By: Michael Madavi

Artist: Various Artists
Title: Dengue Fever Presents: Sleepwalking Through the Mekong
Label: M80
Genre: Indie : World
Release Date: 4.14.09
UPC: 723721406554
Territory: World
[audio:01_03_march_of_the_balloon_animals.mp3]
“March of the Balloon Animals” (mp3)
More On This Album

Reviving a wonderful and nearly forgotten style of rock n’ roll, Dengue Fever, a six-member band from Los Angeles, combine Cambodian pop music and lyrics with psychedelic rock. The group was formed in 2001 by Ethan Holtzman (Farfisa organ) and his brother Zac (vocals and guitar) after Ethan was inspired by a trip to Cambodia and Khmer rock. As Ethan and Zac were searching for a vocalist to sing in Khmer, lead singer Chhom Nimol was discovered in a nightclub in the Little Phnom Penh (Cambodia’s capital city) area of Long Beach. She was already a well-known karaoke singer from Cambodia, but decided to move to US after visiting her sister, and thought it was a good chance to make more money to send to her family back home. Rounding out the band are bassist Senon Williams (formerly of Radar Bros.), drummer Paul Smith, and David Ralicke on brass. Their self-titled debut album was released in 2003. All lyrics on the earlier albums were sung in Khmer, whilst the third album features some songs in English. Many of the songs are covers of 1960s Cambodian rock tunes by such artists as Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Sereysothea, but some are originals, first written in English by the Holtzmans before being translated.

The genre of 60′ Cambodian rock n’ roll was nearly erased under the communist rule of the Khmer rouge from 1975 to 79. The regime was responsible for the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Cambodians in the name of creating a true communist utopia. On top of the massive death toll, the Khmer Rouge also eliminated most forms of intellectual stimulation, family relationships, professions, and art in favor of a completely classless agricultural society (to start from zero with a “new people”). This entailed the loss of almost all forms of modern entertainment, especially western pop music. Here is where the more long lasting cultural effects of the genocide can be noticed: though their people may recover and rebuild their nation, the culture of their parents has been virtually erased. Cambodia in the 60′s was a wonderful breeding ground for a unique type of music formed from the combination of traditional Khmer music and psychedelic rock. With Khmer vocals, 60′s sunshine, and a little bit of a smooth lounge sound going, nothing has quite sounded like Cambodia before the Khmer Rouge’s cultural cleansing.

Dengue Fever’s newest project is the soundtrack to a documentary film titled Sleepwalking Through the Mekong about the band’s visit to Phnom Penh, during the Bon Om Thook water festival in 2005. This trip was the homecoming of singer Chhom Nimol and a transformation for the rest of the band as they performed with master musicians and recorded new songs along the way. The film reveals modern Cambodia as the band tours through Phnom Penh and beyond, crossing a great cultural chasm with the same spirit of Cambodia’s original rock pioneers. The soundtrack features Dengue Fever on the majority of its songs, but also has classics from legends like Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Sereysothea. Somewhere between a Connery-era James Bond soundtrack, traditional Cambodian pop, and California in the 60′s, the album is definitely unlike anything you’ve heard before. This isn’t your dorky roomate’s world music; this is a genuine and unique sound that was almost lost forever. Be sure to take a listen, check out the documentary:

Checkout the documentary trailer about their trip to Cambodia

And catch the Fever on one of their ongoing tour dates! (see dates after the jump…)

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