Various Artists

Dengue Fever Presents Electric Cambodia

Minky Records

Return to the glorious days of yesteryear. Specifically the 1960s and early 1970s in Cambodia, when that country had thrown off some of the shackles of oppression and become an independent nation. The Cambodian youth ran headfirst into rock & roll, throwing their arms around the American-born freedom sounds even as they twisted the music into a new shape and style. Their guitars had the overtones of strangulated flying creatures, but in a beautifully symmetrical manner. Rhythmically, the hurky jerky took control, with the beat somewhat freed from the tyranny of the hi hat and snare drum and allowed to flail around in the dark. The Cambodian singers is where the Western ear gets lost in the ozone on a one-way ticket to say-whatland. It is simply a sound we are not accustomed to. Which is a wonderfully liberating feeling that sends the heart racing headlong toward the unknown. It is the precise reason world music is so enticing: we haven't dined there too often and gotten used to the menu. Hallelujah. These 14 rare gems from Cambodia's past, as they're called on the cover, feel like fresh water thrown on the face. Artists like Pan Ron, Ros Sereysothea, Dara Chon Chan and even one unknown will electrify your mind, and also cause thanks that Dengue Fever found so many of these obscure recordings to compile while they still could. When the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia in 1975, many of the musicians were murdered and their endeavors eliminated. Listening to these creations today, the hopeful songs of a young people finding the power of self-expression in all its glory comes through loud and clear. It is still the sweetest sound we'll hear.