When most people think of Dengue Fever they think of a debilitating viral disease of the tropics. It is transmitted by mosquitoes, and causes sudden fever and acute pains in the joints. It is not treatable or preventable so lots of people around the globe suffer and some even die from it. No need to worry though, I'm talking about the band, Dengue Fever.
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| Dengue Fever in Cambodia |
Their music is like nothing I'd ever heard before. It is a blending of 60's and 70's era Cambodian pop with a hybrid of surf and psychedelic classic rock. Their music is packed full of "lost" sounds, mostly Khmer covers that had been forgotten. The Cambodian genocide during the reign of Pol Pot in the late 70's almost wiped out this music as well as 3 million people. It is such a vibrant piece of cultural history, deviant in its survival through such devastation and Dengue Fever is keeping it alive.
"Sleepwalking through the Mekong", a 2009 Documentary featuring the bands trip through Cambodia was the first exposure I had to this beautifully moving music. Before our whirlwind trip through SE Asia in 2011 we watched it. I was captivated by the sounds, by the feelings their music invoked within me. I feel in love with her voice and just everything about this mixture of people and their production of music. It gave me a longing to see the country, to feel connected to it, to remember all that could have been and was lost, to not forget the music. That is what good music does, right? It transports you somewhere else, to a moment in time, a place you have long forgotten, a hidden connection we all feel to something greater than self.
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| Adventuring around Angkor Wat |
It was the music of our journey. A five week adventure through four SE Asian countries; Thailand, Loas, Vietnam, and Cambodia. More to come on those adventures later. When we finally made it to Cambodia after almost a month of traveling we learned that Dengue Fever would be playing at a hotel in Siem Reap. I couldn't believe it, a chance to see them in person. When we tried to get tickets for their show, we found out that they were sold out except for hotel guest. Since we already had hotel reservations I wasn't sure we were going to get to see them. My partner, Pit, is amazing and loves me more than I thought possible. He surprises me everyday with the love he showers upon me and this situation was no different. He knew that I wanted desperately to go so he booked us a room at the hotel the night of the show and got us tickets to see them live.
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| Stage setup before the show |
We were the first ones there. No big surprise to those who know me, I hate being late to anything. We got seats right up front, which were more like pillows on steps that faced forward and grabbed a drink from the bar. The people flooded in. It was a packed house and rightfully so, their music was different, a blending of sounds from times long since gone. The music was beyond my expectations and absolutely mind blowing in person. We had the time of our lives; dancing the night away with strangers in a foreign land to music that touched my soul.
The reason I'm sharing all this now is because I just came across the photos from that amazing journey back in 2011. A picture really is worth a thousand words. While I was scrolling through the shots, my iTunes played Sleepwalking Through the Mekong. It was the first song I'd ever heard of their's and it still took my breath away. Her voice, as haunting and as touching as the recent history of Cambodia. As I sat there this morning with my coffee in hand, I was transported back to that jungle. A place that made me feel deeply and want to move with music that I could feel in my bones.
I checked and they just so happened to have a new album being released at the end of this month and also just so happen to be touring through the PNW. I'm stoked to say I will be seeing them again, live in Portland sometime in February. Sure, it isn't as an exotic location as seeing them in Cambodia but I am looking forward to being transported back there, through the music they bring together. I'm also in need of some serious dancing! I need to shake, sweat, move about the energy within.
