Weekly Wrap - commencing Thursday the 3rd November 2016

November has arrived and, once again, a small provincial city in southern Cambodia will become, for the next few days, the cultural centre of South-East Asia. Kampot Writers & Readers Festival 2016 is the second annual edition of the Ubud-inspired event celebrating literature, arts and culture in the Kingdom of Wonder. Like last year’s festival, KWRF 2016 will feature many superb live music performances - with artists travelling from far and wide to attend. Rich Webb is a UK-born, Australia-based alternative rock singer-songwriter with an impressive CV that includes glowing reviews from the pages of Melody Maker and Rolling Stone. Rich will not only be performing at KWRF but also taking part in a Songlines discussion session. Check out the KWRF website for the full low-down on everything happening in Kampot over the next few days.

Michelle Flemming, Rich Webb, and the Bunong Tribespeople: three great reasons to make the trip to
Kampot this weekend. Pics: Tripadvisor, Warner/Chappell, Film Noir Studios

The highlights of the KWRF are too numerous to mention, but if you haven’t already heard the jaw-dropping voice of Michelle Flemming, don’t miss her over this weekend. The festival organisers have also invited the superb Bunong Tribespeople (‘Indigenous Voices’) to perform in Kampot, giving attendees the rare chance to hear the authentic folk music of Mondulkiri province. If you are not able to get away to Kampot for the festival, there will be a wrap event taking place at The Exchange in Phnom Penh on Monday night.

The International Music Festival Phnom Penh has now reached its thirteenth year. The brainchild of musician Anton Isselhardt, the event draws superb musicians to Phnom Penh to showcase classical music. This year’s festival focuses on the music of the Renaissance period, joining the worldwide commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. A series of concerts taking place in Phnom Penh over the next few days include a lute recital at Intercon tonight (Thursday), a chance to hear a spinet piano being played at The National Museum on Friday and an opera performance at the Meta House gallery on Saturday. Check out the 13th International Music Festival Phnom Penh website for more details.

When the Cambodian-Australian band Krom last performed at Jazz Club Phnom Penh, the venue was absolutely packed to the rafters with an audience that included an international TV news film crew. A fiercely independent and self-professed ‘reclusive’ musical group founded in Phnom Penh and producing original songs of (often) dark subject matter, in a style well removed from mainstream pop, have succeeded in garnering attention from the BBC, ITN and numerous other media corporations around the world. Krom is not a name that pops up very often in the Leng Pleng weekly gig guide. The show at Jazz Club on Friday is reported to be their last until February 2017! Seats are limited and we advise you to contact Jazz Club directly for reservations.

(l-r) Deejay Cake, 12ME and Parker Jones stirring it up at Jazz Club. pic: Steve Porte

Rapper and producer Mehdi '12Mé' Benabdessadok is an inspiring figure on the Cambodian music scene. He fell in love with Khmer culture whilst still living in France, and knew how to speak the Cambodian language before he even stepped off the plane at Pochentong! A few short months after making a permanent move to Phnom Penh, 12Mé has now completed his first album of Cambodian-inspired hip-hop, entitled ‘Samai Thmey’ (‘new era’). The set of songs not only features numerous collaborations with Khmer hip hop artists (Lisha, Deejay Cake and Parker Jones to name but three) but also contains some Khmer-language verses performed by 12Mé himself. The ‘Samai Thmey’ album will be launched with a live gig at the French Institute in Phnom Penh this Saturday night - this could be the start of something huge!

Whatever you're up to over the next few days, stay safe out there and... see you around the traps!

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JOE WRIGLEY