Dengue Fever
Escape from Dragon House
M80 Records

Combining vintage Khmer, ska, and surf rock, Dengue Fever fulfills a creative dream of cultural fusion, and they sound unlike anything you’ve heard before.

After visiting numerous nightclubs in a prominently Cambodian section of Long Beach, California, seasoned LA musicians Ethan Holtzman, Zac Holtzman, David Ralicke, Paul Smith, and Senon Williams joined forces with Cambodian pop star Ch’hom Nimol a few years back. Together they created Dengue Fever, a group whose adventuresome fusion transformed the pop/rock music world. Their sophomore release, Escape From Dragon House, boldly features Nimol’s Khmer vocals and a healthy dose of Farfisa organ (an Italian brand of electric organs popular in the 1960’s and known for their campy ambience)—thus accomplishing Dengue Fever’s quest to revive Cambodia’s overly karaoke’d 60’s and 70’s pop music.

“Tip My Canoe,” an upbeat ballad, displays the unique contiguity between Ralicke’s horn playing and the lilting quality of Nimol’s voice. The psychedelic feel of Dengue Fever comes to a head in “One Thousand Tears of a Tarantula”. Driving drum beats, intense guitar, organ, and brass riffs, plus electronically altered vocals, combine to create yet another unparalleled experience on the album.

It is a treat to hear an ensemble turn a dream into reality, and when the performers are such masters of their craft as the Dengue Fever members, the fruition of that dream is all the sweeter. Relish every moment of Escape from Dragon House.