Music General : Cambodian pop music from the 1960s by Ros Sereysothea

Biography

Ros Sereysothea, whose original name was Ros Sothea, was born to a poor family in Battambang Province, Cambodia in 1948. Her high, strong voice enabled her to transcend her humble beginnings and become the queen of Cambodian music.

Her first collaborator was her brother, Ros Serey, from whom she acquired half of her stage name. Their popularity as a duo brought her to the capital city of Phnom Pehn when she was 17, where she eventually worked her way up to stardom and many recording sessions. She recorded hundreds of songs across just about every genre, from the traditional folk music of Cambodia and its neighbours, to country, pop ballads, rock and even psychedelia. Many of her songs were recorded in conjunction with ស៊ីនស៊ីសាមុត [Sinn Sisamouth], known as the Elvis of Cambodia. She became a national favourite and one of the royal family's patron artists.

Her career was cut short by the turmoil of 1970's Cambodia. After the 1975 coup, the Khmer Rouge eventually rose to power. This strict communist government slaughtered anybody who was in any way individualistic or connected with the prior government or the West. Sothea's unique voice, affiliation with the royal family and performance of Western style music were three strikes against her, and she went underground, as did many of the artists and educated people of Cambodia. She was evacuated from Phnom Penh with the rest of its residents and assigned to an agricultural work camp.

Eventually, her identity was discovered, and she was made to sing songs celebrating the Khmer Rouge. She was also forced to marry a government official, with whom she did not get along. One day in about 1978, she was taken with family members to "another work camp" and was never seen again. Presumably, she and her family were executed and buried in one of the Khmer Rouge's many mass graves.

https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/%E1%9E%9A%E1%9E%9F%E1%9F%8B%E1%9E%9F%E1%9F%81%E1%9E%9A%E1%9E%B8%E1%9E%9F%E1%9E%BB%E1%9E%91%E1%9F%92%E1%9E%92%E1%9E%B6

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shh bby is ok

You don't really like this music at all.

You just think that posting it will make you look 'eclectic' to the board.


But actually… You are a fag

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Alba gu bràth

what crawled up ur snatch and died there?

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shh bby is ok

A lie is a lie

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Alba gu bràth

yeah u is that lie now fuck off

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shh bby is ok

That was the best music I have ever heard times a bajillion. Super cool!

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shh bby is ok

Even before taking a listen, I thought "What a cool post" and music from an era most of us aren't used to. The music I heard in Thailand was shit pop, but I listened to the first 30 seconds of the first song you posted, and it sounded so good I'm going to download it.

How did you come across that? Do you know of any Cambodian movies from around that time? It was a pretty volatile time in the late 60s especially with the expansion of the Vietnamese war.

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https://www.scribd.com/document/382737647/MortSahlFan-Song-List

i found this actually through a song in which 2 of my favourite rappers, MF DOOM and RZA, (@Varamyr_Sixskins) sampled the melody from the first song:



the melody was so captivating, i wanted to know where it was originally from and then i found the story of the singer Ros Sereysothea and her original song and was completely over the moon with the whole thing. (fuck u, @Hepocles!!!)

there is this website rateyourmusic.com which has all her published work listed. i've put the link at the end of the biography in my OP here. and so i found more and more about her. YouTube has already many many videos with her songs. it's a great source for exploring obscure music like that.

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shh bby is ok

as for movies, sadly i don't know any from Cambodia from that era.

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shh bby is ok

bump

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shh bby is ok

😈

😱

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shh bby is ok

There's a whole genre of East Asian music, based on Western pop, but filtered through the culture of the various Asian societies. My point here is that Sereysothea et al were not performing authentic traditional styles.

Even ridiculous K-Pop is part of that.

Years ago when I would come home from clubbing, wasted out of my mind, when I got off the freeway there was a little Japanese diner that stayed open all night. So I'd always stop in there for raw fish and miso before I went home and crashed.

Well they played some type of Japanese pop. There's one song I'll never forget which would always come on when I was dipping tempura. But I don't know who was the artist and I've never been able to find it online. Of course that Japanese diner has long since closed.

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Administrator
"filmboards is a bold experiment in free speech and anarchy"
I GameBoy

yeah well it's called "pop" after all and not "folk"..

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shh bby is ok

Excellent point. Folk is indigenous. Pop is imperialist.

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Administrator
"filmboards is a bold experiment in free speech and anarchy"
I GameBoy

Music is not western, it's just as much eastern as it is western, it's universal.

Years ago when I would come home from clubbing, wasted out of my mind,

Stop catfishing. You are over 50 years old. You're not a 20 or 30 year old who goes out clubbing, while getting wasted out of your mind. Lol, you're pathetic, act your f-cking age online.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race,_Evolution,_and_Behavior

No, pop is Western style music. K-Pop in particular is not even remotely Asian. It's borrowed completely from the West.

And I said years ago, dipshit. I don't even drink anymore. But you need to get drunk and get laid.

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Administrator
"filmboards is a bold experiment in free speech and anarchy"
I GameBoy

MUSIC IS UNIVERSAL.

YOU TRY TO CATFISH PEOPLE BY SAYING YOU GO OUT CLUBBING AND GET WASTED. YOU POST IT ALL THE TIME, YOU OVER 50 YEAR OLD CREEP.

I COULD GET DRUNK AND GET LAID ANYTIME I WANTED. 🔥

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race,_Evolution,_and_Behavior

CALM DOWN

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shh bby is ok

YOU ARE JEALOUS OF ASIAN GIRLS.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race,_Evolution,_and_Behavior

I AM!

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shh bby is ok

YES, YOU ARE.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race,_Evolution,_and_Behavior

You do not listen to this type of music at all. You're jealous of Asian girls.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race,_Evolution,_and_Behavior

I bet your penis is big irl.

I'm a hot ladyboy.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race,_Evolution,_and_Behavior

💦💦💦

Which one is MMC2.?

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race,_Evolution,_and_Behavior

Me and my ladyboy lover named Sophie, I mean Holly Cherry fuck to this music.

Not Cambodian but I was inspired to post it

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thanks 👍

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shh bby is ok