![]() |
pic – Kaztet Dee Facebook |
MC Kaztet Dee will
be bringing a healthy dose
of positive vibes to Cambodia over the next ten days or so, with a
series of reggae gigs
featuring visiting artists and local talent. The
party starts in Phnom Penh at
Mini Banana this
Friday night, continues over the weekend at Laundry
Bar
and L'After
in Siem Reap, and culminates with the Phnom Penh
Reggae Festival on
the 10th
October. Greg
'Kaztet' Dee
has
an unassuming, friendly manner
which is quite different from his fearsome, imposing on-stage
presence with Wat a
Gwaan (in
French, 'Kaztet' literally means 'break head'!).
Over
the last year or two, he
has quietly instigated
a series of very cool gigs in Cambodia featuring international talent
- Greg was the man behind the awesome Tippa Irie and Reggae Rajah
shows at Slur Bar
in
Phnom Penh. Macky
Banton
will be headlining the upcoming Cambodian shows as
part of a world tour.
Macky is a veteran MC from the UK reggae soundsystem scene –
toasting since the age of 14 with Iration
Steppas and Jah Tubbys.
He also runs a cool radio station called Dubforce
Radio.
![]() |
DubforceRadio - SoundSystem Culture, Roots, New Roots & Dub |
![]() |
All-American entertainer: pic – Richard Pearl website |
Friday night also
heralds a couple of welcome new arrivals on the Phnom Penh expat gig
scene. Kuhl's South 40 is a
new quartet of young 'Americans who like to play funk, soul and r'n'b
covers', with an emphasis on the eclectic. The
band will be making their debut performance at Same
Same 2
guest-house on Street 136. Meanwhile,
one street north at Sharky
Bar,
newcomer Richard
Pearl
will be the opening act for Khmer-rockers Road
Twist.
This
past week, Richard has been making waves around the Phnom Penh open
mic scene with his explosive solo act. It
is not easy to describe in words what this man can produce with a
banjo, a microphone and a few pre-recorded
backing
tracks.
Richard is a musical entertainer with a unique act honed over many
years in Las Vegas showrooms, New York City clubs and luxury cruise
liner ballrooms. Check out his website
to get a flavour of his
style.
![]() |
Leonard Reyes pic – Steve Porte |
As delighted as Ted,
Timothy and myself are when a great new act comes to town, we also
get down in the dumps when a cool music guy leaves Cambodia. I guess
we can't have it both ways. Leonard Reyes,
the lead guitar player with Vibratone and
Moi Tiet, has announced his
departure from Cambodia and return to The Philippines. The
good news is... there will be a cool music party for
Leonard at Sharky
Bar
on Saturday. He
will be performing with Gem
Habito
as The Chongs,
along with assorted
other great guest musicians, with
a supporting acoustic slot by some guy from the UK called Joe
Wrigley.
I get the feeling that quite a few folks
could
show up on
Saturday to
clink a glass and bid farewell to Lenny.
The
guys behind Simone Art Bistro
return from their 'low season' break on Saturday with a DJ party. You
may remember that the venue was a hub of activity last season,
holding many crazy and huge music parties around
(what was once ) the lakeside area of Boeng Kak (before somebody
filled it with sand). Grooves will be supplied on Saturday
by DJ Bree and
Cambo Disco Club.
Leng Pleng
has
received word of a brand-new recording facility being constructed in
Battambang. Phare Ponleu Selpak (PPS),
the
arts organisation behind the famous circus based in Battambang, let
us know that they are building a facility on their campus 'to
be used to record music,
film soundtracks, radio pieces and so forth.'
PPS are 'now
taking applications for
trainees who would like to join a free course in audio engineering.
The training will take place for one month at our school in
Battambang. For students coming from other cities, we can provide a
travel allowance.' If
Leng Pleng readers
know of any Cambodians who might be interested in this fantastic
opportunity, please ask them to contact
trainingco.ordinator@phareps.org
or 092 633 357.
Looking
forward to Kaztet
Dee's
Phnom Penh Reggae Festival,
above
is a cool video featuring the UK reggae star Macky
Banton.
Whatever you're up to over the next few days... stay safe out there and... see you around the traps!
Joe Wrigley
Whatever you're up to over the next few days... stay safe out there and... see you around the traps!
Joe Wrigley
No comments:
Post a Comment