Cambodian rock of the 1960s and 1970s was a thriving and prolific music scene based in Phnom Penh , Cambodia , in which musicians created a unique sound by combining traditional Cambodian music forms with rock and pop influences from records imported into the country from Latin America , Europe , and the United States . U.S. armed forces radio that had been broadcast to troops stationed nearby during the Vietnam War was also a primary influence . This music scene was abruptly crushed by the Khmer Rouge communists in 1975 , and many of its musicians disappeared or were executed during the ensuing Cambodian genocide . Due to its unique sounds and the tragic fate of many of its performers , the Cambodian rock scene has attracted the interest of music historians and record collectors , and the genre gained new popularity upon the international release of numerous compilation albums starting in the late 1990s
Cambodian genocide
Cambodian genocide
Cambodian rock (1960s–1970s)