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A new generation of Thai musicians reimagines classics with Mac
Rising talents use the power of Apple technology to honour the past and explore new possibilities for Thai music
In the studios of GMM Grammy, a familiar melody fills the air — one that countless Thais have grown up hearing. But this time, it sounds different. Warmer. More expansive. The kind of sound that feels both timeless and new.
The song is by COCKTAIL, one of Thailand’s most beloved rock bands. Their music — cinematic, emotional, deeply human — helped shape the landscape of Thai rock and paved the way for a generation of young Thai artists to pick up an instrument, write a verse, or open GarageBand for the first time.
As COCKTAIL prepares to take their final bow after over 20 years of sweeping anthems and poetic lyrics, nine emerging Thai artists are re-creating their most iconic tracks for a new album titled Ours Ever - Tribute to COCKTAIL. For them, the creative process doesn’t begin in a traditional studio. It begins on the Mac.
More than a tribute to the legacy of COCKTAIL, this album is a musical reinterpretation in Spatial Audio, told through the lens of this new generation of artists, with the Mac and Logic Pro as their creative companions.
Across the project, the artists agree on one thing — with powerful tools like Logic Pro and Spatial Audio, every sound and every emotion comes to life in a new dimension. “It makes the music feel like a world you can walk into,” shares contributory artist TIGGER. “It’s how we put a fresh spin on these COCKTAIL songs, and the closest thing to letting people hear what we hear in our heads.”
Reimagining the Familiar
For the brother-sister duo Yes Indeed, part of Thailand’s growing indie-pop wave, the project has been both nostalgic and transformative.
Their home studio — a cosy room on the outskirts of Bangkok filled with guitars, cables, and a single MacBook Pro — has become the heart of their creative process.
“We started on GarageBand, just figuring it out,” they recall. “But we fell in love with Logic Pro. It was such an easy jump — suddenly everything was more professional, more intuitive.”
“COCKTAIL’s music is emotional — it’s built around storytelling,” shares Narakorn “Pause” Itsarawarangkul, vocalist and guitarist of Yes Indeed. “We wanted to keep that emotion but translate it into something that felt like us — more atmospheric, more dreamlike.”
Working entirely in Logic Pro, Yes Indeed first dissected the original arrangement of the COCKTAIL song “Never Mind,” and then rebuilt it piece by piece. Synths replaced guitars; layered harmonies replaced power chords.
“We first recorded a quick guitar and vocal guide into Voice Memos on my iPhone, and that raw memo was dropped into Logic Pro on MacBook Pro,” they share. “We were blown away by Stem Splitter. The ability to take a track and pull it apart is game changing, especially when reimagining a song.”
Spatial Audio then gives their indie-rock arrangement a new dimension, focusing on the acoustic guitar to make it feel warm and present. “We’re taking a fast song and making it slow. Spatial Audio makes that so interesting and gave us so much room to play,” says Itsaree “Pancake” Itsarawarangkul, Yes Indeed’s lead vocalist. “You can feel the depth of the sound — it feels more alive.”
The transformation is remarkable. The emotional core of COCKTAIL’s music remains intact, but the texture — airy, immersive, shimmering — belongs entirely to Yes Indeed.
Bridging Heritage and Modernity
MONICA’s music has always been a way to connect two worlds: the Thai traditions she grew up with, and the modern global sound she aspires to.
Her take on COCKTAIL’s “Dancing on a Full Moon Night” is a poignant love song that references the moon. “I want my music to tell my story,” she says, and her story involves a funky hip-hop twist. “I’m adding my own spin, a new beat, and my signature Thai ad-libs into the synth mix.”
As a first-time Mac user, MONICA is enjoying the discovery of all of its possibilities. She often runs multiple creative apps at once, and has been struck by how effortlessly it all flows. “I can have everything open, everything running, and it just works,” she says with a smile. “The performance of the M4 Max chip is just incredible — it keeps up with me, no matter how big the project gets.”
As someone constantly on the move, bouncing between writing sessions, rehearsals, and performances, a seamless workflow matters to MONICA. “I’ll write lyrics in Notes on my iPhone, and it instantly syncs on my MacBook through iCloud. It makes collaborating with my creative partners instantaneous and effortless, and I feel like I can take my studio on the road,” she adds.
After years of experimenting with different digital audio workstations, using Logic Pro has transformed how MONICA creates. “The EQ on Logic Pro is so detailed,” she says, isolating a frequency and toggling it on and off. “I can get the exact sound I want. And Smart Tempo just makes everything sound more rounded. I also love all the built-in instruments and effect plug-ins. Features like these are why I made the switch to Logic Pro — there’s just so much that makes sense for making music.”
Creating a Feeling in Spatial Audio
For TIGGER, the goal with his reimagined COCKTAIL track is a specific feeling. His inspiration comes from people-watching, which he has translated into his track “Second to None,” chasing a sound that is “analogue, with a weird nostalgia, a floating feeling.”
“My mum was a DJ at one point in her career,” he recalls. “I grew up with every generation of the iPod full of techno, jazz, soul, Michael Jackson, and more. I was obsessed with Beyoncé as a kid. ‘Love On Top’ was the first time I realised what a key change could do to someone.”
Despite growing up in a musical household with two famous musician parents, TIGGER has been forging his own path as a bona fide artist himself, picking up every instrument possible to create his distinct sound.
Experiencing Spatial Audio in a studio session was an awakening for TIGGER. “As a multi-instrument musician, the possibilities around creating in Spatial Audio are endless. It actually makes you feel like you are in the song,” he says. “It scratches your brain, that 3D feeling.”
When working on the go, he easily checks his mix across his MacBook Pro, iPhone, and iPad Pro via the devices’ built-in speakers and his AirPods Max. “What’s wild is that the sound is consistent on all my devices. And working in Spatial Audio on my Mac is incredible,” he adds. “I can layer dozens of tracks, experiment with different textures, and move sounds around in three dimensions, and it handles everything with ease. It’s powerful enough to keep up with every idea I throw at it, which means I can focus entirely on creating.”
Honouring the Past, Creating the Future
For Yes Indeed, MONICA, and TIGGER, this experience has been a creative challenge and a personal statement. Each found a new way to express their artistry, connect with their memories of COCKTAIL’s music, and explore the power of sound in three dimensions.
“We love making music in our studio, but creativity doesn’t always wait for a studio space,” says Yes Indeed. “We capture ideas on the iPad when we’re on the move, and finish them back on the Mac. Music used to be about access. Now it’s about imagination — and having the freedom to create on our MacBook Pro whenever inspiration hits.”
Armed with Apple’s latest hardware, software, and services as their blueprint, and Spatial Audio as their new dimension, they are proving that in the right hands, technology doesn’t create the sound — it simply — and powerfully — unleashes the artist. It allows listeners to discover these reimagined classics with a new depth and presence, transforming their listening experience on Apple Music.
Ours Ever - Tribute to COCKTAIL is now available on Apple Music in Spatial Audio. It features nine tracks by emerging artists from Thailand’s leading record label GMM Grammy — including Jung PERSES, MEYOU, MONICA, Only Monday, Samui, TIGGER, Yes Indeed, XX, and Bomb at Track. Audiences can add the EP to their library and listen to it with compatible devices, and sign up for a special Today at Apple session to learn more about creating in Spatial Audio on Logic Pro, featuring XX, MONICA, and TIGGER.
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