Music of Cambodia

1. Trott

2. Tep Monorom

3. Reamker-Prolaom

4. Kek Mon Pi Choan/Chhvea Krong Phka

5. Reamker-Scène Finale/Last Scene

6. Aye-Aye

7. Robam Apsara

8. Trott-Solo de Takhé/Takhe Solo

9. Preah Noriey Baeng Pheak

Tracks:

We Were Gonna
Sui Bong
Tip My Canoe
Tap Water
Sleepwalking Through The Mekong
One Thousand Tears Of A Tarautula
Escape From Dragon House
Made Of Steam
Lake Delores
Saran Wrap
Hummingbird

Amazon.com

Named for a remarkably unpleasant tropical disease, Dengue Fever is a seething Petri dish of mutating influences. The band was spawned when the American founders became fascinated by an unlikely combination of Cambodian music and Buda Musique's multi-volume Ethiopiques series, which documents that country¹s sixties pop heyday. Meanwhile, their future lead singer, famed Cambodian chanteuse Ch'hom Nimol, had grown up with East Asian/American hybrids which had erupted when local musicians internalized and transformed sounds they heard on Vietnam-war-era American Armed Forces Radio. Churning, vertiginous rhythms and honking sax lines betray the Ethiopian sources while stratospherically ornamented yet demure Cameroonian folkways inform the lead vocals (sung in English and Khmer) and Zac Holtzman¹s dan bau (a Vietnamese mono-string instrument). But the mix further incorporates campy organ riffs straight out of Question Mark and the Mysterians, the Shangri-Las' stiletto-edged girl-group theatrics and Ennio Morricone¹s surreal Spaghetti Western guitars. The group's stage persona is equally eclectic, ranging from a sweet-faced "Oriental" B-movie heroine, to a guy whose beard would scare the heck out of ZZ Top, to a latter-day Super-Fly clone. A testament to following your own star no matter what, Escape from Dragon House is at once blindingly authentic in the cosmic sense and delightfully deranged. --Christina Roden

Album Description

On "Escape From Dragon House" the sound is denser, thicker and richer than on their 2003 self titled debut. Escape From Dragon House is darker musically and lyrically with a fully relized style melting all of their incluences into one realized voice that's pure Dengue Fever.

Customer Reviews:

AAAAH it's SOOO good.......2007-03-03

crazy hypnotic world-ish music that sounds like Asian Dave Matthews Band. listen and let your mind get blown.

A very good album...again........2006-08-29

This second album of Dengue Fever is as almost good as the first. I think some of the songs at the end ain't too good. But the tunes 1-7 is perfect, maybe?

All over, it's a good album, fun to listen.

Awesome.......2006-08-17

This is so cool to hear this eccletic fusion of classic Khmer singing with all types of western instruments! I love it!

Give us Dengue Fever or kill all the Karoakee stars.......2005-12-24

I never thought that this is possible-the Americans playing my favorite oldies. I'd love to see the band hook up with Sothy (Boxing Music) because his lyrics are out of this world. I'm waiting for the next chapter. I'm freaking out of my mind knowing my brothers and sisters in Kampuchea are appreciating the difference. I'm so damn proud to have good tastes in good music like all my brothers and sisters. Damn pol pot would have like to put today's Karoakee stars to good use. Chhom Nimol is damn fine and hotter than a Phnom Penh's morning in April. She is sizzling HOT!!

Escape From Dragon House.......2005-11-30

This is the most breath taking cd ever.
I loved every second of it the first time I heard it, and I kept on loving it even after the cd was done spinning.
Very high reccomendation.

Average customer rating:

not as good as the 2nd album but still fabulous
Dengue Fever Music CD
I love this band.
dengue way to go
great hardhitting gumbo funk y'all

Dengue Fever
Dengue Fever
Manufacturer: Mimicry
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Cambodia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

Rock | International | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Surf Rock | Oldies & Retro | Rock | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Escape from Dragon House
Cambodian Rocks Volume 1
Thai Beat A Go-Go, Vol. 2
Thai Beat A Go-Go, Vol. 1
Thai Beat A Go-Go, Vol. 3

ASIN: B0000996H5
Release Date: 2003-06-24

Tracks:

Lost in Laos
I'm Sixteen
22 Nights
Hold My Hips
Flowers
Thanks-A-Lot
New Year's Eve
Et Hanopium
Glass Of Wine
Shave Your Beard
Pow Pow
Connect Four

Album Description

2003 debut on the Mimicry label is multicultural pop featuring the vocals of Cambodian emigre Chhom Nimol (all the vocals are sung in Khmer). Retro surf guitar, the throwback psychedelic tone of the Farfisa organ, rhythms on songs like 'Pow Pow' that conjure visions of James Bond dancing the Swim in a Hong Kong nightclub, as well as the absence of any post-punk or disco residue, create a sense of time displacement. This music could just as easily have been heard decades ago, long before American demographics had absorbed Asian pop influences. 12 tracks.

Customer Reviews:

not as good as the 2nd album but still fabulous.......2007-03-03

heh i just got back from 10 days in cambodia...didn't get a chance to hit up any of the local music scenes but hearing this, i wish i had. anyway, this really is the yin to the second album's yang...mostly because once you're finished listening to "escape" you simply must have more of this intoxicating stuff.

Dengue Fever Music CD.......2006-11-10

Dengue Fever should never have try to play Cambodian Rock. Their songs selection is really bad and they sound aweful!

I love this band........2006-08-26

This is an album packed with good music. The singers voice is lovely (and her body ... she's hot!), the band is proffesional and the sound is a perfect mix.

It's easy to like, even I can't understand a word she's singing. I will look forward to get more from this band!

You should buy this CD, and listen to it a lot.

dengue way to go.......2005-12-21

I grew up with a family that listens to cambodian songs...although i am cambodia, i grew up here not speakin much of it, so i don't listen cambodian songs at all, because i don't really understand it. But when i heard about dengue fever..i was intrigue..i thought it was so cute seeing american people singing background vocals and playing the instrument for a cambodian lady. I 've heard most of the original songs that dengue fever resang, but with the recreate of vocals by adding in the band..i think this is great band, idea and CD...i think this band accentuate the life of what cambodian people are really about through their music with their unique combination of styles...we are fun and we love life..

great hardhitting gumbo funk y'all.......2005-12-02

absolutely essential .

brilliant

crispy drums
organ grooves

dont sleep on this one

(music to warm up the winter)

Average customer rating:

Wow, this is awesome!

Escape from Dragon House
Dengue Fever
Manufacturer: M80
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Cambodia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Dengue Fever
Cambodian Rocks Volume 1
Cambodian Rocks Volume 2
Cambodian Rocks Volume 4
What's the Time Mr. Wolf?

ASIN: B000N6UCTK
Release Date: 2007-03-27

Tracks:

We Were Gonna
Sui Bong
Tip My Canoe
Tap Water
Sleepwalking Through the Mekong
One Thousand Tears Of a Tarantula
Escape From Dragon House
Made Of Steam
Lake Dolores
Saran Wrap
Hummingbird
Bonus Track: Revenge Of the Tarantula

Album Description

"If you can imagine a band where a Cambodian beauty queen shares the stage with Rasputin, Barry White, Allen Ginsberg, Michael Hutchence, and Brian Wilson, you'd have a pretty good idea of the group Dengue Fever." -- L.A. TIMES

"Her voice is swathed in reverb, becoming instantly mythic." -- THE WIRE

"The culture clash inherent to this band gives its debut a dynamic flair." -- TIME OUT NEW YORK

"Dengue Fever is at the vanguard of an emerging global pop sensibility, making familiar yet eerily unique music." -- KEXP

Fronted by Cambodian pop star Ch'hom Nimol, who sings in Khmer, Los Angeles sextet Dengue Fever blends the rhythms of sixties Cambodian pop--heavily influenced by American surf, rock, and early psychedelic garage bands--with their own eclectic mix of American and international styles. Unlike the world music bands of the late eighties, Dengue Fever is more concerned with a universal groove and breaking down musical barriers than with notions of authenticity. There are echoes of Bollywood soundtracks, Ethiopian soul, American R&B, Cambodian folk, Spaghetti Western weirdness, and girl-group angst in the mix, but the resulting concoction is the band's own.

On Escape from Dragon House, the sound is denser, thicker, and richer than on the group's 2003 self-titled debut. Escape from Dragon House is also darker, both musically and lyrically, with a fully realized style that melts all of the band's influences into one realized voice that is pure Dengue Fever.

Customer Reviews:

Wow, this is awesome!.......2007-05-13

I bought the original version of this CD after stumbling across Dengue Fever on the National Geographic world music website under Cambodia (even though the band is in Southern California -- where else!). What a find! From the moment I popped it into my CD player, I was hooked. I can't exactly claim to be a world music aficionado, but I do like to try different kinds of music from just about everywhere, and every once in a while I get lucky and find a real gem like this one.

I can't understand a word of Khmer, but that was no impediment to my falling in love with Chhom Nimol. Her voice is powerful, clear, and mesmerizing. The music feels kind of like a time warp. It makes me feel good. In trying to describe it, words like mod, cool, groovy, and funky come to mind. There's one track in particular, "One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula," that makes me feel like I'm dissolving or something; I don't know how else to describe it. How do they do that??? At first my wife thought I was going a little crazy listening to that -- but I think I've got her liking it now too. There are a whole lot of other great tracks here too. Give it a try -- you won't regret it! By the way, I also have their self-titled debut album and it has the same addictive effect on me.

Just the other day I bought this recently released enhanced version of this CD, partly because I was afraid of wearing the first one out. The bonus track is kind of fun, and the video is fantastic! The whole band looks really cool. It's psychadelic! -- I hope I can use that word here without giving the wrong connotation. And in case I haven't said it already, Chhom Nimol is beautiful.

Pavarotti & Friends: For Cambodia and Tibet

Average customer rating:

Excellent video....
Great songs sung by a diverse group of artists
Pavarotti's Best War Child Concert
Very diverse! Loved it!
A wonderfully enjoyable and diverse collection of music

Pavarotti & Friends: For Cambodia and Tibet
Traci Chapman , Eurythmics , Savage Garden , George Michael , Aqua , and Skunk Anansie
Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Cambodia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Pavarotti & Friends For Guatemala And Kosovo
Pavarotti & Friends 2
Pavarotti & Friends
Together for the Children of Bosnia
Pavarotti & Friends - For The Children Of Liberia

ASIN: B00004XR5E
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Cielito lindo
Around The World
There Must Be An Angel
I Knew I Loved You
Guarda che luna
Brother, Can You Spare A Dime
Tracy's Flaw
Baby, Can I Hold You Tonight
'O sole mio
You'll Follow Me Down
A Wonderful World
Agnus Dei
Desde que o samba e samba
Funiculi, funicula
Telling Stories
Se e vero che ci sei
I Saved The World Today
Manha de Carnival
Be With You
All You Need Is Love

Amazon.com

With the seventh installment of Pavarotti & Friends: For Cambodia and Tibet, the beloved tenor assembles yet another all-star cast of musicians in hopes of helping the children of Cambodia and Tibet. The music of the pop stars--which ranges from the modern rock of the veteran Eurythmics to the dance-pop of Aqua--really steals the show here, with Pavarotti lending his impeccable vocal support. Tracy Chapman performs "Baby Can I Hold You" as a duet with Pavarotti, and Eurythmics team up with him on "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)." Of course, the tenor's fans will be begging to hear the opera great in his element, and it's no surprise that he shines on Bizet's "Agnus Dei," with international pop star Mónica Naranjo joining in; Eduardo Di Capua's "O Sole Mio," with Savage Garden; or even Luigi Denza's "Funiculi, Funicula," with Aqua and a children's chorus. As globetrotting benefit tributes go, this is a mixed bag, but there's probably something here for everyone. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews:

Excellent video...........2002-10-13

I am a fan of Savage Garden, The Eurythmics, and George Michael - all of them did a great job with and without Pavarotti....

And the man who sang O SOLE MIO - Darren Hayes (formerly of Savage Garden)... has the most beautiful- angelic- sultry and great voices I have ever heard - and to do it in Neapoliaton Italian (dialect) and in my opinion the best duet of ALL of them featured!!!!!

Great songs sung by a diverse group of artists.......2002-02-07

As always, Maestro Pavarotti's Modena concerts are highly entertaining and uplifting.
All artists sang two songs during the concert (one on their own and another with Maestro Pavarotti), but unfortunately not all of the songs are featured on this video. Another shortcoming is that there are no interviews or any extra footage.

It is funny to hear Pavarotti sing a pop tune as it is equally funny to see a pop singer with virtually no voice doing "O Sole Mio", but if it is all in good spirit and for charity, then it is enjoyable.

If you are intersted in European music scene or simply love Pavarotti, this tape will be a great treat for you.

Pavarotti's Best War Child Concert.......2002-01-04

Bravo showed this concert on New Years 2002 and it blew my mind. It is certainly the best of the War Child concerts, which started in 1996 as Pavarotti's effort to help the children of war-torn countries.
Like in the previous concerts, Pavarotti appears with international pop stars in the open-air piazza of his home town, Modena, Italy. (How do I get tickets for that?)
If you haven't heard any of these concerts, also available on CDs, you will be surprised how well Pavarotti's voice--a voice that makes the gods swoon--blends with the likes of Enrique Iglesias, George Michael, Tracy Chapman, and the Eurythmics. Previous concerts included B.B. King, Elton John, Ricky Martin, and Liza Minelli. Sometimes he sings along in English, sometimes in Italian counterpoint. The effect is stupdendous! These concerts display all the beauty of this great operatic voice while at the same time honoring the art of our greatest pop artists.
What makes this video the best is the children's chorus, the combined Ars Canto of Parmi, Italy, and the Children's Choir of Cambodia and Tibet. The video starts with this chorus joining Pavarotti and the totally sexy Enrique Iglesias in a rousing "Cielito Lindo."
Pavarotti really knows entertainment and in this one he pulls out all the stops! Best of all, part of the proceeds of this tape goes to benefit the children of Cambodia and Tibet. Pavarotti's efforts to help War Child have already built music centers for children in Kosovo, Liberia, and Guatemala. What great leadership!
He says on one of his jackets: "All too often, children are betrayed by the inhuman actions of adults, and become the innocent victims of war and cruelty. War Child is an energetic, and practical organization offering vital hope, working tirelessly for children to regain their rightful place in the world."

Very diverse! Loved it!.......2000-12-18

I am a HUGE Savage Garden fan so that was the main reason to buy this album. And I have to say Darren's voice is AWESOME in "O Sole Mio", the first time I listened to it it made me cry. So I bought the cd. I was glad to see that there are very enjoyable songs in the album not only the SG tracks. I loved Tracy Chapman's "Baby Can I Hold You Tonight" performance, now I am a Tracy fan too. You'll enjoy the performances by Aqua, Enrique Iglesias and Eurhytmics and of course the queen Tracy Chapman " ("Telling Stories" is superb!). I even discovered some new artists I had never heard of and I liked them. You won't be disappointed by this album.

A wonderfully enjoyable and diverse collection of music.......2000-11-05

This collection of music has given me great pleasure. Aqua's Around the World is a joy. Hearing the Eurythmics and Pavarotti perform together is fun and beautiful. I also especially liked Enrique Iglesias's Be with you. 20 tracks and 77 minutes of great music I will listen to again and again. And all for a good cause.

Average customer rating:

Infected

Radio Phnom Penh
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Sublime Frequencies
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Cambodia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | Pop | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk and Agit Pop from the Hermit Kingdom
Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq
Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk and Pop Music
Radio India: The Eternal Dream of Sound
Radio Morocco

ASIN: B0006Z2L2E
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Tracks:

Don't Want to Let You Go
Multi-Pop Indigenous
Blondie in Khmer Camouflage
Street Guns and Studio Drums
Synthesizers East of Siam
Indefinite State of Emergency
Phnom Penh on the Seine
Bubble Gum Independence
Rebel Guitars in Strange Dialect
Shiny Radio in a Blind Man's Wallet
Re-Mixed Culture or: The Graffiti Walls of Angkor Wat
Condoms and Condors
Sign-Off/The Venerable Anthem

Customer Reviews:

Infected.......2006-11-06

I am beginning to see this as one of my best buys of the year. You buy something like this, whether you admit it or not, because you like the idea of being the sort of person who'd buy something like this. But every time I put it on, I find it hard to take off. It is rammed with ideas that are new to me, and tunes that should be known to more people. I'm still a way off from being able to sing along, but it is infectious, and it makes me feel good. Vanity paid off for once.

Average customer rating:

Homrong: Classical Music from Cambodia

Manufacturer: Celestial Harmonies
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0006VF756
Release Date: 2004-11-15

Tracks:

Sathukar
Trak
Kaman
Bathom, Lea, Smoeu, Rua
Cheut Chheung
Cheut Reay
Khlom
Chamnan
Krao Nai, Lea
Yav, Rev, Lea

Album Description

Homrong by CHUM Ngek captures a rare performance of the twelve sacred songs that are pivotal to the Khmer classical music tradition known as pin peat.

The term, Homrong, refers to the entire series of pieces preserved on this recording. The sequence contains a complex body of Khmer artistic and cultural knowledge in condensed form.

The artist conceived the project in the mid-1990s when he realized that his life as an immigrant to the United States had simultaneously saved and put at risk his abundant musical knowledge. That he made it to the U.S. at all after nearly four years of life in Cambodia under the genocidal Khmer Rouge offered promise for the future of the three genres (pin peat, mohori, and phleng kar) he had mastered by the age of eighteen. CHUM was among the few fortunate and highly talented musicians to have escaped execution during the 1970s.

The artist says about his life in America: "In the U.S. I cannot make my living as a musician, so I do all of my teaching and performing on the weekends and evenings. And my students don't have much time to learn either. It has been hard for me to describe all of the music that I know and all of the skills that I have developed. There has been no way for me to teach the real art of Khmer music."

Tracks:

Sathouka - Pinpeat Orch
Trach Toch - Pinpeat Orch
Kaman Prathom - Pinpeat Orch
Lar Smeur Rou - Pinpeat Orch
Kravnay Chorn Chup - Pinpeat Orch
Pyadeun - Pinpeat Orch
Sompougn Klay - Taam Ming
Klang Chanat - Taam Ming
Trapeang Pey - Taam Ming
Lam - Srlay Solo
Somplov - Trot Orch
Lam (Part 1) - Trot Orch
Lam (Part 2) - Trot Orch
Neang Meo - Trot Orch

Tracks:

Sathouka - Pinpeat Orch
Trak Toch - Pinpeat Orch
Keak Borechet - Pinpeat Orch
Mea Haarit - Pinpeat Orch
Pream Keap Pruven - Pinpeat Orch
Dance Medley - Pinpeat Orch
Dance Medley - Pinpeat Orch
Laang Preah Poun Leah - Mahori Orch
Tombaan - Mahori Orch
Khmer Chroot Srau - Mahori Orch
Sat Mea Haori - Mahori Orch
Baaray Kuul - Mahori Orch
Sontheuk Pkor Kraom - Mahori Orch

Tracks:

Punleu Prey Viel - Yeum Sang
Yol & Bra Chab - Yeum Sang
Phat Cheay - Prach Chhuon
Sam Pov Thay - Sok Duch
Phat Cheay - Khan Heuan
Khlaong Thom - Yeum Sang
Sam Pong - Yon Khien
Ta Uk/'Grandfather (or Uncle) Uk' - Prach Chhuon
Sam Pong - Yeum Sang
Lom Ang Chhnong - Yon Khien
Sorin Khnang Phnom - Yeum Sang
Lom Neang - Yeum Sang
Bam Pe & Band Kong Kha'ek - Prach Chhuon

Amazon.com

This disc introduces Western ears to folk traditions that are almost unknown, even within Cambodia. The first music listeners hear is a pinpeat orchestra, a combination of reeds, fiddles and percussion--from bamboo marimbas, drums, metal clappers and bass drums. The music sounds like a gamelan, but with more drive, and a jazzy, improvisational feel. Next is a Taam Ming group--taam is the sound of a drum, ming the sound of a gong--playing music for funerals. These tunes are slow and mournful, with extended somber improvisations on the srlay (Cambodian oboe). Last is a trot orchestra, a group that plays a drum-and-vocal based folk music common to Northern Cambodia, that sounds at times similar to reggae funde drumming rituals. --j. poet

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully recorded, excellent, excellent.......2000-01-14

Music of Cambodia Vol. 1-3 [BOX SET] contains some of the most beautifully recorded music ever recorded in Cambodian during the 90s. From the ancient pin-peat orchestra which has it's links going all the way back to the Angkorian period with it's melodic structure is often associated with the Indonesian Gamelan Orchestra featured in the 9 Gong Gamelan. The pin-peat orchestra which is featured in the first album is comprised of xlyophones: roneat thung (a xylophone with a low pitch) and roneat ek (a xylophone with a high pitch), a sralay (oboe), khong-vong thom (large gong chimes) and khong-vong torch (small gong chimes), skor thom (two large barrel drums struck with beaters), samphor (a horizontal barrel drum played with hands)anfd the ching (metal clappers). In this recording the orchestra plays a number of different compositions. The next orchestra was Taam Ming or music of the ghost. Unlike pin-peat where it can be performed for royal and monastic function, Taam Ming is restricted to funeral purposes only. The orchestra comprise of 9-gong instrument, sralay (oboe), larger gong and skor thom (large barrel drum). There is also a solo recording of a sralay. This album also features folk music which is distinct in the Seam-Reap Province known as trot. The tracks include some a cappella songs and two other tracks that including singing accompanied with the trot orchestra. The trot orchestra includes skor (drums), tro (folk fiddle), pey-or (folk shawm), kancha (rattles)as well as hand claps. In the second album Royal Court Music the first few tracks features the Royal pin-peat orchestra in Phnom-Penh. Followed by the mahori orchestra which is the Khmer version of traditional pop music. The orchestra comprised of stringed instruments including: tro sor (a two stringed fiddle with a higher pitch), tro u (a two stringed fiddle with a lower pitch), tro khmer (Three stringed spiked fiddle), khim (dulcimer), takhe (wooden zither), roneat ek (high pitched xylophone) and roneat thung (xylophone with a lower pitch), ching (metal clappers), skor thun (snake-skin goblet drum), skor romanea (frame drum)and the khloy (bamboo flute) which accompanies traditional songs. The arak orchestra also featured in this track. This music used to heal the sick and is used as a medium, and is also used against black magic. This orchestra sounds pretty hazzy, mysterious and trance like atmosphere when performed. It's performed by older people. The orchestra comprise of: tro khmer (three stringed spike fiddle), chapey (long necked lute), sai-dev (stick zither, pey-or (folk shawm) and somestimes pey-pork (oboe which sounds like a clarinet) and also several skor arak (goblet drums)accompanied by singing. The next recording features solo instruments such as the sralay (oboe), khloy (flute), pey-or (folk-shawm), pey-pork (oboe)and the sneng (horn made from ivory or cows horn). In the third album Solol Instrumental Music it features a number of recordings performed by stringed instruments such as: tro khmer (three stringed spiked fiddle), chapey accompanied by singing (long necked lute), the very rare one stringed sai-dev (stick zither). Wind instruments include khloy (flute), sralay torch (small oboe), sralay thom (which is the large version of sralay torch), pey-or (folk-shawm) and pey-pork (oboe). In these three albums they contain information about the compositions and information about the musical instruments as well. I recomend this album for those who really enjoy Khmer music and want a variety of orchestras and instrumentations. Also this album is very beautifully recorded. For all those who enjoy something new and exotic. This is the album to listen to.

Beautifully recorded, excellent, excellent.......2000-01-14

Excellent - Excellent - Excellent.......1999-03-13

the recording is fantastic. I have other cultural music and a lot of times the are muddy and not that great. These discs are crisp they have great written info and the music is outstanding.

Customer Reviews:

Lots of Overdubs.......2006-11-21

Unfortunately, as mentioned in a previous review, I'm unable to take this release seriously. It is heavily over-dubbed with 'modern sounds'. Anyone with an interest in 60's / early 70's Camodian psych should give this a miss, and check out the excellent Khmer Rocks compilations of the same name, Volumes 1 - 4, instead.

Khmers Saw America in a Broken Fun-House Mirror.......2006-04-12

This CD is gr-reat! And it IS the original one. Many will complain of the lack of information- no names of artists or song-titles. For Khmers this may be important (if they don't already know them) or unimportant (if they do). For the average listener, the identity-mystery becomes part of what's cool about this record. There's no history lesson on this disk; it isn't a documentary production. Cambodia was at peace until its lives were upturned by American bombing. What this CD does for us is to show us that the American war next door was already making its presence felt in the lives, radios, ears, and minds of Cambodian youth. And not knowing a war yet, the kids loved American rock and roll. This record could not show the U.S. and its music in a more loving gaze. And vain American that I am, I'm fascinated by that love. The irony won't be lost in listening that the country was about to be destroyed, first by American soldiers under Washington's orders, then by the scared, maddened people of the country itself.
It's a shame that Parallel World's contribution (this CD) has been obscured by the adoption of the same CD title (Cambodian Rocks) by "Khmer Rocks, Inc.", who have also put out CDs of Cambodian pop under that title. They shouldn't have taken the title from this compilation. I highly recommend this to the curious.

here's something that no one has noticed about this album.......2005-04-14

On this music, the producers/compilers have committed what I consider to be an abominable crime. Throughout the CD-- on every song, in fact-- there are obvious overdubs of electronic drums and synthesizers. When I first heard the CD, I thought I was being put on; there was no way that all the sounds I was hearing were from the late 60's, and even early 70's. The more closely I listened, the more I realized that the people who put together the compilation had decided to beef up the tracks, apparently unhappy with their previous, original lack of poorly played, poorly mixed (and incredibly loud) tinny drum samples, or cheesy organ synthesizer. Every so often, there is an obvious original organ part, or original drum/percussion part, that comes through the mix, but generally what you're hearing on top is someone banging away at some electronic pads in the early-to-mid 90's.

The songs themselves are wonderful, and what remains unobscured of their original sonic qualities are warm, nostalgic, and inviting. The source performances are authentic, soulful and outstanding. I pray the original master tapes are available, and that the buzz this compilation has received over time would cause someone to consider remastering them without ruining them. The only thing I can think of that would let Parallel World off the hook is that this was the condition in which they found the songs. But the music is so varying, and the, erm, "treatments" are so consistent, that I find that hard to believe. I can't believe no one's mentioned this about the CD yet-- be forewarned.

Fun hybrid cultural mutation .......2004-10-15

22 uncredited but mostly classic fusions of cultures. Cambodian bar bands mirroring and reinventing western pop and rock forms of the (60s/70s) day. More fun than any recordings should have a right to be and absolutely essential to all lovers of music from this time period, or rock & roll in general.

Incredible Rock and Roll.......2004-07-20

I would kill for a track listing. I found this at the campus library and loved every second, but there's no track listings. I would love to be able to track down MORE music from these bands. They are absolutely incredible. They are highly recommended, incredibly nostalgic, but very new and fresh as well.

Homrong: The National Dance Company of Cambodia

Average customer rating:

A Wonderful Experience in the Music of Cambodia
Great stuff (contents) and great cd
homrong
homrong
interesting

Homrong: The National Dance Company of Cambodia
The National Dance Company of Cambodia
Manufacturer: Real World
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music

Cambodia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

The Music of Cambodia
The Music of Cambodia, Volume 2: Royal Court Music
Khmer Costumes & Ornaments: After the Devata of Angkor Wat
The Music of Vietnam 3 CD Boxed Set
Dengue Fever

ASIN: B000000HOE
Release Date: 1993-07-02

Tracks:

Breu Peyney
Leng Suan
Homrong
Tep Monorom Dance
Nor Kor Reach
Luok Phsar
Tropangpeay
Preah Chinnavong
Bohrapha
Mohori Bompay

Customer Reviews:

A Wonderful Experience in the Music of Cambodia.......2001-06-24

This is a wonderful CD. I will forever cherish it. I must have listened to this CD thousands of times, but it never gets old. The musicianship on this album is top-notch. I know that Kean's already done a great overview of the first few tracks, but I'll give you one anyway. Track one, Breu Peyney, is beautiful yet sad; a female vocalist accompanied by the chapey(Cambodian bass banjo), singing about the hardships of the Khmer Rouge era. Leng Suan is next, an energetic song that is part of the repetoire of the yikhe theatre. Drums and fiddle provide the accompaniment, and the vocals alternate from chorus to a single male. The lyrics speak of a girl picking flowers, used as metaphors for her desire. Track 3, Homrong, is one of my favorites in all the Khmer music i've heard. In this song, the phleng khmer orchestra(consisting of a folk fiddle, a low-pitched folk oboe, a chapey, a one-stringed instrument called a sadew, and an occasional vocalist),through its singer, gives praise to the master musicians, and asks for blessings from the gods. It gives off a very haunting mood, and this ensemble has a very rural flavor. Listening to track three(and seven), you can easily imagine yourself walking through the jungles of SE Asia and stumbling into a remote village during some sort of festivities. Track four, Robaim Tep Monorom, is from the repetoire of the pinpeat orchestra, consisting of xylophones, gongs, drums, occasional vocals, and an oboe as the orchestra's leader. This track has a lot of both beauty and energy. After the singers have finished their solos in the front-middle or the piece, the orchestra takes off with a very large oboe solo with very exotic drum patterns in the background. Track five, Norkor Reach, is another modern composition for chapey and voice, like track one. The lyrics also refer to the Khmer Rouge regime era. Track six, Luok Phsar, is another yikhe theater piece. This track features the famous Em Theay, a Khmer master singer who survived the Khmer Rouge horrors. The song's lyrics speak of how girls ought to stay inside and out of the sun, and tend to their beauty. Track seven, Tropeangpeay, is a beautiful, lively piece of the phleng khmer ensemble(see track three). The endearingly innocent lyrics speak of a scene of a boy and a girl(the girl being Tropeanpeay) helping each other bathe in a pool. The piece has a driving rhythm that accelerates towards the end, and keeps the listener interested. Track eight, Preah Chinnavong, is another pinpeat track with a more relaxed pace than track four, and a very majestic musical color. The lyrics speak of a story from an ancient Khmer legend. Track nine, Bohrapha, is PURE ENERGY. I'm not Khmer, so at first, the song's very non-western style and vocals took a little getting used to, but I was hooked in no time. The instruments used are a large, driving bass drum and a folk fiddle. The singing is high-paced and very fun, alternating between two main male singers and a chorus of what sounds like men, women, and possibly children. The drumbeats in this song, and also in a lot of Cambodian music, are almost identical to basic rock beats in Western pop music(All my American friends that don't like ethnic music that've heard such tracks also end up loving them). This song is absolutely addictive...everyone involved in the song is audibly having fun and various people make lots of festive, high-pitched trilling noises(think Mexico)in the background. The two main singers, at times, almost sound like they're holding back laughs. i can hear them in my mind's ear...."UHHHH! khon yeul pi neh aiyeu lang long trawsong! NGAAAA!" These people sound totally joyous, and the song invigorates and refreshes you down to your soul. Once track nine has you going about 120mph, it's time to go down to about 15mph for track ten. Track ten, Mohori Bompay, is a beautiful female vocal; a slow, short lullaby for a child. The singer, speaking as a mother, tells her child to use the mother as a pillow to rest his/her head. This CD is truly a jewel, and a must for anyone who likes Asian music. I'd also especially reccomend it to anyone that is thinking about getting a CD of music from the Thailand-Laos-Cambodia area(a huge percentage of traditional/classical music in Thailand and Laos is of Cambodian origin). This is a great introduction to many of the styles of this region. I only wish that this CD was a little longer...these musicians are wonderful and it is tragic that so little Cambodian music leaves the country's borders...but as I've said, the CD is a wonderful collection of Cambodians music. I rank it as my runner-up favorite Cambodian CD, along with Echoes from the Palace, a pinpeat CD by the Samang Sam Ensemble(and also tragically not available from seemingly any music/multimedia store...)....THIS CD ROCKS!! BUY IT! (~_~)

Great stuff (contents) and great cd.......2000-10-26

The album homrong is a very traditional Cambodian cd portraying from classical Cambodian music which would be associated with court dance right through to folk music often associated with the supernatural and other traditions by the common people of Cambodia. This cd presents in many aspects a variety of different kinds of music that are performed on different occasions. From the well known pin-peat orchestra accompanying classical court dances and featuring the voice of Em Theay who was just one of the few survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime through to the Phleng Khmer orchestra which is considered the most traditional and would be performed as part of traditional Khmer wedding ceremonies. The yikhe theatre much similar to likay theatre of neighbouring Thailand as well a as a few other new creations that were created by the National Dance Company, implying that some new styles are usually recreated from older styles of music giving them a new sense of life in many terms a kind of regeneration. This cd is a special and yet different one from all those that I have heard in a long time, showing a different variety of orchestras. Track one was a very touching and sad piece the song accompanied by a long neck lute called a chapey, describing about the Khmer Rouge regime and how the Khmer people suffered. In many ways it's quite nostalgic, a sense of time being lost and all other emotions brought on with the atmosphere and style of the music. Track two is a piece from the yikhe theatre and is an extract from the story called Neang Khar-Khey "The Unfaithful Woman" and describes the first meeting between her and the king in the royal garden. The music is very different and the style is quite lively with the loud beating of the drums, folk fiddle and vocals a typical of the yikhe style of singing. Containing extra zest and full of twists in the drumming pattern. Track three a traditional wedding piece performed by the Phleng Khmer orchestra, this style is very haunting and different for sure with the buzzing of the folk shawm, the male vocals paying homage and greeting the gods and spirits accompanied by other instruments in the orchestra. Track four is the traditional Pin-Peat orchestra, this piece is used to accompany a classical dance called Tep-Monorom "Dance of the gods and goddess of happiness". Overall this cd is great, something a little different for sure... from the folk styles which are quite lively to more stately and refined court orchestras. Full of twists and something different... great cd to have. However I am a little disappointed that they could have recorded more music in this cd though because it's pretty short by traditional Khmer music standards. Usually the time and duration of a cd produced with recording of Cambodian music they can run on for about more than 50 minutes or about 60 minutes, like other cds that I have heard. This cd is very beautiful and timeless in it's own style and many aspects showing that Khmer culture is making a come back after three decades of destruction, created by a new regime of the Khmer Rouge... If you would like to hear or know more buy the cd, it also contains information and notes regarding each track and some musical styles and also the artist who help create this cd... Great stuff...

homrong.......2000-02-16

Wow one of the best cambodian cd out there it has ever little detail of cambodian classical and folk music. I my self like it because it has one of the best singer in in em thay there are more to know about this cd so if you want to find out buy it

homrong.......2000-02-16

interesting.......1999-11-09

The Homrong album is very interesting because it contains a variety of recordings of different types on music in Cambodia. There is the very well know pin-peat orchestra that accompanies Royal Classical Cambodian Dance, shadow theatre, masked theatre and other religious and monastic functions. In this recording Em Theay appears twice singing different songs. She is the master of classical dance songs. Thus implying that she was just one of the survivors of the Khmer Rouge regime. However she has managed to keep alive for so long, thus she is trying to rebuild from what the Khmer Rouge have have destroyed. Also included in this ablum are recording of pleng khmer (traditional wedding music) which has a hazzy atmosphere about it's mysterious style and composition. Plus also the well known Yikhe theatre with their songs about nature and celebrating human life. Overall this album helps to show the variety of Khmer music from court music to folk music which is often assoicated with every day life unlike court music which is played for special functions and other purposes. This ablum is unique displaying the different kinds of music in Cambodia, showing the orchestras and how different they are from another. This recording also helps to celebrate the revival of Khmer music which once again is being performed after so many years of war therefore manages it to live on through the musicians and singers who had managed to survive the nightmare of the Killing Fields. Therefore this album is unique in it's own flavour and style.

Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk and Pop Music

Average customer rating:

Amazon's Title doesn't say it all

Cambodian Cassette Archives: Khmer Folk and Pop Music
Various Artists
Manufacturer: Sublime Frequencies
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Cambodia | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | Far East & Asia | International | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

Rock | International | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Lyric DVD Magazine
Radio Phnom Penh
Radio Pyongyang: Commie Funk and Agit Pop from the Hermit Kingdom
Cambodian Rocks Volume 1
Choubi Choubi! Folk and Pop Sounds from Iraq

ASIN: B0002IQLA8
Release Date: 2004-07-13

Tracks:

Blue Basket
Sat Tee Touy (Look at the Owl)
Don't Let My Girlfriend Tickle Me
Srey No (Ladyu Named No)
Two Wives Are Twice the Problem
Blue Basket [Instrumental]
She Doesn't Need Your Money
Birds Are Singing But My Lover Won't Return

Customer Reviews:

Amazon's Title doesn't say it all.......2004-07-14

The full title is "...Folk & POP". This CD is all Cambodian Rock/Pop music, from the 60's &70's plus some more recent pop which thankfully retains the spirit and flavor of the older stuff. If you like vintage Bollywood, or the 70's Ethiopiques releases you needn't hesitate. This CD is another find for hunters of exotic or quirky fun music. The whole Sublime Frequencies series is excellent, with only a couple of discs that are merely 4 Star, this is one of thier best. The CD is also beautifully illustrated with artwork from the original cassettes. In addition to this disc, there is a seeminly out of print CD titled "Cambodian Rocks" which is even wilder than this one.

Music Album:

Music Album