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Now on the BBC World Service, it's time for your world. This year Cambodia held its first

festival of live music. The Kampot River Music Festival showcased local bands whose blend

of Cambodian and foreign musicians are making new musical styles. During the 1970s, musicians

were one of the groups targeted by Paul Potts' Khmer Rouge regime. At a Stephanie Francis

reports in Always Hope, Cambodia's new music, the festival was a promising sign of a culture

in recovery.

So I'm Jan from Germany and my stage name is Professor Kinski. It basically comes from

the actor Klaus Kinski. I don't know if you know him. One of the most egocentric charismatic

actors in the world. And I'm a producer for 15 years. For 10 years I'm living in Cambodia

and I try to produce a fusion music with the Khmer's, with some Khmer instruments, violin

and snare singers for a couple of years. And it's getting better and better.

Jan's band, Dobby Diction, is one of Cambodia's newest bands. And Jan says the first reggae

band in the country. Dobby Diction's blend of French, German and Cambodian members are

mixing old-school reggae and reggae bass lines with the lyrics of Khmer Hip Hop artist Emcee

Kurly. So when I arrived in 2002 where no roads were paved and no cars were driving

around, no Lexus, no hummus or whatever, there was no music scene. Everybody of the Khmer

of course, we are totally into karaoke singing. This was basically mainly just about Thai,

China or Vietnamese cover songs. Very cheesy. And translated into Khmer, it's always a

copy of something which has been there and there was no original music scene at all.

Nowadays it has changed a little bit due to the help of foreigners I would say. Or

...