Creator
Drakkar (band)
Drakkar was a Cambodian rock band of the late 1960s and early 1970s, known for hard rock and psychedelic rock.[1][2][3] The Phnom Penh Post has called it one of the biggest bands of Cambodian rock.[4] Its singer and songwriter, Touch Seang Tana, lived through the Khmer Rouge years in Cambodia.[2][5]
Members and sound
Members named in reports on the band include Touch Seang Tana (vocals and guitar), Touch Chhatha (guitar), Ouk Sam Ath (drums), Som Sareth (guitar) and Oeu Sam Ol (bass).[6][7][8][4]
The band mixed Cambodian music with Western rock. Touch Seang Tana has named the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, the Bee Gees and Santana among its models,[4] and the press kit for the documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll says the band was heavily influenced by Carlos Santana.[9] The Austin Chronicle writes that the band borrowed licks from Jimi Hendrix and reworked them into its own sound.[7] KEXP describes the band's sound as the fuzz rock of the early 1970s, and The Spectator compares it to Pink Floyd.[10][2]
Mol Kagnol, who founded the earlier band Baksey Cham Krong with his brother Mol Kamach, produced a Drakkar record in a makeshift studio at his family's home and encouraged Touch Seang Tana to keep singing.[3][5]
Drakkar '74
The album Drakkar '74 was recorded live on four tracks in Phnom Penh in 1973 and came out only on cassette.[11] The Big Takeover calls it the biggest-selling album in Cambodian history.[8] Metal Postcard Records, a Hong Kong label, released it digitally in November 2014 and announced a vinyl edition of 500 copies for early 2015, remastered from the original cassette by The Carvery in London.[11][8]
The documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten uses three Drakkar recordings: "Crazy Loving You" and "Do You No Wrong Again", both written by Touch Seang Tana, and "Baae Bong Meun Netta" with the singer Mao Sareth.[9][10]
After 1975
Touch Seang Tana lived in Cambodia through the Khmer Rouge years.[5][2] After 1979 Ouk Sam Ath and Touch Chhatha went back to music at Cambodian National Radio, and Touch Seang Tana became a government official working on fisheries and conservation.[8] He is known for his work to protect the Mekong River's dolphins.[12]
Ouk Sam Ath, Touch Seang Tana and Touch Chhatha attended the premiere of Don't Think I've Forgotten at the Chaktomuk Theater in Phnom Penh in January 2014 as guests.[6] The band also played at the film's United States premiere in New York in April 2015.[1][5] Touch Seang Tana has said that history lost the names of the songwriters of the era.[12]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Phnom Penh Post, Brent Crane, Khmer 'golden age' rock finds a US fanbase on tour (May 15, 2015)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Spectator, David Honigmann, The death of popular music in Cambodia (February 14, 2023)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Phoenix New Times, Jason P. Woodbury, Music Documentary Traces Cambodia's Lost Musical History (May 26, 2015)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Phnom Penh Post, Long-awaited film tells the tale of Cambodia's musical 'golden age' (January 10, 2014)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Vice, Lauren Oyler, 'Don't Think I've Forgotten' Documents the Cambodian Rock Scene, Pre-Khmer Rouge (June 2, 2015)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 The Cambodia Daily, Alice Cuddy, Rock 'n' Roll Documentary Has World Premiere in Phnom Penh (January 13, 2014)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 The Austin Chronicle, Marc Savlov, Combat Rock (June 18, 2015)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 The Big Takeover, Exclusive album premiere: Drakkar '74 by Drakkar (December 18, 2014)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Argot Pictures, Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll, press kit (April 6, 2015)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 KEXP, SIFF Face The Music 2015 Preview: Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll (May 19, 2015)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Metal Postcard Records, Drakkar Band: Drakkar 74 (November 16, 2014)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Voice of America, Rick Valenzuela, New Film Explores Cambodia's Forgotten 1960s Rock Scene (January 16, 2014)