Cambodia & History: Keo Sinan, the man with 400 vinyl records from the golden age

Keo Sinan, a former musician, has kept nearly 400 vinyl records dating from the 1940s to 1975 for over 50 years.

Musician Keo Sinan collects old vinyl albums from the 1960s and 1970s. Photo: Facebook

Keo Sinan dreams of opening a small museum in his hometown in the Baray district of Kampong Thom province to showcase the music of the Kingdom's ‘golden age’ for the next generation.

A beautiful collection

Sinan was born in 1944 in the village of Svay, in the Baray district of Kampong Thom province. He currently lives in the village of Boeung Samreth, in the same commune. During his long life, he has been blessed with six children and 20 grandchildren.

At the launch party for the Khmer edition of the graphic novel The Golden Voice Queen, Sinan confided:

‘Today, I have exactly 401 records of songs from the 1960s and 1970s, which is about 900 songs. Most of them are by Sin Sisamuth, Ros Serey Sothea, Pen Ron, Keo Sokha (Keo Montha's younger sister), Nov Narin and a few other singers.’

When he was younger, Kéo used his salary from his job at the Cambodia Cement Chakrey Ting factory in Kampot to buy records. While working there, he became friends with musician Nop Neum, the younger brother of actor Nop Nem.

He then began learning to play the saxophone and trumpet, and learned to play the drums in 1963.

‘When I met Neum, he taught me how to play the saxophone, trumpet and drums. Realising that I was gradually becoming a musician, I started buying songs to listen to and practise. I bought my first record in 1964 and my last in 1975, the year the Khmer Rouge regime came to power,’ he said.

Kéo Sinan. Photo Facebook

Hiding records in the sewer

‘I remember between 1972 and 1975, I would ride my bike from Kampong Thom to Phnom Penh to buy records,’ he says, adding that he formed his own band called Kasekor (Peasant) Band between 1969 and 1970.

What is astonishing is how he preserved his collection during the dark years of the Khmer Rouge regime, when much of the kingdom's intellectual and artistic resources were destined for destruction.

Not only did Sinan survive, but he was able to keep the documents safe. The oldest of them is now 58 years old.

Sinan hid the records in the sewer under the house of a family who had been killed by the Khmer Rouge in Kampong Thom province, where he was staying. When he realised that the space was large enough for his collection, he hid it safely. It was not until 1982 that he retrieved them. In 2008, he finally shared all his precious musical memories.

‘During the Khmer Rouge era, what kept me alive was that I was a good farmer. Anyone who could grow vegetables was useful to the organisation. I wasn't detained or isolated like so many other artists,’ he says.

‘Thanks to my farming skills, I was able to survive the Khmer Rouge era and even save my record collection. As I was farming, I had access to pesticides and was able to use some of them to protect my records from insects,’ he continues.

Although he has kept his records safe since 1982, the secret of his collection was only revealed to the public in 2008:

‘That year, I met Khuth Sokhoeun, a writer and lover of traditional music. He took photos of my records and wrote articles about them. These articles became famous throughout the kingdom and even abroad. Local and foreign journalists came to interview me,’ Sinan confides.

‘In 2009, my records were protected by a company and displayed to the public in the form of photo albums at the Chenla Theatre. In 2014, they appeared at an art exhibition at the Koh Pich Theatre organised by the Sin Sisamuth Association. Sin Chanchhaya, Samuth's eldest son, was then president of the association. In 2016, they were taken to the National Museum of Korea and put on display there,’ he explains.

Refusing to sell

Many collectors and even companies have offered him thousands of dollars for his collection, but he has always refused to sell. Even today, some people still make offers to buy his records, but he refuses.

However, he mentions that journalists who want to interview him usually offer him some kind of gift as a token of their appreciation, which helps him meet his monthly expenses.

‘There was a time when a company in the United States wanted to buy the 401 records for £300,000. I refused to sell because I wanted to preserve and keep my own heritage, which I worked so hard for. Today, my records are still valuable. Many record companies and production companies are willing to pay between $2,000 and $2,500 to remaster them,’ he says, adding:

‘Even though many people have offered me large sums of money, I refuse to sell. I think all the risks I took to save them could become meaningless if I let them go.’

‘I'm old and I don't want to be rich. I want to keep what I saved so that future generations know what we were creating in the 1960s and 1970s. I would really like to create a small museum in my hometown of Kampong Thom,’ he continues.

Sinan plans to bring a selection of records to Battambang in early 2023 to share with young fans.

‘I think I'll put on a show at the end of February or early March next year. I won't select more than 50 records. I'm getting older and it's getting harder to travel so far from home,’ he concludes.

Among Sinan's collectors. Facebook photo

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Pann Rethea with our partner The Phnom Penh Post