Man Men was a 39 year old musician when the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia and forced his family to evacuate to Snair Dor. Most of Man Men’s family was killed by the Khmer Rouge, including the family of his relative who was also his music and dance teacher. Under the rule of the Khmer Rouge, Man Men’s musical talent was stifled, and he was only allowed to perform revolutionary music.
When the Khmer Rouge fell, Man Men returned to his home village and became a farmer. He also supported himself by playing music at local weddings and ceremonies.
Today, Man Men teaches several instruments to students in Wat Bo's classical wedding music ensemble. He has been a CLA Master since 2001. Together with Master Sok Duch, Man Men is reviving this extremely rare form of wedding music, a traditional instrumental grouping that had not been heard widely in Cambodia for generations. Man Men and his band and students perform at weddings and ceremonies, as well as at hotels in the Siem Reap area.
It pleases Master Man Men to know that young Cambodians take an interest in traditional Cambodian music and will keep the music alive by passing it and its cultural significance on to their friends and families.