Release Date: 05 September 2011
Label: Metal Postcard
Packaging Type: Digipak
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 797734294743
Genres: World Music Far East & Asia
Description
The Cambodian Space Project are ready to unleash their psychedelic Khmer-rock from the jungles of Cambodia onto the rest of the world. The debut album ‘2011: A Space Odyssey’ is to be released worldwide on September 5th. Over the last two years the band have taken Cambodia by storm, becoming the King of Cambodia’s favorite band in the process and the unofficial state band, recently playing to Hillary Clinton during her recent visit to Cambodia.
Based in Phnom Penh, The Cambodian Space Project are fronted by the playfully charismatic and vocally gifted Srey Thy and made up of Australian, French and Cambodian musicians. A culture-clash of sorts, the band combines traditional Khmer songs and instrumentation with western rock ‘n’ roll (originally imported by American G.I’s back in the 1960s & 70s) creating their own unique place in the musical landscape.
Recorded in Cambodia, the album was made as a tribute to the musicians of Cambodia’s musical golden-age, building on the legacy of the likes of Ros Sereysothea, Sin Sisamouth & Pan Ron.
Most tracks on the album were originally written for or by these three legends of Cambodian music, and reworked by CSP with a Western edge. The cross pollination of cultures is perhaps best highlighted on the track ‘Kolos Srey Chaom’ (Love Gold) where Sry They sings the words from a Ros Sereysothea track over Shocking Blue’s classic ‘I’m Your Venus’.
The band formed back in 2009 when Julien Poulson, an Australian musician and film producer, was in Phnom Penh looking for Cambodian musicians to work with. He stumbled across lead vocalist Srey Thy singing in a karaoke bar and was instantly taken with her. A couple of months later she was part of a band and The Cambodian Space Project was born.
Accustomed to playing anywhere - from rural villages to boats on the Mekong, from bars in Phnom Penh to an elephants 50th birthday party - The Cambodian Space Project played this years SXSW festival in March and will be in Europe this September for a run of shows, including a performance at the prestigious End of The Road festival on September 10th
Tracklisting
A Moving Sound & ETHEL
Guo Gan, Huong Thanh & Fumie Hihara
El Khat
Tri Nguyen
Munojat Yulchieva
Oghlan Bakhshi
Bayarbaatar Davaasuren
Various Artists
