The Cambodian Space Project
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Thursday, March 29, 2012
Mini-doc about The Cambodian Space Project aired on Arte
The Cambodian Space Project were the focus of a mini-documentary on Franco-German cultural and arts TV channel Arte this week. In case you missed it you can watch it again here. For those of you not up on your French, keep an eye out for a lengthened version of the documentary due to be broadcast in the UK soon. The Cambodian Space Project are a ...
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Cambodian Space Project UNiTE ahead of their debut album release and UK tour
Live: Saturday 10th September, Netil House, London TICKETS HERE In August 2011, lead singer of The Cambodian Space Project Srey Thy was confirmed as a Good Will Ambassador for UN Women’s UNiTE, Ban Ki Moon’s campaign to end violence against women in Cambodia.Srey Thy (31 years) is hugely popular in her home country of Cambodia both as ...
Thursday, July 7, 2011
The Cambodian Space Project prepare to unleash their psychedelic Khmer-rock on the world
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 Cambodian Space Project
The Cambodian Space Project are ready to unleash their psychedelic Khmer-rock from the jungles of Cambodia and onto the rest of the world this summer. The debut album ‘2011: A Space Odyssey’ is to be released worldwide on August 29th through Metal Postcard Records. 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.
Up until that point life had been far from easy for Thy. Born into a poor family in the poverty stricken region of Prey Veng, she began singing in local restaurants at an early age. Thy left home at the age of 18, heading to Phenom Phen in search of a better life, but while there she was kidnapped and nearly forced into a sex trafficking ring. Left tied to a bed with electrical wires around her wrist for hours, an unknown woman freed her and gave her $2.50. Thy fled.
Following this defining moment in her life, Thy went on to work odd jobs when and where she could, sending money back to her parents and her young son as often as possible. She now uses her new found fame in the region to raise awareness of human trafficking in Cambodia through workshops and public talks.
As the bands lyricist, Thys lyrics comment on modern and traditional Cambodian society, as well as reflecting on her own past. “Music, both the act of singing and performing, allows me to express my emotions, confront the demons of my past and convey the happiness I feel now” admits Thy.
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.
No current dates. Check back soon.
