Can Bangkok stop the decline of its nightlife?

[phantomfiddler]

I think they could stop the decine, but since greed is the driving factor it would be difficult if not near impossible to achieve. Prices for drinks (and peripherals) are becoming similar to or exceeding prices back home. Service is definitely declining, and more and more people are moving to nearby places like Cambodia or Philippines where much better value for one,s money can be obtained. A recent visit to Patpong was so disappointing it will be the last, and since someone of mid-eastern persuasion bought a considerable slice of Soi Cowboy and raised prices to ridiculous levels the future looks bleak indeed. Value for money is the most important dactor, and Thailand is losing it.

Edited July 31, 2013 by phantomfiddler

[thrilled]

I agree if your not happy with Bangkok nightlife,open your own place,or go back to Berlin.Not everyone has the same taste that you do.

[quiuvo]

We have different reasons for deciding to move here. If I miss/need something to keep me going I will try to find it, be it Berlin, LA, NY, London, or Jakarta for that matter.

Innovation comes in different forms for a reason... Sometimes the market dictates what is needed. Check out Steve Jobs. Thailand will not meet your needs in your lifetime. It meets the needs of many though, otherwise it would not be such a popular destination for tourists, businessman, scuba divers, etc.

[anotheruser]

I agree if your not happy with Bangkok nightlife,open your own place,or go back to Berlin.Not everyone has the same taste that you do.

Nightlife isn't the only people go to Bangkok for. Not everybody has the same opinion as you.

[RAZZELL]

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.

Only trouble was most people at Turnmills were off their nut!

Not quite the same in Bangkok

RAZZ

[tribalfusion001]

And I was one of them, you are right, not the same in bkk!

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

[Beetlejuice]

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.

I have nothing against the sleazy stuff or cheap booze joints if that`s what some people enjoy. Quite enjoy a bit of sleaze and letting my hair down myself once in a while.

But not only in Bangkok, this pertains all over Thailand is that it doesn`t cater for the tastes of everyone. Using Chiang Mai as an example, here they have closed down most of the adult entertainments and what some may describe as sleeze, but the problem is these establishments have not been replaced by alternative attractions and yet although the TiT is offering the tourists very little at very expensive rates, the powers that be are still holding the belief that what they consider as the higher end of the tourist market will want to visit Thailand in their droves. This is simply not going to happen.

Unless the Thais are willing and able to invest and place more resources into their tourist industry and provide more of what the tourists want, than I see a grim future ahead for the Thai tourist industry as a whole.

[bangkokpoppys]

Asia is a tough gig for a Falang gal.

It is natural to make comparisons, we all do.

Not much more to say on this, except cheers to the septogenarian who chimed in - onya mate!

[smokie36]

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.

Well that is BS....I have been out in CM and it has nightlife....not London but half decent enough.

If I wanted Turnmills in its prime I would jump in my Tardis.....!

[TheSpade]

Perhaps what it really boils down to is the OP isn't getting the attention she gets went out back home and has therefore decided that BKK nightlife is shit.

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.

But you are wrong though you obviously just don't know.

Bangkok has lots of different night life option and tons of different scenes from jazz, metal, D&B, techno, indie, rock, blues, folk, punk.

It's definitely not just sleaze and drinking yourself silly.

I tend not to mind where I go as long as the company is decent and prefer Thai bars most of the time over the tourist orientated areas.

[xen]

Would this fit the definition of a first world problem in a third world country ?. Why won't they play music i like ?.

[Cambodger]

I've been to Glow, Narz and Bed when they have superstar Dj's on and i'm amazed that it doesn't sound a whole lot different to what was playing at Ministry of sound, Back to basics or Gatecrasher in the 90's. Nearly 20 years ago!

The main difference is then it had new and exciting killer Tunes (plus the drugs were obviously a big part of it)

The youth over the last decade or so have failed to keep the creative cycle turning and instead churning out weak, pale imitations of old ideas

Maybe its the internet and easy access to music of the past thats stunting creativity and making everyone so retrospective.

Think about it, playing hip hop and house music in 2013. How cool was 70's disco and prog rock in the 90's? or how fresh was the jitterbug in the 70's?

Its a tired old scene really, not just in Bangkok but all over the world.

Edited August 1, 2013 by RogueTrader999

[Jasun]

Of course there are limited options for foreign females in Bangkok. Outside of the backpacker enclave, why would anyone build and operate a nightlife venue catering to the smallest demographic in the kingdom?

[bangkaew]

what she is really saying is she wants more druggy clubs. The farang in bangkok are mostly older than that scene i reckon.

[GirlDrinkDrunk]

I've been to Glow, Narz and Bed when they have superstar Dj's on and i'm amazed that it doesn't sound a whole lot different to what was playing at Ministry of sound, Back to basics or Gatecrasher in the 90's. Nearly 20 years ago!

The main difference is then it had new and exciting killer Tunes (plus the drugs were obviously a big part of it)

The youth over the last decade or so have failed to keep the creative cycle turning and instead churning out weak, pale imitations of old ideas

Maybe its the internet and easy access to music of the past thats stunting creativity and making everyone so retrospective.

Think about it, playing hip hop and house music in 2013. How cool was 70's disco and prog rock in the 90's? or how fresh was the jitterbug in the 70's?

Its a tired old scene really, not just in Bangkok but all over the world.

utter twaddle.

[Payboy]

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

Relaxing, while waiting for more drinking, shagging and fooding.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Payboy

[Cambodger]

I've been to Glow, Narz and Bed when they have superstar Dj's on and i'm amazed that it doesn't sound a whole lot different to what was playing at Ministry of sound, Back to basics or Gatecrasher in the 90's. Nearly 20 years ago!

The main difference is then it had new and exciting killer Tunes (plus the drugs were obviously a big part of it)

The youth over the last decade or so have failed to keep the creative cycle turning and instead churning out weak, pale imitations of old ideas

Maybe its the internet and easy access to music of the past thats stunting creativity and making everyone so retrospective.

Think about it, playing hip hop and house music in 2013. How cool was 70's disco and prog rock in the 90's? or how fresh was the jitterbug in the 70's?

Its a tired old scene really, not just in Bangkok but all over the world.

utter twaddle.

So whats new?

[geriatrickid]

Bangkok's problem is that it does not have TECHNOVIKING. He is worshipped by his adoring fans in the German electronic noise community.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwsntHcWiy4&feature=player_detailpage&t=20

[geriatrickid]

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?

Brawl, haggle with the street vendors over the price of the junk they sell, annoy the porn touts by asking if they have donkey sex dvds with large women from Persia, (or any other region they would be unaware of) and then say, ohhh so expensive when they quote a price, play hop the crawling begger with your friends, count the child slave beggers and try to spot their handlers, play spot the plainclothes BiB looking for a mark, watch for the pickpockets in action, wait for a car crash and then run over and point making clucking sounds, play blow your nose into a Kleenex and see who has more dirt from the air pollution come out, wait for the sex touts to approach you and ask if they can meet your desire for various fetishes (you may need to visit some of the Continental European, Russian or Japanese hosted websites first to see what's popular , but a fall back position is to ask if they have any grannies), play spot the katoey and then guess what bits are missing, look at some of the foreigners in flip flops and see how filthy their toenails and feet are. and on and on it goes. So many hours of fun are at the doorstep in Bangkok. Better yet, do what some of the dole meisters do and visit the Family mart and buy a big Leo and sit outside talking it up with the locals, you can regale them with tales of when you were special forces and rescued damsels in distress in a far off place. Be sure to point and go uhhh uhhh a lot.

[wave]

The problem is there aren't any nightlife activities that the OP likes or fits in with her interests.

There is no decline in Bangkok nightlife

.

There's loads of clubs in RCA, Ratchada, Thong Lo, Khao San that are full of punters every Friday and Saturday.

It's just that they cater to their clientele who are mostly Thai rather than Western.

They are not interested in an underground scene for the most part but want to hear Tunes that they and their friends know.

The music and club scene here is totally mainstream for the most part and that's because it's conducive to being Sanook.

When Thais go out they want Sanook, not too interested in being cool and underground or being educated about sounds either.

It's also about sitting around with your pals sharing a bottle and laughs rather than loosing it on the dancefloor for hours on end.

Clubbing in BangkoK is a very different animal to what it is in Europe or the USA

Edited August 1, 2013 by wave

[ExpatJ]

Asia is a tough gig for a Falang gal.

It is natural to make comparisons, we all do.

Not much more to say on this, except cheers to the septogenarian who chimed in - onya mate!

"Asia is a tough gig for a farang girl"

Very well said.

[wave]

I've been to Glow, Narz and Bed when they have superstar Dj's on and i'm amazed that it doesn't sound a whole lot different to what was playing at Ministry of sound, Back to basics or Gatecrasher in the 90's. Nearly 20 years ago!

The main difference is then it had new and exciting killer Tunes (plus the drugs were obviously a big part of it)

The youth over the last decade or so have failed to keep the creative cycle turning and instead churning out weak, pale imitations of old ideas

Maybe its the internet and easy access to music of the past thats stunting creativity and making everyone so retrospective.

Think about it, playing hip hop and house music in 2013. How cool was 70's disco and prog rock in the 90's? or how fresh was the jitterbug in the 70's?

Its a tired old scene really, not just in Bangkok but all over the world.

utter twaddle.

So whats new?

There is nothing new, you absolutely correct.

It's a tired scene being kept alive by a bunch of old men Superstar DJ's because contemporary music has so little to say any longer.

There are no new scenes that are rallying the youth, to create or to express themselves.

There's little for anyone to rebel against (although in Thailand there is actually plenty!)

Its amazing that Acid House broke in 1987 and 25 years later it's still seen as the cutting edge of music culture.

To paraphrase a well known quote "It's like Punk never happend"

How terribly sad

[tribalfusion001]

One place that a good dj and quality funky David Guetta style house tunes is Baccara go go bar in Soi Cowboy, I know it's not a club, but I have there many time with friends and I enjoyed the music and also looking at the girls too, though my wife does not enjoy looking at the girls.

[Trembly]

I've been to Glow, Narz and Bed when they have superstar Dj's on and i'm amazed that it doesn't sound a whole lot different to what was playing at Ministry of sound, Back to basics or Gatecrasher in the 90's. Nearly 20 years ago!

The main difference is then it had new and exciting killer Tunes (plus the drugs were obviously a big part of it)

The youth over the last decade or so have failed to keep the creative cycle turning and instead churning out weak, pale imitations of old ideas

Maybe its the internet and easy access to music of the past thats stunting creativity and making everyone so retrospective.

Think about it, playing hip hop and house music in 2013. How cool was 70's disco and prog rock in the 90's? or how fresh was the jitterbug in the 70's?

Its a tired old scene really, not just in Bangkok but all over the world.

You've just made the article writer's point.

The creative scene is alive and kicking in places that foster it, and it's too busy sounding good and being appreciated by people who know it sounds good to be pushed in your face by commercial promoters (Paul Okenfold gigs advertisd on TV ?! <deleted>). It's a pretty tired sounding scene until you scratch the surface and hear the wicked new music being played/sequenced/rendered live by the actual producers (as opposed to pressing "play" on tunes that someone else made, although that can sometimes be pretty good too) in venues that could be anywhere from a forest clearing where you are only told by word of mouth at the last minute to avoid police, to a warehouse, to a festival, to a legitimately hired out club.

Obviously, the artists go where they're appreciated and if they're not appreciated in Thailand I think it is partly because most clubbing Thais don't know non-mainstream stuff exists for them to appreciate. They can't want or not want something if it hasn't even occurred to them yet.

The creative music scene (which includes the environments you enjoy it in) in Thailand has a way to go in maturity, pluralisation and depth, but it is happening. As Bangkok slowly but steadily becomes more cosmopolitan there is more and more cross pollination of ideas ("have you heard this? listen to this!") through natural interaction.

I also think the dearth of quality music enhancing substances has a subtle but significant effect.

Edited August 1, 2013 by Trembly

[monkeycountry]

"Secondly, Im a woman. So no, I dont want to hang out at gentlemens clubs or Soi Cowboy and Patpong (most of the guys I know dont like to, either)."

I am guessing those same guys also told you that they don't watch porn either :-)

[wellred]

The OP needs to stop moaning. Maybe staying in and watching some TV is in order.

[monkeycountry]

The problem is there aren't any nightlife activities that the OP likes or fits in with her interests.

There is no decline in Bangkok nightlife

.

There's loads of clubs in RCA, Ratchada, Thong Lo, Khao San that are full of punters every Friday and Saturday.

It's just that they cater to their clientele who are mostly Thai rather than Western.

They are not interested in an underground scene for the most part but want to hear Tunes that they and their friends know.

The music and club scene here is totally mainstream for the most part and that's because it's conducive to being Sanook.

When Thais go out they want Sanook, not too interested in being cool and underground or being educated about sounds either.

It's also about sitting around with your pals sharing a bottle and laughs rather than loosing it on the dancefloor for hours on end.

Clubbing in BangkoK is a very different animal to what it is in Europe or the USA

What Thais like: "When Thais go out they want Sanook, not too interested in being cool and underground or being educated about sounds either."

What the OP likes: "I would love to see more nights like the opening of Bash Nightclub where robots and midgets dressed like extraterrestrials splashed in silver paint"

I really hope Bangkok continues catering to the Thai taste. To me it sounds like the OP is looking for a circus, not a nightclub :-)

[YeahSiam]

The problem is there aren't any nightlife activities that the OP likes or fits in with her interests.

There is no decline in Bangkok nightlife

.

There's loads of clubs in RCA, Ratchada, Thong Lo, Khao San that are full of punters every Friday and Saturday.

It's just that they cater to their clientele who are mostly Thai rather than Western.

They are not interested in an underground scene for the most part but want to hear Tunes that they and their friends know.

The music and club scene here is totally mainstream for the most part and that's because it's conducive to being Sanook.

When Thais go out they want Sanook, not too interested in being cool and underground or being educated about sounds either.

It's also about sitting around with your pals sharing a bottle and laughs rather than loosing it on the dancefloor for hours on end.

Clubbing in BangkoK is a very different animal to what it is in Europe or the USA

What Thais like: "When Thais go out they want Sanook, not too interested in being cool and underground or being educated about sounds either."

What the OP likes: "I would love to see more nights like the opening of Bash Nightclub where robots and midgets dressed like extraterrestrials splashed in silver paint"

I really hope Bangkok continues catering to the Thai taste. To me it sounds like the OP is looking for a circus, not a nightclub :-)

Yes it does seem that the music simply isn't enough any more. Seems it's all about a spectacle rather than dancing and having a good time.

Anyway, I found this on TripAdvisor .

Looks like he or she echoes a few of the opinions on this thread.

When all's said and done, Bangkok never has been and never WILL be a credible clubbing destination. It doesn't matter what the club's Facebook hype says; at the end of the day, people come to BKK to get muntered and/or get laid with girls of a calibre they couldn't DREAM of pulling back home - that's pretty much it.

[Cambodger]

I've been to Glow, Narz and Bed when they have superstar Dj's on and i'm amazed that it doesn't sound a whole lot different to what was playing at Ministry of sound, Back to basics or Gatecrasher in the 90's. Nearly 20 years ago!

The main difference is then it had new and exciting killer Tunes (plus the drugs were obviously a big part of it)

The youth over the last decade or so have failed to keep the creative cycle turning and instead churning out weak, pale imitations of old ideas

Maybe its the internet and easy access to music of the past thats stunting creativity and making everyone so retrospective.

Think about it, playing hip hop and house music in 2013. How cool was 70's disco and prog rock in the 90's? or how fresh was the jitterbug in the 70's?

Its a tired old scene really, not just in Bangkok but all over the world.

You've just made the article writer's point.

The creative scene is alive and kicking in places that foster it, and it's too busy sounding good and being appreciated by people who know it sounds good to be pushed in your face by commercial promoters (Paul Okenfold gigs advertisd on TV ?! <deleted>). It's a pretty tired sounding scene until you scratch the surface and hear the wicked new music being played/sequenced/rendered live by the actual producers (as opposed to pressing "play" on tunes that someone else made, although that can sometimes be pretty good too) in venues that could be anywhere from a forest clearing where you are only told by word of mouth at the last minute to avoid police, to a warehouse, to a festival, to a legitimately hired out club.

Obviously, the artists go where they're appreciated and if they're not appreciated in Thailand I think it is partly because most clubbing Thais don't know non-mainstream stuff exists for them to appreciate. They can't want or not want something if it hasn't even occurred to them yet.

The creative music scene (which includes the environments you enjoy it in) in Thailand has a way to go in maturity, pluralisation and depth, but it is happening. As Bangkok slowly but steadily becomes more cosmopolitan there is more and more cross pollination of ideas ("have you heard this? listen to this!") through natural interaction.

I also think the dearth of quality music enhancing substances has a subtle but significant effect.

This is the problem, i was in high school in the late 80's when i first heard this kind of talk.

Kids these days are basically listening to the same stuff as their parents. Thats why all the music festivals, gigs and "serious about the music" clubs are full of people in their 40's aka Mum an Dad, because the truth is it ain't really new so its easily accessible to them.

Plus lets face it most of the farang guys (young and old) in Bangkok are only interested in the girls the music is at best of secondary importance. Despite whatever else they might say...

As said before the Thais have their own music and its pretty dreadful in my opinion but they seem to love it, i think most of us will be happy enough as long as they dont have to listen to that all night so generic commercial chart hip hop dance understandably seems to be the way forward.

The aim of most clubs in Bangkok playing western music is simply to bring farang guys together with Thai females and western girls will be given zero considerations in those plans. She should actually consider herself lucky, Thai men aren't even allowed in many of these places.

Glow does its best to appeal to the more discerning house music lovers, but thats a small place with a small crowd and even there it has at its core its just farang guys out to pick up the Thai girls while pretending to be above it all to the half dozen western girls who go there

[Shaksey]

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.

Only trouble was most people at Turnmills were off their nut!

Not quite the same in Bangkok

RAZZ

Same same ! Turnmills, The Key, The Cross, The End.....all used to be regularly amazing but all gone now. London nightlife isn't so good these days either