We moved

Posted in Flyers, events with tags , , on January 13, 2010 by dragon

Yeah that’s right folks the first Dubway session in 2010 will be at club 808. I guess you can think of it like kids moving out of there parents house. For a long time  Club Culture and the owners were like parents to us. They helped us out with many things and in return we worked hard for them. Although staying at your parent’s crib can be stressfull, it mostly is very convienent and most of all SAFE. Now we’re out on our own and gonna have to try harder to make things work…like when we were in college and trying to survive off packets of Mama instant noodles. So expect the Dubway crew to book more underground DJ’s this year, big name DJ’s cost a shit load and in todays economy a shit load of money is a thing that is hard to come by and, just cuz the DJ’s we book are from the underground don’t even think for a second that they are wack. An excellent example of up and coming dope as hell producer is DJ Instinct. This young and talented producer/DJ wil be our very first guest at Dubway for 2010. Insinct’s been reppen’ Guernsey to the fullest having been featured on Get Darker Tv, he’s also releasing his tune’s on DJ Cyrus’ new label called Origin Audio. I ‘ve checked Intinct’s trax on his mypace and their dope! I’m glad I can be the first promoter in asia to have booked him. I’m even more excited about hearing his beats pumped out of 808’s huge sound system. Also on the line up is DJ Mash. This rudeboy DJ used to live in Thailand for many years so he’s earned himself a bit of a following amongst the locals. Unfortunately since last year he’s had to move back to England. We were lucky enough to have Dubway on the date he decided to visit his old friends in Bangkok, so its going to be extra exciting that we now have him as part of the nights line up. On top of that there’s me, Jo Stitch and MC Sinamon throwing down on this night as well!! Yes so there it is our first event for 2010, small underground line up but quality DJ’s never the less! Learning to survive off meager rations has never been so much fun!! Can’t wait til the very first beat drop’s at 808 on January 23. Hope y’all can make it!

The full line up is

DJ Instint(origin audio)

DJ Mash( formula devotion)

Dragon

Jo stitch

Mc sinamon

tickets are 300 bath includes one drink

also check these links
http://www.myspace.com/instinctdubstep

http://www.myspace.com/originaudiouk

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Hedz January 8 2010

Posted in events with tags , , , , on January 7, 2010 by dragon

The first party I’m doing this year will be Hedz at Cafe Democ. I hope peeps are still in festive mode because we just had a recent addition to this months line up. Joining us all the way from Germany is Bass Tikal (phunkphiction recordings) I ‘ve been a fan of his label since its first release. I heard he’s currently in the studio with a new project. So I’m very excited to hear him drop the freshest dnb beats this weekend. Also DJ Will from Wrong Disco will be in the nights line up. Will has been spinning in numerous underground parties in Bangkok and its really going to be cool to see him play his minimal dub techno selection this Friday. As always entry to Cafe Democ is free so please come on down and enjoy the vibes with us :)

for more info on Bass Tikal and Phunkphiction recordings check out his myspace page

http://www.myspace.com/basstikal

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My favorite dubstep tunes for 2009

Posted in music, record reveiws with tags , , , , on January 5, 2010 by dragon

yes I know I’m a bit late doing this but either way here it is.. .my top dubstep tunes for the 09 season. This time I’m glad that some of my favorite tunes were from local asian producers. I’m also glad to say that most of these tunes are moving away from the wobbly b-line style and are experimenting with different grooves and riddims. I just hope that peeps keep on sending me there tracks so I can keep banging em at Dubway and on the radio show. I will make a mini mix of my favorite dubstep tunes but before I do that I will  need to take a nap first. So in the meantime heres my top ten list for 09.

Droid sector – bi polar – crimson recordings

Dark as fuck atmospherics and not a wobbly b-line in sight. I wish there more tunes like this one. This tune always smashed it at Dubway for the 09 season.

http://www.myspace.com/droidsectordub

Fortune cookie – queen of the jungle ( J path remix )

Deep dubstep sounds from Korea’s mighty J Path. Very intricate production, with swinging breaks and a heavy as hell b – line. I play this one all the time.

http://www.myspace.com/jpath1105

Cha  Cha  – feel you ( RYC remix ) – dub

Original tune produced by Shanghai’s MC Cha Cha, and getting remixed by Hong Kong’s Dnb head honcho DJ Wash aka RYC. I’m always glad to see peeps like him representin’ south east asia to the fullest.

http://www.myspace.com/djwash

Youthman – Radiation – dub

Fusing old school breaks and a funky b – line this track is one of the highlights from the multi talented French producers debut album Travel pack.

http://www.myspace.com/centralmassive

Goth Trad – Betrayal – dub

I can only say one thing about this tune … SICK!!!!

http://www.gothtrad.com

Physical – Freeze – verilo

This tune was a total  unexpected b side stormer. Always got nuff rewinds at Dubway

http://www.myspace.com/physicaltactics

Youthman – Big and bad – dub

Another dope tune from the mighty Youthman. Its going be released later on this year so y’all hold tight until it comes out on wax.

Skream – Fick – Tempa

Techno Techno Techno Techno. Not exactly the kind of dubstep you ‘d expect to hear. But what ever you want to call it, this track made peeps shit bricks at the Beer Chang Rave in phuket. Awsome!

Matt u – Peyote – sub scum

So many producers are experimenting with different sounds and riddims and this track is a testament to what Dubstep music can be.

http://www.myspace.com/mattudnb

Don Goliath – Mrs you ( Electronic mistress remix )

Original version produced by Don Goliath and the remix is from Hong Kong’s Electronic Mistress.  The tunes deep atmospherics is always a favorite chill out tune amongst the listeners for my radio show.

http://www.myspace.com/electronicmistress

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Bangkok vinyl craftsman

Posted in gear, music, random thought with tags , , , , , , , on December 27, 2009 by dragon

I remember walking into a record store  for the first time back when I was  in high school. The records displayed on the walls of the shop reminded me of being in an art gallery. The covers were works of visual art and staring at them made me curious about what the records inside sounded like. I remember I would spend hours and hours flipping through stacks and stacks of records and it always felt good when I found a tune that I liked.  I suppose that was the pay off for all those hours of searching for beats. Even now I still use vinyl records and I can’t imagine using anything but that. To me using a CDJ is ok but the feel of the platter can’t beat the turntable’s, also CD’s and especially mp3’s lack any warmth in sound.

Another thing that has always attracted me to vinyl is the dub plate. Made famous by Jamaican sound system culture the dub plate is a one off record that a producer or a label presses to test the tune before it is released. Dub plates were also commonly used by UK dnb DJ’s although now most prefer to use CDJ’s or Serato. It was always the top  DJ’s that had the plates that no one else had. All the exclusive remixes all the mash ups were pressed for them and them only, and it was because of this that gave a DJ his or her unique sound and style.  I always wanted to have a few plates of my own. Unfortunately Thailand’s vinyl presses and mastering studio’s with dub plate machines have all since disappeared. The good news is that even though the mainstream have given up on vinyl there still are a few Thai’s that are dedicated collectors.

Traithep Wongpaiboon aka Au is considered by many  to be one of Thailand’s best sound engineers but,  besides that he is also a certified vinyl junkie.  A few post back I wrote about the Azia Bass and DJ Yas CD’s, well Au mastered both the CD’s. Just recently  he opened a dub plate cutting studio called Boop Records.  Just the other day I was invited to check out his basement studio where he showed me how all the stuff works. All this equipment was shipped from Germany to Bangkok and the total cost was over 1 million baht (30,00o usd). The whole dub plate press consists of compressors, eq’s, cutting head, turntable and monitors. Before the record gets cut the tune has to be mastered, after this the cutting head is prepared, the vinyl is heated and when all this is done the record finally gets cut (each record costs 2400 baht).  Watching Au prepare go through this whole process brought me back to the days when I used to spend hours in the record shop. Now I realize how much work went on into the creation of one vinyl record. Like the graphics on the cover the preparation that go’s into making a record is also an art.

Since the studio’s opening  I have pressed a total of 6 tracks. I know a lot of you who are reading are a bit skeptical on Au’s mastering skills but let me tell you the tracks that he mastered for the plates were amazing, in fact I did get a  track that were mastered from a very well known mastering studio in the UK and I reckon that Au’s mastering is much better(but hey that’s just my opinion). The dubs that I got here don’t sound as punchy as the ones I got in Europe but they do sound very warm and silky. Either way, finally I can play all the tracks that were sent to me with out having to burn them to CD or use Serato.  lets just hope that clubs still keep there turntables!

For more info check out www.booprecords.com

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The reason why I won’t be playing at Culture one in 2010

Posted in random thought with tags on December 21, 2009 by dragon

One of the highlights for me in 2009 was to be able to play the main stage at the Culture One festival.  Even though I was the first to play on that day (5pm) I was more then great full because I was given the opportunity to play Dubstep on a fucking huge P.A system. Unfortunately  I’ve just been told that I will not be joining the line up for 2010. One of the reasons that I will not be joining is because one of the organizers think that I am too popular to be put in the warm up slot. The organizer also said that last year I was walking around sulking because I had to play early.I’ve gotten to where I have in my career because I ‘ve worked hard and dedicated my life to DJing, and honestly I do feel like I’ve stayed humble throughout the years. I guess there’s times when an anyonomous stranger comes up to me at a party and  is nagging me about hooking them up with a gig and I might seem like a bitch at that moment, but hey if that were you I think you’d feel the same way! Personally I think the organizer was taking the piss and none of what he said was true (just read http://dragonhb.com/2009/01/26/culture-one/ ) I did mention that I was more then happy to play an early set and to be honest I just wanted to play on the huge sound system and I don’t care if it was 5 pm. Its a shame that the biggest rave in Bangkok has only Trance and House DJ’s as part of there line up and in my honest opinion there should be at least a dnb stage.  On a more happier note Dubway has done quite well for 2009, and I can’t claim that success all for myself because it was guest djs,mcs, artists and party people who helped make it happen, either way I still think we have a lot more work to do.  Another point is that we will have to move Dubway to a new location in 2010. Club Culture will be closing down in January so this Saturday will be our last session there. So already I’m seeing some storm clouds forming over the horizon. Damn this shit is scary! What I do know is that I’m going to work extra hard to get Dubstep across to an even bigger audience for 2010.. well I’m gonna keep my fingers crossed and see what happens next.

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Beer Chang moonlight rave

Posted in events, pictures with tags , , , , , on December 6, 2009 by dragon

I’m sure everyone in the world has heard of the infamous Full Moon rave parties in Koh Phangan Thailand. The party which takes place on every full moon attracts  back packers and hippies looking to party there ass’s off for days on end. I myself have been there a few times and each time end up getting wrecked! Another place in Thailand that is also well known but not as popular for pill popping backpackers is  Phuket. This island was made popular back in the day because the Asian Tsunami nearly destroyed the place. Speed things up to the present and Beer Chang decided they wanted to organize the first ever full moon party in Phuket. Ironically the event would be held on one of the beaches that was hit the hardest by the disaster. Through out the years the Phuket tourism authority have been working very hard to get the island back to its former state. The local government have also organized a few outdoor events such as ROY FEST, Sequence festival and now the Beer Chang rave in order to attract a younger crowd to the island. The event line up included  Lapsap, Goldfish, Suharit, Khan Thaitanium and last but not least my stankin’ ass was also invited. Not exactly the kind of line up but you ‘d expect at an outdoor rave but whatever.. its all good!

A few posts back I also wrote that I wouldn’t be eating any more mushrooms before I or while I dj. Well while in Phuket I completely ignored what I had promised to myself and ended up taking those bad ass shroom’s. I always thought that I could handle myself when ingesting hallucinogenic drugs. I‘ve proven once again that I should totally stay away from them (well at least when I’m spinning). I ended taking the stuff about 2 hours before my set and honestly I was thinking that it would be enough time to get my head straight. Instead when 2 hours was over I had reached the peak of my high. It sucks to be in a situation like this because you have to focus and cant really enjoy your trip. Maybe that’s why the first 10 minutes of my set was a fucking nightmare! I was tripping my tits off thinking the records looked like they were warping. The other bad thing was the stage floor. When I moved around  the stage the floor would shake and wobble, sometimes someone would stomp the floor  it would make the needle jump. Shit like this happens almost at every outdoor party I’ve played, only with the exception of ROY FEST festival also held earlier this year in Phuket.. That festival by the way had one of the best sound systems I’ve heard in ages. It also had a wicked stage set up as well.

Although the P.A system for this party wasn’t as big as the one they had at ROY FEST the rig that they had set up for this event still rocked! I think what must have calmed me from tripping so hard was the fact that the beats sounded so good. I remember when I dropped The Chase by Jack Sparrow I felt like I was going to explode! The low end frequencies emitted from the bass bin’s made it seem as they were going to cause another tsunami.  Another track that really impressed both me and the crowd was Youthmans’s remix of DJ Yas’ track called Rebirth. I ‘ve had this pressed on acetate for ages and I’m suprised the grooves haven’t worn out. On the night of the party the crowd went ballistic over the breakdown of the song – total crowd pleaser! I did make it through the rest of my set even though I was still ripped by the time that I got off the decks. I’m thankful I got the chance to show both the tourist and local crowd how awsome dubstep can be. I’m also hopeful that events like this one will put Phuket back on the Thai party map. In all the night was a blast and I hope that I will get the chance to do it again either at ROY FEST 2010 or fingers crossed at the next Beer Chang party. And I promise not to take shrooms the next time … for real!

*btw the name for the actual event was Beer Chang Moonlight Regatta, but I changed it to Beer Chang Rave cuz the other name sounded a bit dull !! big ups to Petch and that dutch dude that hooked us up, also big shouts to kaew for runnin’ tingz! Check my flickr http://www.flickr.com/people/mongkorn/ for the rest of the photo’s.

here are some links

http://www.changbeer.com

www.realsoundthailand.com

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DUB BE GOOD TO YOU December schedule

Posted in music on November 30, 2009 by dragon

Heres the December schedule for my radio show on GTRonline

December 8 9pm to 12 midnight

December 15 9pm to 12 midnight

December 22 9pm to 12 midnight

december 29 pm to 12 midnight

Plus I should also add my gig schedule as well

December 2 Chaeng regatta at Phuket

December 12 Urban blendy at Lo – Shu

December 18  Delicate anniversary part at Club Culture

December 23 Route 66

December 26  Dubway at Club Culture

December 31 Putharacsa New years party at Hua Hin

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Who was your favorite guest dj at Dubway for 2009

Posted in polls with tags on November 30, 2009 by dragon

The last session for DUBWAY in the 2009 season will be on December 26. Line up will be myself, DJ Conloy and MC Sinamon. I’ve also added this poll to hear from you guys about which DJ you liked the most for this year. Vote for who ever you like but please remember that its one vote per person only.  Well I ve also posted all of the events that I will be playing at this month as well as the Dub good to you schedule on GTRonline. I hope y’all can make it on the 26.

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Urban blends at Lo shu

Posted in Flyers, events on November 30, 2009 by dragon

 

I started my dj career as a hip hop dj. The last time I held down a hip hop residency was at Club Speed in silom soi 4 but, that was way back in ‘97 and hip hop has changed much since then. Although I don’t play much hip hop nowadays I still collect hip hop records. In fact I’ve collected quite a bit over the years and now I wish I had more chances to play them out. Well I guess my wish came true because my friend DJ GORO is organizing a night at LO Shu on sukumvit soi 23. The event is called Urban BLendy and will feature me and GORO on the decks playing everything from hip hop, funk, soul, deep house. If your unfamiliar with DJ GORO he has been in the Bangkok club scene for quite some time. His events Sound Donut at Cafe Democ and Earth Beat at QBar are a favorite and is always jammed packed with groovy Japanese expats. In all this  event is free so please come and join us if you are in the area.

For more info go to http://akadii.com/sounddonut/

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Delicate anniversary party

Posted in Flyers, events on November 25, 2009 by dragon

I’ve been invited by Benz Space 360 to spin at the Delicate anniversary party at Club Culture. The Delicate crew have been pushing experimental film and electronic music for quite some time now in Bangkok. They have just released there first compilation cd called Bangkok Consciousness. This cd features tracks from local electronic music producers such as Nolens Volens, DJ Seed, Space 360 and many more. The line up for there anniversary part also includes djs as well as live musicians. So if your interested in hearing and seeing some very leftfeild beats and visuals make sure you come down the the anniversary party on December 18 2009.

For more info go to http://delicatebkk.blogspot.com

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