The Ho Chi Minh City based band, Saigon Soul Revival, has been on a quest to bring the raw, enchanting sounds of pre-1975 Saigon back to the stage since 2016. Tapping into the spirit of the golden era from which this music (Nhạc Vàng) originated, the group’s fresh takes on these vintage Vietnamese sounds resonate deeply today with echoes of the past.

 

By incorporating traditional Vietnamese instruments such as the đàn nguyệt, played by Indy Laville and the đàn tranh & đàn bầu, played by renowned traditional musician Thị Hải Phượng, SSR develops a distinctive fusion which pays respect to but sets them apart from the sounds of the past, resulting in a unique and contemporary sound.

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After their debut album "Hoa Am Xua" (2019), which was nominated for Songlines Music Award 2021, featured as Record of the Month on Radio FIP in France and celebrated by Iggy Pop on BBC6, among others, Saigon Soul Revival returns with their latest record, "Mối Lương Duyên" (release date 10.5.2024).

 

Descending out of the southern night sky through a turbulent cloud of dreams, memory, longing and psychedelia, Saigon Soul Revival’s second full length album — Mối Lương Duyên — represents the latest act in the group’s resuscitation of the raw, heavy and subversive sounds of 1960s and 70s Saigon.

Roughly translated to “destiny”, Mối Lương Duyên is a journey through eight original compositions and three soul-stirring reinterpretations of Saigonese nhạc vàng or golden music: the soundtrack to a Saigon once thought lost to history and amnesia.

Driven by Western influences rock, bolero, soul, jazz and the rich heritage of Vietnamese ballads, Mối Lương Duyên delivers a seamless blend of genres and traditional instrumentation (Đàn Tranh, Đàn Bầu & Đàn Nguyệt) with themes from across time and space.

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Nguyễn Anh Minh's seductive vocals glide through this multi-stylistic tapestry of sound, going beyond the universal concepts of love and heartbreak to explore how destiny can be forged through individual experiences. In this way - by being part of the unfolding story - the album also attempts to musically connect the past with Vietnam's evolving future.

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And the fact that Saigon Soul Revival seems to succeed in this is perhaps also the reason why the song ĐÁM CƯỚI NHÀ EM will be featured in the upcoming HBO Mini-Serie „The Symphatizer“ (directed by Par Chan-Wook (Oldboy) / Robert Downey Junior producer and actor), which is based on the novel of the same name (Pulitzer Prize 2016) by Viet Thanh Nguyen.