Category: Night & Day

FRI 13 | Good France Cambodia is celebrating all things French this coming week and the crew at The Creem have the cocktail side of things covered. It’s round number two for team Creem at Bouchon Wine Bar, and this time they’ll be sprinkling it with all things French. DJ Jack Malipan will man the decks, spinning classic French electronica from Daft Punk and Justice among others, and, of course, with a bar as well-stocked as this one, you can expect a creative explosion of French-inspired cocktails: think champagne, French martinis and Rose Pamplemousse Piscine (the harder they are to say, the tastier they are to drink).

WHO: Francophiles and cocktail-drinkers
WHAT: French Touch Party
WHERE: Bouchon Wine Bar, #3 St. 246
WHEN: 8pm, March 13
WHY: It’s French Week. Sante!

FRI 13 | Love house, but sick of gigs so deep they risk penetrating earth’s core itself? Look no further than 24-year-old analogue prodigy Jacques Greene, who spent his teen years navigating synthesisers and drum pads while the rest of us were out dancing to shitty billboard charts. The result is an eclectic mix of ambient house, indie-electronica and R&B favourites. This sound was evidently unique enough to perk up the ears of Radiohead, who hand-picked Greene to remix their tracks for album production. Alongside this, Greene has collaborated with likes of Tinashe and The xx and co-produced the Vase record label. This Friday, he’ll be bringing his finely honed silky, supernatural IDM to Phnom Penh for a gig you’re not likely to forget in a hurry.

WHO: Jacques Greene
WHAT: Dreamy IDM
WHERE: Pontoon Pulse, #80 St. 172
WHEN: 10pm, March 13
WHY: It’s deep, but not too deep

SAT 14 | Celebrating art and music, the folks at Simone Art present a festival with a line-up that will in itself be music to your ears. Having just released their new album, Dub Addiction will join Wat A Gwaan, providing smooth reggae beats, while the KlapYaHandz team will get you up and bouncing with skillful hip hop. If electronic music is your bag, DJ Moudy, DJ Mercy and DJ Sequence will spin their tunes long into the night. Oh, and it’s obviously so cool it’s reached South America – Columbian street artists Stinkfish will be painting the walls with their trippy murals throughout the evening.

WHO: Dub Addiction, Wat A Gwaan, KlapYaHandz & more
WHAT: Art festival
WHERE: Simone Art, St. 93 Boeung Kak Lake
WHEN: 2pm, March 14
WHY: Music, art, dance, drinks. What more could you want?

WED 18 | Heng Ravuth presents his latest work in Innermost II. Continuing to explore self-portraiture and the human form as a medium for expressing the human condition, Ravuth displays a range of dynamic works that evoke mystery and curiosity about the bodies in which we all travel. Sound intense? That’s cuz it kind of is. Leave yourself a good amount of time to peruse a room full of portraits which are likely to leave you feeling positively meta.

WHO: Heng Ravuth
WHAT: Art exhibition
WHERE: Java Café & Gallery, #58 Sihanouk Blvd.
WHEN: 6:30pm, March 18
WHY: It’s a visual philosophy lesson

THU 05 | Sothea Thang doesn’t do things in halves. Placing himself in the role of the first king of the human world (as you do), Sothea has created 30 human silhouette statues for his latest sculpture exhibition Manu. Derived from the Khmer word for humankind and made entirely out of hemp, iron and steel, the sculptures represent the cycle of life, following the process of development of a human being, from the simplest primitive form to more sophisticated and complex structures. The collection is at once striking and humbling, rising an impressive two metres tall, with each sculpture as unique in appearance and form as the species it represents.

WHO: Sothea Thang
WHAT: Sculpture exhibition
WHERE: The Plantation, #28 St. 184
WHEN: 6pm March 5
WHY: You might see your hemp doppelganger

FRI 06 | Hitting Phnom Penh for the second time since its conception at the end of last year, this fresh young Kampot-based band will have you on your feet with their mesmerising brand of high-energy rock ‘n’ roll and dulcet voices. With a sound as psychedelic as their name and having stemmed from the legendary Cambodian Space Project, you can expect nothing less than golden era rock classics, outrageous costumes and break-leg dancing from the Bokor Mountain Magic Band.

WHO: Bokor Mountain Magic Band
WHAT: Golden era rock ‘n’ roll
WHERE: Equinox Bar, #3A St. 278
WHEN: 9pm March 6
WHY: Mountain psychedelia. The best kind.

FRI 06 | Get engaged with your local art community this weekend at Culture as Resilience: Demystifying Systems Thinking in the Arts, a public talk which will examine and propose ways to apply systems thinking to operations within artistic practices. The talk will be followed by a panel discussion with local art community representatives Dr. Irene Leung, Chea Sopheap, Dana Langlois, Kang Rithisal, Nico Mesterharm, Prim Phloeun and Sophiline Cheam Shapiro. If you’re even remotely interested in the future of arts in Phnom Penh (as you damn well should be), you are strongly encouraged to join for what is the first in a series of events and projects of this kind.

WHO: Art community representatives
WHAT: Public talk and panel discussion
WHERE: Java Café, #56E1 Sihanouk Blvd.
WHEN: 6:30pm March 6
WHY: It’s a good chance to have your two cents

SAT 07 | In line with International Women’s Day this weekend, Ruom Collective presents She Who Tells the Story, an informal gathering designed to celebrate women’s voices in the world of photography and film. Prepare to be blown away by the four impressive and talented females who will showcase their work and share their experiences in a short photo and film projection from Cambodia and abroad. A Q&A session will follow, where you will be given the chance to pick the brains of these women, and perhaps even score a few tips. This is bound to be one seriously inspirational event for anyone interested in obtaining their goals and fulfilling their passions.

WHO: Amira Al-Sharif, Mona Simon, Hannah Reyes, Kalyanee Mam
WHAT: Photography & film exhibit
WHERE: Opera Café, St. #188 St. 13
WHEN: 7:30pm March 7
WHY: Meet world-renowned female filmmakers and photographers

SAT 07 | Direct from the shores of Sinville itself, soulful rock band The Sinville Roadshow has rolled all the way up to Phnom Penh to present a night of soul, rock, blues and reggae. The Sihanoukville-based band is perhaps best known for covers, but don’t let that put you off. You’ll be left with an all new appreciation of the cover band this Saturday, as their heavy bass lines and penetrating vocals shake the walls of The Mansion.

WHO: Sinville Roadshow
WHAT: Rock/Soul/Blues
WHERE: The Mansion, FCC
WHEN: 8:30pm March 7
WHY: They’ve saved you a trip to Snooky

SUN 08 | Who likes violence against women? That’s right, no one (and if you do, you can GTFO). International Women’s day at Freedom Park is a chance to express your support in the ongoing effort to help put an end to its prevalence. What better way to do it than with a positive, uplifting social occasion? That’s what the ladies of Safe Cities for Women of Cambodia believe, providing all the necessities for a merry old shindig – think glow sticks, face-painting, photo booth and one mammoth Madizon dance. And before you lads get all gruff and awkward, keep in mind that you don’t need to possess lady-parts to join in this free event – husbands, brothers, sons and any bloke with a conscience is most cordially invited to celebrate women’s rights and freedom from violence.

WHO: Ladies (and gents)!
WHAT: International Women’s Day celebrations
WHERE: Freedom Park, St. 53
WHEN: 3pm March 8
WHY: Violence against women is completely uncool