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

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• published: 31 Dec 2009
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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.