Zac Holtzman is at the home in which he grew up, high in the hills of Topanga, California, at the end of a long day celebrating his father’s 75th birthday.
Two doors down, he tells me, cult leader and serial killer Charles Manson claimed one of his nine victims. Like many of the area’s other famous former residents – including Jim Morrison, Neil Young and Marvin Gaye – Manson was also a musician.
“There’s some good songs there,” says the guitarist, uncomfortably. “Growing up was a little bit weird, but I’m kind of intrigued by it all.”
It might be a stretch to say this heavy, heady vibe of those formative years inspired the moody, minor-key music of Holtzman’s band, but Manson’s era ethos of excess certainly left an imprint on their lo-fi, psychedelic rock sound.
The group’s secret ingredient, however, is Cambodian lead singer Chhom Nimol, whose hauntingly high “ghost voice” techniques, sung in her native Khmer, snake quixotically over the sextet’s kaleidoscope of swelling organs and twanging surf guitar.
This bewitching combination – which has seduced audiences around the globe for 15 years – was no accident.
In 1997, Zac’s brother Ethan, the sextet’s organist, returned from Cambodia with a suitcase full of cassettes documenting a golden age of lost Khmer pop music – groovy, feel-good tunes heavily influenced by 1960s American rock ‘n’ roll – that existed before the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975. Among the two million people slaughtered during the Cambodian genocide that followed – three-quarters of the country’s population – were many of this lost generation’s musicians.
When Zac independently discovered similar music on a compilation bought from a San Francisco record store, the brothers decided to revive this forgotten sound – somehow both familiar and exotic to western ears – with a one-off live gig. The problem was finding an authentic voice to sing it.
In 2001 they began making regular trips to Long Beach, home to about 50,000 Cambodians, to check out resident bands in the clubs there.
“Eventually we ended up at the best place called Dragon House,” says Holtzman. “There were five singers on stage – all of a sudden, Nimol started singing and, right off the bat, I was like: ‘she’s the strongest, she’s the best’.”
He was not mistaken. Nimol comes from a family of famous Cambodian singers. However, having arrived in the United States only a month earlier, and speaking no English, she was naturally suspicious of the tall, hairy Californians inviting her to audition.
“They didn’t trust us at all,” says Holtzman. “So we kept going back there, and then finally something changed her mind.
“We had a studio set up to audition some of the other singers we’d seen – and as soon as she showed up, everyone else just left. And she was way better, luckily, than everyone.”
The band was rounded out by bassist Senon Williams, saxophonist David Ralicke and drummer Paul Dreux Smith. Soon after their first LA club gigs, actor Matt Dillon asked the sextet to record a tune for his 2002 movie, City of Ghosts, which he also co-wrote and directed.
They turned in a Khmer cover of Joni Mitchell's Both Sides Now and, the Dengue Fever name went overground. It is a choice they might regret in the internet age – goggling "Dengue Fever" generally produces unpleasant images of disease-spreading mosquitos.
The group’s early repertoire of vintage Cambodian covers was immortalised on a 2003 self-titled debut album.
They graduated from eccentric revivalists to an original act in their own right with 2005's self-written follow-up, Escape from Dragon House.
A breakthrough came with 2008's third LP, Venus of Earth, which was championed by some notably diverse music-industry names, including Peter Gabriel, Metallica's Kirk Hammett and Ray Davies.
“The shows, they just got bigger and bigger,” says Holtzman.
While the material was new, the commitment to singing largely in Khmer remained – necessitating a laborious translation process, huddled over an old, dog-eared leather dictionary. This may in part explain the somewhat surreal English song titles, such as Tiger Phone Card, Taxi Dancer, Cement Slippers and Shave Your Beard.
“When you translate an English line – let’s say eight syllables long which fits perfectly with the melody of the song – all of a sudden in Khmer it’s like 20 syllables,” says Holtzman. “And so it’s this crazy filtration and whittling-away process that gives us our finished songs.”
Over successive releases, this songwriting has grown progressively more fertile as the band evolved from quirky imitators to authors of a distinctive sound.
Their latest release – 2015's The Deepest Lake, their fifth LP – represented a brave step sonically and conceptually, incorporating hints of rap, electro and Latin rhythms into an increasingly spacey soundscape.
The freedom is not only symbolic – it was also the first release on the band’s own Tuk Tuk Records.
Two new albums – a follow-up set of originals, and the soundtrack to an upcoming silent movie – are already in the bag.
“We’ve never tried to pretend we’re anything,” says Holtzman. “We’ve always been really honest about what we are: influenced by that original [Cambodian] stuff, but always trying to bring ourselves to it. I think that’s why it’s lasted.”
• Dengue Fever perform on Friday at 7.15pm at NYUAD’s Red Theatre. Entry is free
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The%20specs
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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE%20Warriors%2045%20Results
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'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
DIVINE%20INTERVENTOIN
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Where to buy art books in the UAE
There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.
In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show.
In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.
In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
