Can Bangkok stop the decline of its nightlife?

[webfact]

Can Bangkok stop the decline of its nightlife?
By Barbara Woolsey


Logo by Oliver Raw

BANGKOK: -- I’ve got a few qualms with CNNGo’s article, “30 reasons Bangkok has the best nightlife in the world.” When it comes to sit-down bars and watering holes, this city has it made in spades.

There’s no shortage of wacky and eccentric characters on bar stools who have torn the world apart and lived to tell the tale. But when it comes to pairing up electronic music and a dance floor, Bangkok is far from number one. In fact, there are only a handful of nightclubs here doing it right.

Let me first give you some context. I’m a Farang so I don’t dig going to the Thai nightclubs. That’s not to say I haven’t had a good night out at clubs like Sonic or Demo with a good crowd of hell-raisers. But I’m not into commercial pop and rap songs that imitate each other endlessly. They have cluttered bass lines and repetitive hooks with lyrics that are far from clever. I like house music that’s dark, at times dirty, with builds, drops and off-kilter melodies. I can only sit around whiskey and a bucket of ice for so long before I need to get up and dance, and I loath any place that vibes pretentious and uptight.

Secondly, I’m a woman. So no, I don’t want to hang out at gentlemen’s clubs or Soi Cowboy and Patpong (most of the guys I know don’t like to, either). It’s not even the women in these establishments, but the men who are the most annoying, They think that just because they’re in Thailand that no woman is untouchable and no rules apply. And while I can get along with prostitutes, it would take a little more to stimulate me in conversation. Ping pong shows are for tourists and while the Rooftop Bar on Khao San Road is kickass, there’s only so much backpacker hooliganism I can find amusing for an evening.

That being said, I love going out and I wouldn’t say that my standards are too high or that I’m tough to please.
The bottom line is there’s a lack of options in Bangkok to the point that sometimes it can seem like the same thing over and over again.

My understanding of this really cemented when I traveled to Berlin for the first time earlier this year. Ever since, I find myself longing for clubs where “sexy” isn’t slutty. In Berlin, many of the clubs don’t even have mirrors {read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2013/07/31/bangkok-nightlife-over-long-live-bangkok-nightife


-- Coconuts Bangkok 2013-07-31

[jpeg]

Bangkok's 'nightlife' is capable of 'declining'

[Trembly]

Wholeheartedly agree. If I was richer than Croesus I would buy a few clubs and keep throwing good music at them until they get hooked on it, even if it means hiring the artists at loss. There's nothing like some quality sounds coming out of some big fookoff quality speakers and quality tweakers. Bit of Spor, bit of DeadMau5, plenty of filthy underground psy, lots of imports from London and Berlin etc etc. . . . well, one can dream.

Edited July 31, 2013 by Trembly

[krisb]

Well go back to Berlin then. Bye.

[StrandedBusinessPerson]

Bangkok's 'nightlife' is capable of 'declining'

Perhaps nightlife as we know it is ending, or thinning out significantly. I've been in sasia for over a decade, so I might be out of touch, but here the market for club venues seems small compared to say Berlin or say NYC, where I used to live.The business plans must be tough.

[jmccarty]

Bkk, no comparison to Singapore either if you like trendy modern night clubs.

Not sure there is enough falang people in the 20-30 age range to support that living in Bkk. In Singapore and even KL and Jakarta, the locals are just as interested in the latest international house music as they are in same but native tongue equivalent. Turn the radio dial here in Thailand and don't hear much equivalent so to be expected it aint here in the clubs either!

[thhMan]

Great article... Well said Barbara

[tribalfusion001]

Narz in soi 23 has a trance/progressive house room, a hip hop/R&B/ house room and also a breakbeat/chill out room, not many farang go there and some of the Thai's in the trance room dance with glow sticks, it actually reminds of The Gallery @ Turnmills about 10 to 15 years ago. Some big name DJ's have been there recently, Paul Oakenfold, Ronski Speed, Lisa lashes, I wish I was in BKK now, it's a definitely somewhere I would be on a Friday or Saturday night.

[sprq]

I know virtually nothing about the current club scene or about current music, being in my seventh decade, but I can say this for sure as a Londoner who has spent three decades in Bangkok. The Thais have really bad taste in music and just do not get what is hip. The choice of music played in every kind of bar that I used to go to, or still hear occasionally when passing, is dire or completely banal. Given a choice between a really good and unusual record and a very ordinary one, a Thai DJ will almost always go for the latter. They have no taste in music, so you should never expect to hear anything hip in Bangkok, or expect anybody to start a club that plays really hip music. One of the downsides of living in Thailand is that the natives have cloth ears.

[Tanlic]

Seems like there's two sides to our Barbara> I read this just a few days ago : "As she remarked on her life in each of the cities, it became obvious that Barbara has a deep affection for both Bangkok and Regina. She has learned to love Bangkok’s fast-paced lifestyle. With so much happening, she finds it hard to believe anyone could get bored. She loves how quickly the big city moves, but admits it can be exhausting at times. Fortunately, another one of Barbara’s favourite things about Bangkok is how easy it is to leave when things get hectic."

Now weeks later she's saying there's a lack of options?

Same old same old write anything as long as it gets printed

[MAMMartin]

ha - the bitch about anything Thai commentators are off again. Thailand has one of the most active and well supported home grown music industries outside of any English speaking country. They have a wide variety of well supported genres of music that is all in Thai. For most of the clubs around Bangkok that aren't the tourist pick up joints they are catering to their audience which is Thai - they are in business to make money. If you're not happy with the scene then crreate your own club nights - there are numerous western DJ's out here doing that, go find them.

One of the author's final comments is "Bangkok has all the makings of an amazing nightlife destination" - which obviously means "if it caters for my needs".

If the market is there then the venue or night will be created - if it isn't then not sufficient people were interested. But all in all Bangkok caters for a wide range of tastes, but then I doubt rock, Jazz, latin American or ballroom appeals to this author - let's see how she gets on reviewing, without bias, bangkok nite life in the comming months!

[Frank James]

Problems of the young and jaded. Sounds tough.

[dg1980]

if you dont like it... go back to berlin and dont come back. im early 30s, and have been a house dj for 12 years- and I always enjoy nights out at the bkk discos.

this article smacks of western female mindset: "They think that just because they’re in Thailand that no woman is untouchable and no rules apply."

so what exactly is that supposed to mean? that some men should respect the fact that because they may be older or less attractive that they should simply accept that they are not worthy candidates for the company of a beautiful woman and make no attempt?

im glad that her male friends dont enjoy soi cowboy and even happier that she believes them.

[Beetlejuice]

Compared to Chiang Mai, Bangkok is a rave.

In Chiang Mai the nightlife is practically non-existent and I mean, virtually nothing.

It`s great if you`re knocking on in years, housebound or a Monk.

I would love this lady to visit Chiang Mai and do an analysis here. I`m sure it would be an eye opener.

My advice to any tourists that enjoy wine, women and song is; don`t bother visiting anywhere in the North of Thailand and hopefully the rest of Thailand will not go the same way.

[manarak]

I’m a woman.

../..

I wouldn’t say that my standards are too high or that I’m tough to please.

../..

I find myself longing for clubs where “sexy” isn’t slutty. In Berlin, many of the clubs don’t even have mirrors

555

Thai discos have TV screens showing sports, chairs, reasonable prices for beer and sexy girls dancing on stages, they are mostly made for men, and western-style discos in BKK also follow that principle to some extent.

The major part of BKK's male population is not used to crawl for weeks at women's feet while paying expensive nights out, and surprise surprise what women think is fun is usually not too fun for men.

Some men like dancing. I'm not one of them. A disco is a good place to pick up girls or going out with the GF and friends to do her a favor. Then I'm happy to speak with friends, watch slutty girls dancing or in the last resort look at what the TV screens are offering.

Maybe Barabra could give it a shot and open a nightclub in BKK to her taste. After all, it's an equal opportunity business.

[Baerboxer]

Been a long long time since I regularly frequented night clubs, either as an employee or for entertainment. However, what I do remember is that night clubs that want to survive cater to the needs of the market i.e. what the target clientel actually want. That varies considerably between different countries and regions within countries. I've seen many new night clubs open and close because they ignored that basic principle. A few manage to become the "in" place, some for a short time others more sustainable.

Berlin has always enjoyed a unique nightlife, as does London or LA. Would they work in Bangkok - doubt it. Would Soi Cowboy work in London - probably raided by the police on opening day. Some things just don't transfer.

[winstonc]

I’m a woman.

../..

I wouldn’t say that my standards are too high or that I’m tough to please.

../..

I find myself longing for clubs where “sexy” isn’t slutty. In Berlin, many of the clubs don’t even have mirrors

555

Thai discos have TV screens showing sports, chairs, reasonable prices for beer and sexy girls dancing on stages, they are mostly made for men, and western-style discos in BKK also follow that principle to some extent.

The major part of BKK's male population is not used to crawl for weeks at women's feet while paying expensive nights out, and surprise surprise what women think is fun is usually not too fun for men.

Some men like dancing. I'm not one of them. A disco is a good place to pick up girls or going out with the GF and friends to do her a favor. Then I'm happy to speak with friends, watch slutty girls dancing or in the last resort look at what the TV screens are offering.

Maybe Barabra could give it a shot and open a nightclub in BKK to her taste. After all, it's an equal opportunity business.

disco....... .....thats funny,,,,,,,but your spot on

[nosatisfaction]

I’m a woman.

../..

I wouldn’t say that my standards are too high or that I’m tough to please.

../..

I find myself longing for clubs where “sexy” isn’t slutty. In Berlin, many of the clubs don’t even have mirrors

555

Thai discos have TV screens showing sports, chairs, reasonable prices for beer and sexy girls dancing on stages, they are mostly made for men, and western-style discos in BKK also follow that principle to some extent.

The major part of BKK's male population is not used to crawl for weeks at women's feet while paying expensive nights out, and surprise surprise what women think is fun is usually not too fun for men.

Some men like dancing. I'm not one of them. A disco is a good place to pick up girls or going out with the GF and friends to do her a favor. Then I'm happy to speak with friends, watch slutty girls dancing or in the last resort look at what the TV screens are offering.

Maybe Barabra could give it a shot and open a nightclub in BKK to her taste. After all, it's an equal opportunity business.

disco....... .....thats funny,,,,,,,but your spot on

I remember DISCO, way back in the 70s, Gloria Gaynor, Bee Gees, Amanda Lear, etc......

I even forget now I have altzheimer, what was I saying?

[nosatisfaction]

I’m a woman.

../..

I wouldn’t say that my standards are too high or that I’m tough to please.

../..

I find myself longing for clubs where “sexy” isn’t slutty. In Berlin, many of the clubs don’t even have mirrors

555

Thai discos have TV screens showing sports, chairs, reasonable prices for beer and sexy girls dancing on stages, they are mostly made for men, and western-style discos in BKK also follow that principle to some extent.

The major part of BKK's male population is not used to crawl for weeks at women's feet while paying expensive nights out, and surprise surprise what women think is fun is usually not too fun for men.

Some men like dancing. I'm not one of them. A disco is a good place to pick up girls or going out with the GF and friends to do her a favor. Then I'm happy to speak with friends, watch slutty girls dancing or in the last resort look at what the TV screens are offering.

Maybe Barabra could give it a shot and open a nightclub in BKK to her taste. After all, it's an equal opportunity business.

Different animals, some people in Belgium even say: a woman is a nice piece of furnture but you should not keep it in your house, I just quoted.

To reply more in details to the topic about standards: you have to say something positive about yourself, probably noone else will.

[marell]

Well go back to Berlin then. Bye.

She's just expressing an opinion on a fairly innocuous topic. No reason to jam her.

Edited July 31, 2013 by marell

[FarangKenStine]

I'm a fhurluhng as well and may be getting long in the tooth but I still like disco dancing and shaking my booty to the beat. Is there any place that does the monster mash?

[bangkokstick]

What are the best clubs in Bkk for electro now ?

[GAZZPA]

Interesting article and some good points made. I personally find Bangkok nightlife as pretty poor. I am not interested in picking up a girl in a sleazy environment and I am also not interested in getting legless on cheap booze. I know that there are many men who do like this and the nightlife certainly seems to cater for those men. Not sure if your are right about Bangkok nightlife improving by introducing music from the West though,, i too have spent time in Berlin and I understand what you are saying. I am from the UK so I know London and other cities and towns well and I don't think that would work here as it would probably only cater for tourists or ex pats. I would like to see something different the embodies some Thai thinking that isn't just off the shelve, mundane pop music. Thailand has a strong culture and it would be really interesting to see something new and home grown that does give you that experience. As it is though, if you are not interested in the sex industry or drinking yourself silly then Bangkok nightlife is pretty lame for me and certainly no where near a world class city for nightlife.

[meom]

I'm just wondering if Barbara realizes why many of the Berlin clubs don't have any mirrors.

Nothing worse than looking at yourself in a drug fuelled haze that lasts three days.

Way to go girl.

[IsaanUSA]

Narz in soi 23 has a trance/progressive house room, a hip hop/R&B/ house room and also a breakbeat/chill out room, not many farang go there and some of the Thai's in the trance room dance with glow sticks, it actually reminds of The Gallery @ Turnmills about 10 to 15 years ago. Some big name DJ's have been there recently, Paul Oakenfold, Ronski Speed, Lisa lashes, I wish I was in BKK now, it's a definitely somewhere I would be on a Friday or Saturday night.

Soi 23 where?

Nevermind, Google told me. Sukhumvit Soi 23

Edited July 31, 2013 by IsaanUSA

[tribalfusion001]

Soi 23, sukhumvit, bangkok.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[anotheruser]

I don't mind some of the gogos every now and again, but if that isn't your thing than BKK nightlife is pretty grim. I am gay so when i get sick of the gay gogos there are only like a handful of normal gay bars to go to. These are usually full of old men and freelancers. There is nothing wrong with that but if you aren't one of the parties in on the negotiations it can be like watching paint dry. There also to be a tendency of guys coming to BKK for one thing only and they don't want anything to do with other Farang. This can limit enjoyable conversation with people you are not trying to get into bed.

On the other hand I suppose there are a few normal pubs for ex pats to hang out at, I just wouldn't rate hanging out at some Irish pub on par with nightlife in cities elsewhere of similar size.

[GAZZPA]

I don't mind some of the gogos every now and again, but if that isn't your thing than BKK nightlife is pretty grim. I am gay so when i get sick of the gay gogos there are only like a handful of normal gay bars to go to. These are usually full of old men and freelancers. There is nothing wrong with that but if you aren't one of the parties in on the negotiations it can be like watching paint dry. There also to be a tendency of guys coming to BKK for one thing only and they don't want anything to do with other Farang. This can limit enjoyable conversation with people you are not trying to get into bed.

On the other hand I suppose there are a few normal pubs for ex pats to hang out at, I just wouldn't rate hanging out at some Irish pub on par with nightlife in cities elsewhere of similar size.

This is how I feel about Bangkok. I am not gay but your experience is the same for me nonetheless, if you don't want the sleazy stuff or cheap booze there is not much else going on. Other cities across the world offer much more then this which to e means Bangkok is sorely lacking. It has a reputation for one thing really and that is the sex trade, it then attracts people who want to indulge in these things so they cater for it more and more.

[71Cuda]

Typical spoiled western chick (C*ckblocking 101).

Most men who come to BKK aren't looking for some twinkletoe Berlin disco to light foot around in.

Her male friends tell her they don't enjoy going to Soi Cowboy.Yeah, that's why they're always at Nana.

[Soi Sauce]

Cannot quote the first post for some reason, but she is right.

If u don't wanna get drunk or shagged, apart from food, what is there to do here?