Day Dreaming at Mer Ka Ba Beach Club

Mer Ka Ba Beach Club, Koh Phangan

Below the Haad Rin hills on sunset beach Mer Ka Ba Beach Club sits in its exclusive bay, exuding decadence.  A visionary nightclub with swimming pool, elliptic dance floor and DJ booth in the eye of the tiger.  I remember thinking when it was being built it looked like the Starship Enterprise.

Day Dream @ Mer Ka Ba Beach Club
 
In ancient Egypt the words Mer (rotating light), Ka (spirit) and Ba (body) depicted a three dimensional ascension vehicle, based on sacred geometry. No wonder the promotion team had been saying from 5pm to 'enlightenment'... 

We are in for 12 hours of foot stomping, body shaking music from a host of Koh Phangan underground DJs - Boyonic, the dreamer behind Day Dream, Jonny Acrobat, Pablo, KRP Project & Venus Vibes.

As we gather for sunset on the psychedelic steps of this beautiful location, Jonny takes us into a meditationary groove.  As darkness encroaches and the vibe from the DJ booth picks up, my old friend Joachim and I are dancing with free abandon - as we've always danced - like many moons ago up the Back Yard.

If you watch one video today, watch this one! 
The gathering of the Koh Phangan tribe on a Robinson Crusoe beach

As Jonny's snatch drums and deep vibrating bass give way to the break of his track, Joachim turns to me:  I don't get it.  "Wait, wait", I say, knowing my old time friend remembers dancing to trance, not tech house…  And as the drop comes in, I go swirling around the Mer Ka Ba dance floor, and Joachim comes with me!

The orange striped staircase leads up into the tiger's mouth and cosy cavern of a DJ booth above.  On the stone washed dance floor below, the energy is radiating up to me. I feel my bare feet connect with the natural atmosphere; the stone, wood, rocks and plants.  How is the dance floor retaining energy so soon?   

Like the Back Yard retains all those dancing memories in her sacred floorboards.

Pablo Escobud,  Jonny Acrobat & Foxy the Disco Dog

Could Mer Ka Ba be the new Mothership?

It's still early, but around 9.30pm the dance floor begins to fill up, with us all shaking our own individual thing to Pablo's tunes.  Foxy the Disco Dog is excited, making his way around the dancefloor to see the familiar faces he knows from sunset beach.  

In theme with the evening, Pablo is banging out the tech tonight instead of the tonight, but make no mistake Pablo's tech is ever bumping!

Owner Sharon is happy as she heads for her shower, knowing people are ready to dance.  Koh Phangan veteran Karen (& Bob) wants Pablo to stay on the decks all night.  Full energetic dancers, and no moochers - soul shakers only on the dance floor please!
 

Arriving straight from Malaysia, KRP Project belies his tiredness to play a blinding set; going techy for a few hours, he then goes soulful, mixing it up and bringing in the odd latino beat, almost Mexican Mariachi.  Everyone is swinging their hips to the salsa style.

There are a mix of old and new faces in the crowd, from both the tech house and trance scenes on the island. Mer Ka Ba now attracts a wide-ranging crowd, having been host to trance parties, including parties by German festival Voov and Russian party Gagarin.

There's a strong Russian contingent in the crowd tonight, including some mad, party animal dancers - and the ubiquitously beautiful, style-conscious Russian girls. 

Could Mer Ka Ba be the next Koh Phangan Mothership?

AJ gives me a big hug and smile, and points out Mario the Disco King looking like a greek emperor.  Or even, 'a personification of God', in barmaid Cara's words.

Venus Vibes comes on the decks with some tribal techno at 2am, as Mario, dressed in white beard and kaftan, goes to join her behind the decks and greet his old friend. 

Koh Phangan's best known female DJ is thumping them out, and you can always feel your feet connect with the ground when Anika is playing. A happy bouncing crowd of friendly characters and old school crew are packed on the dance floor by now.

Later, Boyonic takes over in baseball cap and sports shirt, playing a banging tech house track that tickles me… something about 'I like your shirt, you've got unique style'.  That's Boy!  Greek party characters are on the dance floor, crying, 'Ela, Ela', and Notker from Thailand Experiences and his Berlin entourage are also in the house. 

Boyonic brings in a housey beat - the crowd are back to their original groove, only this time it's full of whoops and hands in the air, as we dance on into the morning... 

 

As Argentinan Chris had said, it was a good day for a Day Dream.

Mer Ka Ba is certainly living up to its namesake of a meditationary ascension vehicle: Ascension through Dance - Beam me up, Scotty!  Mer Ka Ba's next party is March 10th: Marcus Meinhardt & Peter G - All Night Long