Byline: G. Mitchell

Sliten6ix has been recognised as the flag bearer for extreme rock in the Kingdom, yet the band’s only available songs, Into The Struggle and Nevermore, have been largely overlooked. Originally made available online to promote their debut EP, the tracks on Bandcamp are a testament to the exposure and productivity the act enjoyed before a recent hiatus. The good news for fans is that the band’s vocalist, Tin, says the group is open to the idea of emerging with a new line-up and fresh sound.

To the uninitiated, this extreme form of metal may sound like a collection of marbles being dropped into a whizzing blender, but to those of us who have mastered the horned salute and survived mosh pits that looked like human casseroles, this is fine art. More importantly, it’s the historic moment when the sensitive embryo of local metal emerges from the chrysalis as a grotesque butterfly. Decades from now, these unassuming recordings could be considered a brave coming of age for Cambodian rock.

Sliten6ix’s brand of deathcore continues the marriage of metal and hardcore punk that first appeared in the late ‘80s. There was a pivotal moment in the development of metal when bands suddenly decided they were sick of singing about evil elves and became more interested in the intensity, social commentary and self-deprecating attitude of punk. Thankfully, bands like Napalm Death and Carcass saved us from becoming vampires. The sound evolved, giving birth to metalcore, deathcore and a long list of obscure subgenres. It’s quite bizarre that Cambodia’s new wave of locally produced alternative music is of a genre that would be considered among the world’s most extreme.

A key element to the Sliten6ix sound is the aggression and intensity of vocalist Tin. He has a scream that could strip the paint off your house, and his angst is believable. I’m not sure what he’s angry about but I sure as hell hope it’s not me. The arrangement of Into The Struggle is clever, taking metal fans on an impressive journey. Say goodbye to the old two-verse, three-chorus humdrum and say hello to barely controlled anarchy. Despite riding a flaming rollercoaster, the band remains tightknit with stabbing dynamics and gritty riffery – the result of years in practice studios and on stages.

Being a relatively new devotee to the local scene, I’m impressed by the courage of local heavy rockers. In present day Cambodia, Sliten6ix’s brand of rock ‘n’  roll is more shocking than Elvis wiggling his pelvis in the ‘50s or Johnny Rotten dissing the Queen in the ‘70s. There couldn’t be anything more alien to their families than irreverence delivered via ear-shredding distortion and terrifying screams, yet here they are in all their wonderfully filthy glory, putting Cambodia on rock’s world stage.

Let’s hope the hiatus ends soon because this band is deserved of the media exposure they’ve enjoyed. Phnom Penh needs mosh pits crammed with local kids who will start believing that the only thing between themselves and their heroes is a second-hand guitar, a hundred hours in a garage with likeminded friends and a venue that will give them a chance to express themselves.

Sliten6ix’s Into The Struggle and Nevermore are available for download at http://sliten6ix.bandcamp.com/

Binary coding and digital data storage doesn’t exactly evoke visions of dreamy soundscapes and innovative musical creation – except if you’re artist Cissi Tsang. ­Tsang, aka timeofhex, explains the technique and inspiration behind her original electronic creations.

What if inanimate objects could speak to us? It’s the kind of concept that can make brain cells explode like popcorn. Talk about it and you’ll either be committed to an asylum or offered an honorary doctorate. Yet it’s this notion that Perth-based artist Cissi Tsang, aka timeofhex, is exploring via techniques that give photographs a voice.

Hexidecimal, put very simply, is a system by which text is stored as numbers in digital devices. Sourcing hexadecimal data from photos, Tsang uses a surprisingly organic method to convert images to songs. The result is not the abstract creation you might imagine ­­– it’s a dreamy blend of world music and electronica. During April, timeofhex will bring the hypnotic results of her experiments to Phnom Penh.

“I’ve always been very keen on merging photography and music,” Tsang explains. “Then I came across hexadecimal data, which corresponds very well with music, given it is 16-bit. I usually grab a selection from the hex data, somewhere random, and then I’ll go from there. Tempo, instruments, rhythm and the pitch of the notes are something I control. The notes themselves are up to the photo.”

The music is a blend of atmospheric keys, tribal percussion and contextual effects that appeal to a wide audience while having innovative roots. While Tsang names a few musical influences, including Dead Can Dance, she’s more excited about inspiration for what she describes as “a soundscape” and “narrative.”

“I have been influenced by audio dramas quite a bit,” she says. “I listen to a lot of Doctor Who dramas from Big Finish. They do a lot of the older Doctor stories. I love how they create narratives just purely through sound. It’s fascinating how little sound cues can tell so much.”

Since perfecting her technique during 2014, timeofhex has produced an impressive catalogue, with over a dozen tracks already available online. It seems that wherever Tsang travels with a camera, it’s another opportunity to capture an exotic scene both visually and musically. Cambodia is set to get the treatment when it becomes a six-song album. In the meantime, Tsang promises to provide fresh material to her Phnom Penh audience.

“The songs I’ll be performing in Cambodia are from the Abandoned album,” she explains. “The album was made from a series of photos I took in Vanuatu last year of various abandoned spaces around the island of Efate.”

So, how about that brain-splitting possibility of objects finding a voice through the songs of timeofhex? Is there another level of meaning Tsang looks for when converting her images to sounds?

“Perhaps on a level, yes,” she says. “It’s always surprising to see how the music from data can reflect the photo itself. It’s pretty fascinating. Also, it adds an extra layer of interaction to the creation of the work. It’s like finding the organic element in cold hard data.”
Audiences will witness Cissi Tsang converting cold data into warm compositions when timeofhex performs on Saturday April 11 at Equinox with The Potato Stars and Delta Kong.

Check out timeofhex online at http://samarobryn.com/ and  https://soundcloud.com/timeofhex