — it's beyond anything I dreamed of. Laem taught me a lot of things — he really lives up to his reputation. The song 'Bang Sing' takes us back to the era when grunge music was on the rise. The drums Yai played, we tuned low to match that 'Nirvana' sound — it takes everyone back to the alternative era, the golden age of grunge.”

Yai–Kittisak said, “When Laem called to ask me, I asked him why he wanted me on drums. He said he wanted music in the vein of Pearl Jam or Nirvana, which happened to suit me perfectly, so we got to rock together. We brought in some rawness to match the mood of the song. This is the third film soundtrack I've ever done, coming after the last one I did 13 years ago.”

To wrap up, Jee–Sutthirak and Big D Gerrard revealed, “This is the first time we've really crystallized how our characters feel, after everything we went through — the old grudges, the resentment we used to carry. This music video feels like we're meeting again, now that we've grown up and understand everything. It's a journey through the characters' emotions — anger, letting go, guilt, and sorrow. We'd love for everyone to check out this music video. It brings together everything Laem and Max poured into it — they really put their heart into working on this song, to do justice to using a song by a legendary band like 'Modern Dog' for the 4 Kings II soundtrack.”Don't miss the music video for “Bang Sing,” the film-soundtrack version, “4 Kings II” out today at 19:00 hrs. via www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRqlMF5hCVw Also catch “ 4 Kings II” on 30 November, together in cinemas.