Culled from what survived from the ruthless Khmer Rouge era, this compilation provides a fascinating glimpse into Cambodia’s lost musical golden age
Various Artists/ The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Cambodia
Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge regime during the 1970s has gone down in history as being responsible for one of the worst genocides the world has ever witnessed. In the span of a mere four years, more than two million people, including professionals, intellectuals and artists in all disciplines were brutally executed. Books, films and recordings were also annihilated, leaving Khmer culture and civilisation teetering on the brink of extinction. However, by some miracle, some recordings by the country’s best known artists including Sin Sisamouth, Ros Sereysothea and Pan Ron survived. Collectively these once thought lost recordings shed light on the the sounds that were blossoming in the ’60s and ’70s — an intriguing sonic hybrid of traditional Cambodian music and many different shades of Western rock.
Released as part of the World Music Network’s excellent Rough Guide series, The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Cambodia features original tracks by the aforementioned artists and some new ones courtesy of top Cambodian revival bands Dengue Fever and the Cambodian Space Project. The compilation kicks off with Jam 10 Kai Theit (Wait 10 Months More) and Paem Nas Sneha (Love Like Honey) by legendary songstresses Ros Sereysothea and Pan Ron, respectively. Crunchy electric guitar riffs, double picking, reverb — the 1960s surf influences here are unmistakable, not to mention those unflinching vocals that add a distinc psychedelic element to the proceedings.
The rest is a smorgasbord of oldies of similar persuasions (Ros Sereysothea’s Chnam Oun Dop Praya Mauy, Yos Olarang’s Cyclo) and Khmer covers of Western classics such as Shocking Blue’s Venus (Ros Sereysothea’s Komlos Sey Chaom) and House Of The Rising Sun (Sin Sisamouth’s Thgnai Kor Chrer). On the more contemporary front, we have Dengue Fever and the Cambodian Space Project offering up a more polished take on the genre with Tiger Phone Card and Whiskey Cambodia. (The Cambodian Space Project are also responsible for the bonus disc Out of the Black and Into the Stratosphere, in case you can’t get enough.)
The Rough Guide to Psychedelic Cambodia does an excellent job in providing an exhilarating overview of Cambodia’s bustling creative spirit from 50 years ago up to the present day. With this compilation, the musical legacy of national legends such as Ros Sereysothea, Sin Sisamouth and Pan Ron live on. Most important of all, it stands as an inspiring testament to human resilience in the face of devastating tragedy.
THE PLAYLIST
Cyndi Seui/ Hey You
Cyndi Seui is the one-man electro-pop project of Thai-born Filipino Cesar B de Guzman, also known as Tar. Along with fellow musician Yuri’s Nominee, Tar set up the edgy indie label Kitsch Cat which has become home to some of the most exciting electronic acts this country has to offer (Gramaphone Children, Apolo, Stargazer). Here on Hey You, lifted from his latest Toy Boy EP, Tar has once again put his love for vintage synths to good use, offering a ray of sunshine that makes for a perfect antidote to rainy days.
Jessie Ware/ Tough Love
Following the success of her exceptional debut album in 2012, Devotion, English songstress Jessie Ware has made her return with Tough Love, the first single taken from her forthcoming yet-to-be-named new album. This semi-ballad finds Ware in all her stately glory, delivering lush yet understated lines about a little thing called love. “You have me crying out/Crying out for more,” she croons over the cleverly measured combination of synths and percussion. No other female artist right now can quite serve up an elegant piece of soul-pop of this calibre.
Passenger/ Scare Away the Dark
This year has seen a rise in songs dedicated to the daily grind of modern life (St Vincent’s Digital Witness and Damon Albarn’s Everyday Robots are two notable examples), and now Passenger is hopping on the bandwagon. On his latest single, Scare Away the Dark, the British singer-songwriter discusses how “we want something real not just hashtags and Twitter”, before adding that “we’re scared of drowning, flying and shooters, but we’re all slowly dying in front of computers”. While there’s definitely some truth in that, it’s Passenger’s distinctive voice that steals the show.
Jamie xx/ All Under One Roof Raving
The xx’s resident beatmaker Jamie Smith has been relentless in cranking out new tunes of late, and here’s his latest. Following previous releases Sleep Sound and Girl, the aptly-named All Under One Roof Raving pays tribute to the UK’s legendary rave scene, and serves as Smith’s love letter to his home town, London, while he was on the road touring with the xx. Inspired by Mark Leckey’s 1999 short film Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore, the six-minute jam is packed full of infectious steel drum synths and bubbling basslines, laced with a series of intriguing vocal samples.
Linkin Park/ Final Masquerade
Remember Linkin Park, a once popular rap/nu-metal act from the turn of the millennium? Well, they’re back with their sixth studio record, The Hunting Party. Final Masquerade is the album’s third single after Guilty all the Same and Until it’s Gone, and it’s bursting at the seams with the sextet’s pent-up angst paired with a scruffy guitar and typically bleak lyrics. “The light on the horizon/Was brighter yesterday/Shadows floating over/Skies begin to fade,” frontman Chester Bennington sings, sounding as if on the verge of a meltdown as always.
