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The Mash moves on

By MANOTE TRIPATHI

THE NATION

Published on March 12, 2010

DJs will be burning down the house at the Pattaya International Music Festival next week

Hot on the heels of last month's successful Big Mountain Festival, Fahmai Damrongchaitham has lots more in store, starting with the three-day Pattaya International Music Festival, a huge DJ blast that kicks off a week from today.

It's one of four parties the project manager at GMM Grammy's Mashroom is planning this year, anticipating a surge in local interest in electronic music.

The fan base for the electro genre in Thailand is growing, and Fahmai says sophisticated, hi-so, foreign-educated young Thais are leading the charge.

There's certainly room to grow judging by the success at Big Mountain, where DJs played from 2pm to 6am and the fans - mostly young society females from Bangkok - never stopped dancing.

"It showed how strong the following is in Thailand, but the thing is, electro music hasn't had much exposure in Thailand. We didn't have many shows where Thais could get to know it," Fahmai says.

Mashroom's presence at the Pattaya festival will be bigger than at Big Mountain. Fahmai has picked the foreign DJs from rankings in the trade magazines, noting that the fans know which ones are A-list.

But the appeal of a DJ concert goes well beyond the music, he says. The light-and-sound system, professional dancers and the atmosphere in general warrant close attention.

Having seen top DJ venues like Singapore's Zouk Out and others in Japan, Fahmai is shooting for high standards.

Pattaya will have Thailand's frontline DJs, five big names from overseas, a foam and pool party, an intense sound system and eclectic lighting productions with fierce visual effects.

All the Mashroom shows will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Talent from abroad

G-ROM hit the scene in 1994 at the Queen club in Paris and was the resident at Bataclan, playing every Saturday after DJ Claude Monnet. In 1995 he played with Charles Schillings for the "Crazy Baby" parties at the Folies Pigalle.

DARREN MAC is an electro house DJ and producer, a top gun from the heady days of early-1980s rave. He's been preaching his musical gospel around Asia for five years, spinning his eclectic uplifting house music at top clubs including Twisted Republic, 808, Q-Bar, the Tunnel and Mystique.

SIMON MACKAY dishes up soulful electro house, most notably playing the Mixmag Club Country Balls at Britain's Sanctuary club. He's played alongside DJ Sonique, Jules, Andy Ward and Kiddo.

Home thunder

DJ NAZZ has 20 years' experience in electronic music and is currently filling the Chiang Mai clubs with techno and tech house, including the Warm Up Café and his own Chaingmai Bar. He's in demand all over the country, though, including at big clubs like Café de Moc and Club Culture in Bangkok and Club Lime in Phuket.

DJ SUNZONE is one of the biggest Thai names in electronic music, responsible for introducing progressive house here. The former resident at the Ministry of Sound, he's performed in Singapore, Hong Kong, Brunei and Britain.

DJ SUPERSONIC is famed for his attention-grabbing visual effects, and with his Electrobacillus team he's a standout club VJ. He co-founded the streetwear brand and party organiser Superrzaaap! But spinning the tunes remains his passion, especially nudisco, indie and techno.

HERE'S THE DEAL

March 19

- 6pm - All-star techno

- 7 - DJ G-ROM (house & techno), ??8 - Darren Mac (electro house), ??9 - DJ Boy Bangkok Noise (tech house)

- 10 - Nolen Volen Harsh Record (techno & tech house)

- 11 - DJ Nazz (techno)

- 12.30 to 2am - DJ Sunzone (tech house)

March 20

- 6pm - All-star nudisco

- 7 - Mirror Image (electro tech house)

- 8 - DJ Dookie Cluc Soma (indie rock)

- 9 - Cygolf (electro, new wave, 8 bit)

- 10 - DJ Joe Bangkok Noise (electro house)

- 11.15 - Stargazer Kitsch Cat (indie dance & electro)

- 12.30 to 2am - Supersonic SuperrZaaap (indies dance & electro)

March 21

- 6pm - All-star house

- 7 - Simon MacKay (electro house)

- 8 -Sunju Hargun (house & tech house)

- 9 - Yaak Party Crew (drum-and-bass)

- 10 - DJ Breakfast Nonsense Brother (breakbeat)

- 11 - DJ Oatawa and Kolor One (progressive house)

- 12.30 to 2am - DJ Boy Backyard (trance & progressive house)

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-- The Nation 2010-03-13

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