Ange is a French-Cambodian who has returned to the country to make a living from her passion and bring her experience of European clubs to give a boost to the Kingdom's underground music scene. Her ambition: to live her passion and turn Cambodia into a country that people come to visit and party in.
For those who don't know you, can you introduce yourself in a few words?
Yes, of course. My name is Angelina, I'm of French-Cambodian origin. I've lived all over the world, including Cambodia, the United States, Spain and Bali. I recently moved back to Cambodia because I missed it so much. I opened a booking agency: Ariya Events..
Tell us about your background
I was born in Cambodia and went to a French lycée. Then, when I was 16, I went to the United States to finish my studies. I went to the United States because I wanted a change of environment, simply to see something different. I finished high school there and then I went straight to Madrid to go to business school. I chose Madrid because I wanted to discover a country I didn't know.
Tell us about your time in Madrid
So, I really arrived without knowing the language, nothing at all. I didn't know anyone, so I ‘deployed’ on my own. It was an experience that allowed me to be independent, autonomous, in a new country, a new culture that I didn't know at all.
And I was very interested in the city itself. I met lots of people. I hung out a lot with French people and we were able to discover the country, travel and learn the language together. So I stayed in this beautiful country for four years.
What did you decide next?
I knew I didn't want to work for anyone and I didn't want to work in an office from 9 to 5. So I started with an internship because my parents were pushing me to have some work experience in finance, but in a marketing department.
So I worked for the marketing department of a big company, but with very ‘old school’ values and spirit. And so I got bored. I resigned and got a plane ticket to Bali, without really knowing what I wanted to do there. I gave myself three months there and, in the end, I stayed for a year and a half.
I started with an internship for a French brand and then I worked for an estate agency. At the same time, I went out a lot to mix and ended up spending more and more time selling myself as an artist - DJ.
I actually realised that I could use my DJ skills to earn a bit more money. So I worked during the day and mixed in the evenings and at weekends, which made for a very busy schedule and it was pretty exhausting, but I liked it.
What kind of music did you mix?
I used to mix a lot of Afro House and House. I liked it a lot because it was in restaurants and nightclubs that suited this type of musical atmosphere perfectly.
How did you learn the trade?
It's a funny story, all my friends in Madrid were DJs and I begged everyone to teach me but nobody wanted to. So I said to myself, OK, don't worry, I'll manage. I learnt on my own and little by little, through gigs, I was able to improve rapidly.
What's the most difficult thing about your job?
I think the most difficult thing is that you can't please everyone and you have to keep as many people as possible on the dancefloor. At the beginning of my career, I really played music that I didn't necessarily like. It was simply because I first wanted to create a name (Ange) to create my brand, my style, a reference.
And so, now that I'm starting to play a bit more of what I really like, I'm getting a lot more pleasure out of it because I'm introducing people to music they've never heard before but that they like. So that really gives me pleasure.
Why did you leave Bali?
I was beginning to have a slightly toxic relationship with the island, with my lifestyle, the way I lived, I didn't like it at all. And I really missed Cambodia. At the same time, I also wanted to grow up and start a real career. I couldn't go on at this pace all my life.
I wanted more than that. So I said to myself that Cambodia offered an opportunity, that there was a market for music and DJs.
What's your impression of the local DJ scene?
It's a tough scene and there's a lot of competition. So my aim would be to develop this underground scene in Phnom Penh because there are a lot of suitable venues. It's also a market that's still in the process of developing and that needs to mature. We can't yet pay a few thousand euros for a DJ to mix for two hours, when it's commonplace everywhere else. And not everyone listens to house or electronic music, so it's very complicated at the moment.
As I also offer events through my company, I'd like to work with open-air venues where I can really work with the artists, the decoration and the artistic direction of the venue. This is very important to me because it forces me to set the bar quite high. For me, it's not just a question of offering a simple gig in a nightclub, but rather of creating an original event, arts and music, to European standards.
You also have to be inventive and come up with something that will surprise the audience - there's no point in offering an event without something different. Otherwise, people will get bored. Finally, while money and profitability are important, I would say that creativity and passion are equally crucial to success.
What are your ultimate ambitions?
I hope in 2-3 years to be able to offer festivals and at the same time promote the country. For me it's very important to promote the country quite simply because when people think of Asia, they mention Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia and don't think of Cambodia or only as the country next door.
So I thought that a great underground scene would be something that would attract people to come and visit but also to party.
That's my ambition and obviously it takes a lot of time but, thanks to my contacts and the support I have around me, I think nothing is impossible.
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