The Cambodian Space Project - Chnam oun Dop-Pram Muy by Ros Sereysothea

Cambodian Space Project - live Boxing Day boat cruise on the Mekong, Cambodia.
Cambodian Space Project - Chnam oun Dop-Pram Muy "I'm 16" by Ros Sereysothea.
Filmed by Phally Chroy and cutaways by Justin Foster and Julien Poulson. Scott Bywater drums, Davis Zunk drums (absent), Ken White harmonica, Ratta Khan Congas, Julien Poulson Guitar, Srey Thy Kak Vocals.

Srey Thy vocalist with the Space Project - Biography
SreyThy was born into poverty and famine around the time the Khmer Rouge were finally driven from power by the invading Vietnamese liberators. Srey Thys father then a tank driver lives today in the same impoverished village in Prey Veng province (Cambodias poorest) where he proudly points to a faded photo, hanging from the flimsy wall of the familys thatched hut, of a handsome young officer in 70s flares and sunglasses, standing next to a naked baby girl, both listening attentively to a transistor radio and in the background a huge tank frames the young soldier and his baby daughter Srey Thy.
Five years ago, Srey Thy fled poverty and abuse and moved to Phnom Penh to seek out work as a Karaoke singer. Since arriving in Phnom Penh where she has struggled to make a living but by working for less than $100 a month, she supports her entire family with the little money she sends back home. Srey Thy has worked all the Cambodian singing bars in Phnom Penh and has a repertoire of hundreds of songs but has often been cheated out of the small fees for her work and at times felt like quitting the city and returning to life in the village.
Late last year, Srey Thy had all but given up working as a singer and had just begun working in a bar, with her very limited English, entertaining foreigners hello you likeeat drink one more beer? It was around this time she met Australian musician Julien Poulson (The Green Mist) who was in Phnom Penh to create music and film and looking for Cambodian musicians to work with. Poulson heard Srey Thy sing a Pan Ron song and was instantly taken by Srey Thys voice as well as her obvious passion for the singers from pre-war times. But Poulson was about to leave Cambodia and had to make made a promise to return sometime to work on a music project with Thy, perhaps exposing her voice to a wider audience and coming up with an interesting cross-culture rock band in the process.
Now, The Cambodian Space Project is ready for lift-off. Its all ready been described as a tripped-out, cosmic mix of space rock coupled with the deliciously golden voice of Srey Thy For Srey Thy, the opportunity of working with a band mixed with foreigners and Khmers playing to create exciting new music, is not only fun but is truly a life changing experience. For the band, the thrill of offering audiences something new as part of Phnom Penhs flourishing music scene while embarking on a truly cosmic space odyssey, is where its at.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• the cambodian space project
• cambodian jungle
• cambodian rock
• khmer rouge
• ros sereysothea
• Chnam oun Dop-Pram Muy I'm 16
• pan ron
• metahouse
• tonle bassac
• tonle sap
• phnom penh
• dengue fever
• cambodian living arts
• srey thy
• arts asia
• rock asia
• julien poulson
• the green mist

[plaidsportcoat]

What a great SINGER! Cool songtoo, ! I hear it on the BBC program that is being canceled about world music. People need to fight the fact that every time the economy goes down, artists are defunded and under attack, because they speak the truth and appeal to people on a level beyond political power.

[Dragonx0562]

yeah the last song done on the strand. on BBC World Service. great to hear the song, sad to have the show end.

[The86416]

I like Thai music.

And I like Khmer music.

But if it wasn't for the obscene KR period 1975-79, Khmer music would be all around the world by now.

Thank the communist scum for that :-(

[GrimReefer1983]

Brilliant!! Love it!!!

Heard it on norwegian radio today!

[michaphan]

i will be in pp 27-29 december 2011 did some one know if there is a live gig from the

cambodian space project?

[luizpaulorocha]

damn good!!!

[thejoshmessenger]

went to see c s p in london at the fantastic soundway records night.great people great music & big shout to bong sak .thanks for the t shirts oscar

[chadley6916]

What is the song about?

[chadley6916]

@plaidsportcoat

Artists speak the truth?! Sometimes yes, sometimes no. I wouldn't make such a general statement. It's easy to sing about the worlds problems, but it's harder to actually do something about them!

[titouille100]

@vanillas12122 why thai people needs to come on khmer video to critize us ? Are you jalous or inferiority complex ?

[titouille100]

@vanillas12122 and thai copy everything from the west, right ? Keep for yourself your katoy culture !