12Mé
will present his hip-hop
Block Party
bash
at
Cloud
this
Friday. Each
month, the Phnom Penh venue brings together live rappers, DJs and
graffiti artists for
an evening in celebration and
promotion of
hip-hop culture in Cambodia. At this month's Block
Party there
will also be a screening of 12Mé's
film
Scratch
–
documenting the
artist's 2013 exploration of the Cambodian scene. Rapper and producer
Mehdi '12Mé'
Benabdessadok
let Leng Pleng
know a little bit more about his musical mission in the Kingdom of
Wonder:
![]() |
Making it happen in Cambodia: 12Mé with Papa Dub |
“Klapyahandz
laid
the foundations of
hip hop culture in Cambodia, I want to build
on that and show what I can do... I've
been visiting Cambodia to
tour, every year since 2011.
Seven months ago, I moved here permanently. I
wanted to have an album featuring
Khmer performers...
I started working
on it in April... My album should be released in November... I will
record and produce everything here then send it
to a mixing and mastering
studio in France for completion. The
artists featuring on my album are mostly Klapyahandz artists: Lisha,
Mr Oun, Khmer1jivit,
Ouk and
Yut, Chomraen and Vanna (tro player
and roneat player), Nem Tum...”
12Mé
has
not wasted any time since moving to Cambodia, having already begun to
learn the Khmer language while still living in France. He is now even
rapping verses in Khmer – with
a little help from Cambodian performer Lisha
and his language teacher Tida! See
the video below for a recent 12Mé
freestyle
session on live television. Mehdi
has
already completed
many of the tracks for
his
album, entitled 'Samai
Thmei' ('New
Era').
While
we eagerly await to hear the results, check
out the Block
Party
at Cloud
on Friday to see rappers 12Mé,
Ouk and Yut,
DJ Kdam
and graffiti artist Venk
demonstrating hip hop culture in Cambodia. You
can also catch 12Mé
performing
live with Papa Dub
at
the Jazz Club
Phnom Penh next
Wednesday night.
![]() |
Click the link to purchase Nightmare A.D.'s Cambodian-recorded
Corruptors via
Bandcamp
|
The members of Nightmare A.D. and Knell will be
chomping at the bit to unleash their thrashcore and alternative metal
sounds on the crowd at Oscar's On The Corner this Saturday
night. With few Phnom Penh venues lending themselves to the heavy and
uncompromising style of these bands, each gig is a special event.
While some unsuspecting members of the audience might be left
wondering: why is everyone at the front slam-dancing into each
other?... most will be revelling in the powerful wall-of-sound that
these bands produce. Any music night which features in its press
release the words 'neck-breaking fury' sounds pretty good to
me!
The
Alleycat Cafe hosts their
third anniversary
edition of Sunday Sundowner Sessions
this weekend.
Three-and-a-half years ago at the fondly-remembered Rubies bar in
Phnom Penh, Scott
Bywater
kicked off a weekly acoustic open mic with a timeslot that allowed
maximum potential for lazy Sunday imbibement followed by a
respectably early bedtime.
The vibe was informal, the
venue was 'cosy' and the participants were far more inclined to
camaraderie than competition. Beginners
and professionals, seasoned expats and fleeting
visitors all shared a pew and a brew on
the wooden bench-platform
that served as a stage. When Rubies closed
down in the summer of 2013, it
was a natural move to make the Alleycat Cafe
its next home. 'Scoddy' is no
longer the official host but he can still be found performing there
most weeks, along with a loyal bunch of regular performers and
visiting musicians. We're not
sure exactly how it happens, but a surprising number of great players
always seem to find this 'hole-in-the-wall' acoustic session down a
Phnom Penh backstreet on a Sunday afternoon.
![]() |
Scoddy and Linnette reaching for a key change at Rubies – pic: http://www.kenedgar.com/ |
At time of writing, there are still some tickets left for the Sungha
Jung performance scheduled to take place at Dara Airport Hotel
in Phnom Penh on Sunday evening. The 'VIP' and 'Gold' tickets for
this exclusive event are not cheap, but interested parties should
visit the Madison music store on Monivong for more information.
Sungha Jung is an incredibly talented guitarist from
Korea – an online sensation who shot to fame whilst still in his
teens. He is famous for his fingerstyle acoustic covers of popular
songs.
Whatever you're up to over the next few days, stay safe out there and... see you around the traps!
JOE WRIGLEY
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