October | 2012 | Ponnie LeeLee

The video was released on October 4, 2012. I watched the video on October 5th because I saw tweets about it. Apparently, it became a heated topic. I automatically thought that there was probably something inappropriate. One tweet had an article link regarding Loen Entertainment’s explanation for the video. I watched the video and then I read the article. One of the things Loen Entertainment said was, “The MV contains the experience one receives through the emotions of love as well as the course from meeting to separation.” I guess GaIn’s video did show that. Of course minors won’t understand it. They haven’t had those feelings! Teenagers have feelings of lust, not love. They tend to confuse the two though. I like the video. Does that make me “dirty?” Well, I’m not a minor, so “racy” things like in this video don’t bother me. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been desensitized to stuff like that.

About the video itself, it does have mature content, but it’s not overly done. GaIn has the sexy image, so of course it will show. The male dancers reminded me of Pee-wee Herman because of how they’re dressed. The dance seems to go well with the song. It’s sensual, not overly sexy. I like the lighting. It gives a happy effect and it’s not too bright. The lighting during the scenes of the old videos reminds me of the days of old films. Those scenes were shot with perspective of a film projector. I like seeing that. I like those colored line animations that are being drawn on the wall and floor. It reminds me of a flower blooming. Instead of showing flower petals, it’s something else. It’s the kind of video people can watch without feeling like a pervert.

This interview was posted in October 2007. I kept the transcript as it was. Years ago, my friend and I had a site called Khmer Honor. Sadly, it is now defunct. One of the suggestions I had for the site was to interview Independent Khmer (Cambodian) singers, actors/actresses, film makers, etc. I kept the interview transcripts.

The interview for November is with Sok Visol aka Cream from KLAPYAHANDZ Production. He is a video, film, music director/producer in Cambodia! This interview was done by sage. Thank you to Cream and bong sage for this interview. :D

Judging by the catalogues of high energy beats and equally hyper videos, you’d figure that the man behind the machine would shared that same type of zeal, right? WRONG!! Cream, Cambodia’s premiere hip hop beatmaker and music video pioneer, is nothing like his art. Where his art exudes an air of excitement and carless joy, Cream dwells in a more cerebral world of calculative risk. In other words, he’s a thinker!! This is where the true reflection of his art comes to play. Cause see, despite the overwhelming kinetics of the beats and videos, behind the madness there’s a genius at work; Every videos and beats are constructed methodically to the point of flawless!! Yep, that’s right, within those chaotic images there are ORDER! Without Cream’s direction the product would be a rather sad…..STYLE over SUBSTANCE.

When i first conversate with Cream on youtube, i was expecting this cocky, self absorb individual. And why not, he’s work with some of the biggest rising stars in Cambodia, from Khmer Rap Boyz to the ever growing Phou Klaing! Heheh….i was wrong! What i got was a delightful, enthusiastic, down to earth man who finds much joy in his art. After hearing what he had to say, i was nothing less than inspired. I hope y’all feel the same…..

Ladies and Gentlement: Sok (Cream) Visol…

Q: How would you describe yourself?

A: Because I was raised by a father who don’t talk much and was too busy in his mind to offer real fatherhood and be a role model (ex-soldier, hyper nationalistic kinda man), mother hard worker and replacing my father in his duties (she did all kind of jobs, had 2 jobs at the same time, took care of everything in the house including paperworks, cook and clean, had to take shit from me and my brother who was already into gang life since the age of 13, she slept only a few hours per night…) and used to be very harsh on me during my teenage years coz she was scared I may turn very bad and get into trouble, consequences: I don’t talk much even tho I’m learning to be more social and talkative, I’m a hardworker and a thinker, got so many thinks going on in my head 24/7 that I don’t sleep much. Spent most of my life in France in a Housing Project in the North suburbs of Paris (93) so know about hood life. Creativity (Graffiti, Tags, Rap music) kept me within the legit path and gave me respect from hoodlums and gangstaz everywhere I went. Im a family kinda person, Family will always be first. Autodidact coz I’ve learning everything I know by myself, never really went to school for all the skills I have: Design, Illustration, Art Direction, Film & video direction and production, Music production, Advertising and Promotion, Marketing….I must say, Cambodia gave me all the opportunities to learn, grow and change. Mistakes in my life, taught me really well. I won’t repeat mistakes, but I’m ready to make new mistakes as learning and growth is on-going until now. Used to be very introverted, so spent my life observing life and people, so at the end, Im good at looking through people. Im layback type of person, you good to me I be good to you, you fuck with me I’ll fuck with you in the smartest way. I don’t like violence. Sometime I can say dumb shit, and I hate myself for that. Im a dreamer. I want to do too much by myself, which is wrong. Im working on that currently. Was born in 71, left to France in 75, went to the US in 89, came back to France in 91, and came back to Cambodia in 93. Never left Cambodia since. Im 36, got 2 lovely kids from different mothers, and im single now. Made peace with my parents and my brother, and Im currently taking care of all of them now. Im very open, try to remain humble and simple. I love my country, its people, food, places…..

Q: When did you first become interested in what you are doing?

A: My crew the CIA (Criminalz In Action) was the French “branch” of the CIA from NYC (somehow, someways, founders of the French crew got connected). First we taggers and graffiti artists repping the 93. We got into rap music in 87, that’s when I wrote my first rap. I’ve worked on most of the beats we were using back then, sampling old soul music I love to listen to. We did our first concerts in 89 and splitted when I left to the US. Music came back to me in 2001, after I got married with my baby girl mother. It was here in Cambodia, after 7/8 years of crazy life in Cambodia (year 2000), it was time for me to settle down and do something about the real me. I spent my days and night learning how to use Photoshop, Illustrator and Acid pro. I became good at all of them after a few years. In 2001 I did my first real Khmer Hip Hop beat, sampling “Bos chhoung”* a famous Khmer New Year song. The beat was used by the Phnom Penh Playaz and it became a hit here. The rest is history.

Q: What did you have to do to get to where you are now or how did you get started?

A: Between 93 and 2000, I’ve lived a pretty…crazy life filled with alcohol, women, clubbing (and troubles that come with clubbing a lot), financial and relationship problems with my family and the world. Back then, it was more about fuck the World coz I thought I was left alone (it was half true) when In was going thru my problems. Anyway, in 2000 I went to monkhood to pay respect to my parents and ancestors, stayed there for a week and came back to civil life. Before I went to monkhood, I cleaned everything around me (meaningless relationships, debts, alcohol and partying habits…). It was time to change the game, to make peace with my world, my family, and to do something better with my time, and start realizing some of my childhood dreams. The rest is within my answer above.

Q: Did anyone inspire you?

A: My mother, my father, Cambodia and its people, Cambodian singers from the 60’s-70’s, Hip Hop culture, the rap game, my kids.. the not so creative music industry in Cambodia (I don’t blame them, it’s a new industry going thru a normal phase of copycating neigbouring sounds…)

Q: Are your family, friends, and/or significant other supportive of what you do?

A: Yes, totally.

Q: What were the obstacles, if any, did you encounter?

A: The local music industry who’s trying to stop us using the fact that we are disrespecting Cambodian music and artist by sampling old songs and remixing them. Older generation who doesn’t really understand rap music. A crowd who’s more used to music and beats made in the US by leading producers (Khmer Hip Hop being not hype/bumpin enough…it’s true that my beats are more layback…). local peeps who find the whole style/look/rap funny or stupid (not their fault, but it is annoying…). Working with artists who are not on my payrolls, paying for everything from recording, to promotional CD’s, to shooting videos, spending time in rehearsals, finding gigs, offering my blood and soul for the sake of -my- music and the artists career, and not being taking seriously as a producer by these artists. I hate working with artists that slack on the job….

Q: Do you see yourself making a career out of this or would you say it’s more of a hobby?

A: A career not really, but what I do should encompass more than music, it should be a lifestyle, a movement, a way of life, a clothing lines, art galleries, creative projects, film & videos….based on the local art scenes, talents and street arts. It should be more of a on-going project driven by passionnate people united by one goal: repping Srok Khmer thru our arts. It’s too serious to be a hobby, and it’s too many things at the same time to call it a career.

Q: Do you enjoy what you do?

Hell yeah!!! that’s why Im still single!! I can work on my music/videos very late in the night…and the feeling of leaving some footprint into the country’s music game is nice. It’s dope to go around and hearing your tracks being played at shops, in cars….even in the country side…it make me feels good.

Q: Do you think you have been successful so far?

A: Not at all. KlapYaHandz should be more structured, should have employees working 8h per day, 5 days a week…it should be more professional, and Im working on that currently…
But overall, in life in general, after more than10 years of struggle, I feel that i have improved a lot in different fields of life (professional, personal, relations…), I am more confident, have more experience, have vaster knowledge about the things I do and the things around me, I must say…Im quite happy about my current person. It’s been hard, it’s easier now, my family is much happier and thru them I am as well.Soif it is the meaning of success, Yes I feel like I have successfully completed one level. It’s not finished yet. Im closing one more cycle and starting a new one. It’s the year of the pig, my year. Soon Im starting a new cycle, with new goals and new challenges…So I guess, I did won a battle but not the war yet….but now Im more excited and eager to go fight….like Biggie said: “Birthdays were the worst days, now we sippin’ champagne when we thirsty…” got that?

Q: Are you surprised or amazed at how far you’ve progressed?

A: Im happy knowing that more people are going to check out my music on youtube or Myspace….Not really amazed and surprised, not the right terms for my case coz it was very progressive and it took some time.

Q: Would you say that your hard work was worth all your effort or a would you say that it was a waste of time?

A: Sometime I feel that Im wasting my time and should jump to film which I kinda put on the side for the past 2 years. But Klap is about to become a real entity so…at the end of the day + more people start to know Klap….it is worth it. Mostly when you hear some songs some production company are copying from us! next time we’ll release those songs before they get cloned….

Q: What do you think you have learned or gained from this experience?

A: Be hyper patient and understanding (so very open), and don’t do shit by yourself. Delegate, find the right people to do the things you don’t have time to do. I used to be a one man agency…can’t do that no more. Remaining low profile is still a good way to do things. Having a master plan and a vision is always a good start.

Q: Do you see yourself as a role model for those who are younger than you?

A: Maybe, not sure. Someone like me can be impressive here in Cambodia, I might not be that good back in Europe or the USA with the same kinda kids. But id like the kids to listen to me and apply what I teach them. I don’t talk much, Im more about actions,and the words that come out from my mouth always have meaning. I don’t really talk for nothing, so I guess it’s good for the kids.

Q: Do you see yourself as a role model for those who are older than you?

A: Not a role model, but an example of someone who doesn’t stay still but is always into something. A creative person who has lots of ideas. But it’s easy in Cambodia for someone who has lived abroad to apply ideas that have worked there to Cambodia. Everything old oversea is new here. So I don’t brag about it and I despise Khmer peeps who come to Cambodia and play smart but they really ain’t shit back where they come from.

Q: Do you ever feel like people misunderstand you because of what you have chosen to do?

They say artists will always be misunderstood. I do enough arts to call myself “artist” so that’s whatever….thats’ life if people don’t understand me. But out here it’s about educating people. Don’t say that local Khmer peeps are dumb, they need educations and time to learn. I don’t mind being misunderstood as long as I know the reasons why and Im working on solving the problems.

Q: “Good things come to those who wait.” VS “Good things come to those who seek them.” Which quote do you prefer and why?

I like the second one for sure. Im a person of action. I don’t believe in luck really – even tho I believe in cycle of luck in life – so I won’t wait, I’ll go and look for it, provoke it, and turn on the mechanism until it is working my way. Im from a low income family (not poor coz we always had food anyhow), so Im used to work for what I have. My mother taught me and show me the way. She’s my inspirations. And now Im happy that she;’s the one who waits for things to come. Until I get old, I’ll run the extra mile to get what I want.

Q: If you had to choose between pursuing your career or starting a family, which one would you choose?

I already started my family, my kids are growing bigger everyday…Im not into any career coz I do many things at the same time. I reach a stage of m y life where I can do both, and it’s only getting better every years, after years and years of struggle and problems. Like Jay Z says, 30’s are the new 20’s and life is good now!

Q: Have you ever doubted yourself while pursuing this opportunity?

A: Yes of course. I only gained confidence in what I do just these past 3 years because of what I have done and experience. I’ve learned everything by myself, no one taught me, never had a role model…so no one to tell me what’s right or wrong really. So I always question myself once in a while…it’s more about re-evaluating my one person in order to improve. Im not perfect, no one is. I still make mistake, but less now.

Q: If you were to describe your line of work with one word, which word would it be?

A: CREATIVITY

Q: If someone was interested in the same field of work, what would you say to the person?

A: Go ahead! we’re never enough in this be-atch!! Come one come all…let’s do it!!

Q: Do you think you have reached out to the Khmer community?

A: Maybe, got no real parameters to tell me that, I hope so anyway…

Q: What or how would you give back to the Khmer community?

A: Everything I’ve learned and know, everything I did, do will do, pride, world recognition if possible (maybe too ambitious!), put Cambodia back on the world map somewhere in fields related to creativity/media/arts (maybe too ambitious again)…I’ll do whatever I can…

Q: Would you like to offer a few words of encouragement to your fellow Khmer people?

A: We’re Khmer, We’re back from the dead, and we’ll Klap back!!!!

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Peace’n’luv to all my Khmer peeps around the World. Unite, connect, collaborate….let’s do this together!! Khmer for life. One love.

Sok “Cream” Visal / KlapYaHandz

Thanks for all Sage and Khmer Honor. Peace’n’luv. Cream

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Creams’s links:

MySpace: KlapYaHandz Production
YouTube: KlapYaHandz Production

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