Secret Garden Good Vibrations

Good Vibrations at Secret Garden, Koh Phangan

"Secret Garden proudly present Niko Deejay & Mirko Paoloni Asian Tour 2014!

In exclusivity on Koh Phangan, at Secret Garden Party, for one night only!"

Secret Garden Koh Phangan 

Thursday night on Koh Phangan. Subtle lighting and lasers create light and space, black light is hidden within geometric string designs, and delicate frescos line the walls. It's a tropical garden atmosphere at the only 'interior designed' place in Haad Rin… 

It can only be Secret Garden Party! Always a favourite among Koh Phangan locals, we all know this Secret Garden Party is going to be a special night from the start.

SunShay is warming up in style as Pablo & I arrive with our two visiting Italian DJs, Niko & Mirko. After flying in from Shanghai & Hong Kong, they are squeezing in one date on Koh Phangan - between performances at Nikki Beach, Koh Samui & Phuket - all to be broadcast on Radio Party Groove, Italy's first '100% pure house' radio station.

Secret Garden Party Koh Phangan

Mirko takes to the decks after SunShay, and is soon making us smile by playing remixes of Nine Toes… Lizzie Curious? Not this time!  He's playing tunes we recognise from the Koh Phangan party season, and the happy shining energy is making people move on the dance floor - these Italian DJs are our kind of people. Funky, bopping house! 

As Niko takes over from Mirko, he has us all in raptures with his first track: 'Sky looks much taller'… Howling! Not only was it one of our beloved island poet's favourite tracks (RIP Alex), it was also Benoit C's opening track at Sandcastle Club's 'Why Not Wednesday' the night before. Uncanny, or what? These guys fit right in.

The crowd is an eclectic mix of Russians, Frenchies and Europeans, straight and gay: anything goes. But as Koh Phangan Veteran Mario says, here on Koh Phangan we are judged not for our sexuality; we just come together to party, full with acceptance and love for each other as we are. "Like one big family!", says visiting Niko Deejay.

 'Niko Deejay & Mirko Paoloni @ Secret Garden, Koh Phangan 27/03!' 

'For this special party we will also receive the famous Phangan DJ Pablo Escobud and the lovely SunShay from Tel Aviv. It should be a special night enjoying the last beat of Funky House Music. This party will be broadcast on Radio Party Groove. 

Don't miss it!'  - Secret Garden Koh Phangan

'Dance & Free Your Soul! It's the Secret…

Love will be on the dance floor, see you there!'

Last Night A DJ Saved My Life

'Birds flying high, you know how I feel'… We certainly do! The crew from WeLove KohPhangan are in the house, showing great support on the dance floor all night long - good effort! As Niko continues to go funky deep with a hint of Latino, I suddenly remember dancing Salsa with Joe in the early hours at Mer Ka Ba the night before.

It doesn't take long before we are spinning around the Secret Garden dance floor again… 'Like a thief in the night!' All the remixes are coming out tonight! Beautiful percussive grooves, vocal classics, a bit of Brazilian Funk, even. Not many visiting DJs can latch onto the Koh Phangan vibe, but these guys are diving right in, & nailing it on the head.

And then it's time for Pablo. Recognisable smiles on the dance floor show that the crowd is ready to go uptempo with him, as he goes straight into his uplifting funk. 'Take me Higher!' Joe comes up to me a couple of tracks into his set: "He's smashing it!"  

Yep, he likes to do that! 'Cause away goes trouble down the drain!'

Kawee is on the counter by now, conducting us like we are his dancing orchestra, and we are responding to our Lord of the Dance's ecstasy, hands in the air! Niko is as happy with the evening as we are, dancing away as he says: "Thank you for bringing us to this great party with beautiful energy! Good Vibrations!!"

The Last Word

On the dance floor I can smell… Jasmine? Eric leads me around the Secret Garden until we find the petite white, sweet smelling flowers - I wasn't imagining it. Mark is talking dancing etiquette, as we watch the guy twirling around the floor with arms flailing: "Respect the Dance Floor!" 

Meanwhile, the Robert de Niro lookalike, Mirko, is talking Italian, referencing Pablo's set: "Bravissimo!" Hallelujah, and Amen to that. That'll do for me! See what Kawee had to say about each of the Secret Garden DJs in his photo album of the evening below:

'Waouuh! Secret Garden is still in a "magic land" or magic mind… You were super and magnific … Keep the world in dance > Thank You so much wonderful DJs, you take us right in the mood and it was SOOOooooooooooo GooD!!!…' 

Robert de Niro lookalike Mirko with Pablo

Secret Garden Mar 27 Photo Album via Kawee here

'Merci SunShay for your long and great warm up - grazie Niko Deejay & Mirko Paoloni, you were right in the secret vibe ;-) - Thanks a lot Pablo Escobud for your amazing talent, it was so good to listen to you in the top of your mastery! ;-)' 

Wow! Nice comments!! Is it a wonder why we love Secret Garden so much? Next Thursday 3rd April is Secret Garden's Anniversary Party… see you there!

NB: Secret Garden Party held their last party on August 28th 2014. 

Photo & artwork courtesy of Mirko Paoloni, Radio Party Groove & Secret Garden.

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Sensational Super Flu Full Moon

Sensational Super Flu at Hansa Beach Full Moon Party, Koh Phangan

Right before our eyes, the Full Moon Party is undergoing a Sea Change...

Super Flu Full Moon

Suddenly, in the last few months, the Hansa Beach main stage is beginning to blaze an underground trail in Haad Rin, by bringing quality music to the Full Moon Party. 

A brave and daring attempt to turn the crowd away from the electro, florescent commercialism since the Millennium?

Do these lights and lasers hail a coming of a time, where the No 1 Party Festival is due to be taken seriously for its music, too? 

As Thai Party for Me had said, it was impossible not to notice the big Hansa Beach party. The strobes and lasers shone out into the sky and sea, and could be seen the whole way along the beach. Hansa Beach's new stage set up was announcing itself - We are the Full Moon Party! - and heralding its arrival on the Full Moon Party stage.

And what a stage of underground talent! Star DJ Super Flu would be taking us 'Deeper into the Night', supported by some of the island's best underground house DJs: Benoit C, Pablo Escobud, Darragh Casey & Cortex. This was one event not to be missed, with an amazing set up 'to blow all other parties away on the beach', in dancer AJ's words.

The Night Begins at Hansa Beach.

"Good on Hansa Beach, Benoit, Darragh & co, for getting proper music to the Full Moon Party!

It was about time for this change"

Notker

"Nice work Kenny Hansa & Benoit for bringing in some fresh sounds 
for us dancers…

We appreciate it, I bet this is only 
the beginning"

Heather

The Night Begins…
On podium, a fire artist with dragon tattoo on his chest is lashing his fire whips, as lasers criss cross the sky above him. The Full Moon is shining down like the precious jewel in Mission Impossible, surrounded by a lattice of lasers. The fire spinners are lighting up the Full Moon Party disco inferno - burn, baby, burn! This is how the night at Hansa Beach begins...

Could this be Ibiza or Koh Phangan?

Super Flu @ Hansa Beach 
Full Moon Party

'It's happening tonight! 
Super Flu is playing at the Full Moon Party! Brilliant line-up overall! We are stoked and cant wait anymore!'

Waves are crashing in the distance… As tonight Hansa brings the deep and funky underground to the Full Moon Party. Girls in fleuro tutus are shaking their thing, but the gathering crowd is starting to seem like it wouldn't look amiss in Ibiza! As four of the five Hansa DJs arrive on stage, Thai Party for Me turn up just at the right time… 

Hansa Talent: DJs Darragh Casey, Benoit C, Super Flu & Pablo Escobud

Fireworks launch out of front stage - Benoit had said Kenny had a few tricks up his sleeve! - and there is energetic movement on the Hansa dance floor to Pablo's groovy tunes. We are going bouncy, crowd pleasing, tech house underground, as circus sister Ana grabs me up on stage like an acrobat. This is fun, isn't it? It's Showtime! 

DJ Pablo Escobud

Pablo is jumping up and down on stage, and as Darragh takes over Marco Loco & Danny Nation, the Ibiza contingent, are in the house! Kate's in the crowd with Super Flu's blonde Mathius and his happy German energy, while Notker from Thailand Experiences is dancing to Darragh Casey, ecstatic: "Breathing life in to the Full Moon, Yay!" 

Strobes, black light, laser shows, Germanic Underground Grooves: It's time for Super Flu! Happy tribal drums, soulful vocals, deep house, tribal beats... and we are back to that beautiful house music! Put Your Hands Together, Deeper Into The Night, and as we get into the magical time of 3am, Super Flu is bringing out his productions…. 

Recognisable Super Flu beats: How Do We Get So High? Dawn breaks, the first rosy hues of colour are streaks in the sky… and this is the fun bit! 

Hansa Resident Benoit C

Taking over from Super Flu, Benoit is in his element. He's going deep and banging, with low vibrating funkin' basslines. Benoit plays Imprint of Pleasure: it's dawn music, it has the desired effect on the dancing crowd, and he's mixing them up this morning! We are hands in the air, dancing in the Haad Rin sands, the Hula Hoop circle leading our way with their grace and beauty of movement... 

… In tune with their own expressive spirit and the happy dancing crowd, and the spirit of this Hansa Full Moon Party! 

It will be interesting to see what Hansa Beach brings out of the bag next Full Moon.

Speaking for myself, this Koh Phangan party girl can't wait!




© Mia Escobud 2014
Photos courtesy of Thai Party for Me & Mia Escobud

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A Month of Sundays at Loi Lay

Loi Lay has been going off for the last month! 

The Floating Bar's floorboards have been jumping up and down frenetically ever since DJ Absolud graced the decks a month ago.  I love Absolud's music; I heard him play at MAYA and he certainly rocked my boat… as he did the Sunday Boat Party!

We missed that night as we were over on Koh Samui at KC Beach Club, but we bumped into Lud, Darragh and Kate at the pier on our return to Koh Phangan.  Darragh was peaking, saying it had been the best Loi Lay ever!

A Spiritual Experience - Loi Lay's Sunday Boat Party

The next week it was Loi Lay's last party of the year on Dec 29th: expected to be a quiet night, it surprised everyone, with the floorboards pumping ever higher all night long.

Darragh, Pablo & Dan Buri nailed it, as blogged about here:  Music In My Koh Phangan Soul, and it was an amazing way to see the New Year out... with Jungle, MAYA and NYE Full Moon Party to follow!

How could it get any better?  Easy!  Bring the one and only Marco Loco back into the mix!  We were treated to more genius from the maestro himself two weeks ago, with his infectious energy rocking the floating bar. 

Marco Loco working his infectious genius

The highlight for me was when Marco sampled Yves Murasca's All About House Music over Lizzie Curious' much feted remix of Nine Toes. Pure utter genius!

In James Trystan's words: "He knows how to get the crowd going, he’s a real pro.  I caught a big chunk of his set (at Dreamers NYE) and it was world class, as you’d expect.  He’s a real crowd pleaser and what’s more important is he’s a nice guy." 

"What’s more important is he’s a nice guy." 

"There’s too many DJs on the scene who have an over inflated opinion of themselves because they’ve had some success.  Marco has his head on his shoulders and that’s why the crowd buys into him: because his music is good and he’s genuine."

Marco Loco is back on Koh Phangan at MAYA on 18th Jan and at Loi Lay again on 19th Jan!

Last week it was Hawie, Baz & Pablo's turn to rock the Sunday Boat Party again, and there were plenty of old familiar faces in the crowd.  Richy the Lion Tamer Hart was back in the Koh Phangan house, along with Koh Phangan DJs Lady Oh & Skunky, Kuma and Andy Newman...

Plenty of old familiar faces in the crowd!

Baz, under his Radio Rental moniker, was banging out the deep house classics of the season.  As Pablo took over the decks from him, Richy turned to me: "I know what Pablo's going to do now - he's going to go DEEP!"

I laughed back at Richy: Pablo doesn't know what deep is!… Especially not at 2am on the Floating Bar!

Pablo doesn't know what deep is!

Richy Lion Tamer Hart back 
in da Koh Phangan house!!

He does know what funky, euphoric, vocal house music is though, and sure enough, 15mins into his set, Richy was coming back to me: "Pablo's just raised the level in here by 20 metres!" 

Richy said he was dying to make my blog, so here he is, in true colours, the party boy we know and love - Welcome back to Thailand!

Eve: "The best music ever!" 

Banging floorboards, cutting shapes and hands in the air were de riguer for the next 3hrs. 

At 4am I was at the bar with DJ Andy Newman. 
"I love Loi Lay!", he said to me. "It's like going to church!" Understanding Andy immediately, I still needed him to clarify what he meant:

"It's Sunday, you get to catch up with all your best mates and listen to the best tunes; it's like our weekly social!"

So there you go, going to Loi Lay on a Sunday is like going to church.  A community gathering, and a shared spiritual experience on the Floating Bar dance floor!

Pablo's last track of the night: I'm so grateful

I Love Loi Lay! See you at the Sunday Boat Party!

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Locals Shindig at the Secret Garden

The week after full moon Haad Rin is QUIET, yet down in the heart of Full Moon Party town a funky little soiree was taking place last Thursday 24th October at Secret Garden.

It's low season on Koh Phangan and there's not so many locals about, but at Kawee's in Haad Rin, home to the Secret Garden Party, 50 regulars were found grooving their thing away on the dance floor to the sounds of DJs Pablo Escobud and Kaonashi.

Host Kawee was as resplendent as ever, with his sparkling energy shining out to the Secret Gardeners as they celebrated his vision of a sumptuous local party in beautifully decorated surroundings.  

I wrote my first ever Phanganist blog about the Secret Garden, and it's always a place that's dear to our hearts. You can read that blog here:

French Kiss at the Secret Garden

Pablo knows Kawee has a love of beautiful vocal house music, and he has spent time preparing a set of soulful, funky house to perfectly suit the Secret Garden atmosphere. 

He played remixes of old classics 'Woman' and James Brown to an energetically happy and responsive crowd, and everyone on the dance floor had a smile on their dancing faces and a twinkle in their dancing toes! 

James Brown performing at TV program Shindig! 1965

I was still singing James Brown the next morn and found this classic video on youtube. Treat yourself and spend two minutes checking out the one and only Twinkle Toes himself singing 'Papa's Got A Brand New Bag'! OMG That footwork! 

Chang Mark had the best dance moves of the evening: after borrowing some dark shades and getting into character with his Ian Dury persona, his feet were soon moving as separate entities to his body, ala James Brown!

Connoisseur Kaonashi took over from Pablo and seamlessly continued the evening's theme with some amazingly groovy funk, before lifting off with some electro tech towards the end of the night. We were all enjoying ourselves immensely into the early hours!

Both DJs have a love and a passion for music and can often be heard pulling out of the bag something a little bit different from what is usually heard on the island... and they make a great double act!

"Thanks to all the lovely Party people who came with love to share this so great night! A special Thanks to the "electroLove" Djs : Pablo Escobud and Kaonashi." 

Kawee Ko Phangan

Papa's got a brand new bag!

Photos courtesy of Kawee Koh Phangan

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Jungle Fever Koh Phangan!

After a three month summer tour to London, Ibiza and Hong Kong, it was time for the Escobuds to come home to the Thai islands! We landed back on Koh Phangan on 15th September, and with hardly a chance to catch our breath we were back in the folds of our Jungle Tribe that night...

... With DJ Pablo Escobud on the decks at Jungle Experience Koh Phangan! 
This phenomenal party in the Koh Phangan jungle is always a colourful sight to behold, with fire twirlers, dancers and body painting artists performing live as the crowds gather to dance the night away under the stars.

Jungle Experience takes place twice a month in the Koh Phangan jungle, in the week leading up to the island's infamous Full Moon Party. The music is decidedly underground, with a host of Koh Phangan DJs supporting visiting international DJs such as Marco Loco, Miguel Matoz and Randy Seidman to name but a few. 

It's always like a kind of home-coming for us, Pablo is a regular here and writing for Phanganist, Koh Phangan's online party magazine, I'm almost a part of the furniture too! All the fun of the fair, we get to interact with some wonderfully creative and talented artists who we are lucky enough to call our friends! 

There is something very special about Jungle Experience Koh Phangan and we are blessed to live on this beautiful island and hang out at such amazing venues. For us it beats the Full Moon Party hands down, but then, us Koh Phanganers have always had a love of the Koh Phangan underground...

Home to the folds of the Jungle Tribe!   Jungle Fever - Koh Phangan here we come!

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Koh Phangan DJ Pablo Escobud's website going live!

www.djpabloescobud.com

Pablo's new DJ website went live this week! We had great fun putting this one together, with brilliant party photos from the full moon party island - via Phanganist.com, Koh Phangan's online party magazine in Thailand.

Pablo with dancers at Jungle Experience Koh Phangan

I've written a series of articles for Phanganist which you can check out here: Underground tales, party reviews, and DJ interviews with the likes of Danny Rampling - one of the original UK Kings of House Music - and author of the bestseller on How to DJ.

Danny Rampling started his DJ career on pirate house music radio, and Pablo is following in similar steps: 

Having made a name for himself on the islands with his upbeat blend of funky house, Pablo is now becoming popular as a virtual DJ on online radio stations across Europe, where his underground house DJ sets are being aired almost every week! Becoming an online DJ seems to be a great way to expand his reach off the islands, with great results so far.

Currently on tour in London and Ibiza, you can listen to Pablo's latest underground house and techno DJ mix from the White Isle - aired this time for Canadian podcast 'The EDM Array' - on the front page of his new website here. 

We're good friends with the guys from The EDM Array in Canada now, and can always rely on their firm support for the Escobuds - even though our virtual DJ brethren across the Atlantic hail from a trance background - they love Pablo's house music! 

Going global, all through social media and online internet radio!  Amazing!!

Hope you enjoy taking a tour of Pablo's website! Check out his DJ mixes, slideshow, bio, gallery, press items, social media pages, contact and more:

www.djpabloescobud.com

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Jungle Tribe's VIP Welcome to Space Ibiza

Mia's major moment at Space Ibiza:

Welcome to the Fabulous World of Cafe Ole!

It's our virgin visit to the White Isle - that other Island Party Haven, Ibiza - but how could a super club holding 12,000 people possibly float our Koh Phangan boats?

Pablo and I are used to partying in the open air on Full Moon Party island, at festivals like Jungle Experience, Koh Phangan,  Thailand,  S.E.Asia.

... And yet, that moment when you first ever fall in love with a super club!!!
Space Ibiza, I take it all back:

Jungle Tribe's VIP Welcome to Space Ibiza

Mia Escobud's Underground Tales

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I am Defected @ Ushuaia Tower, Ibiza

It is 9 pm on a Monday night - our last night in Ibiza - and we're jumping in a taxi with Ibiza Resident DJ Marco Loco, heading to Ushuaia Tower for a rooftop party on this newest and flashiest of Playa del Bossa hotels. Owned by Grupo Empresas Matutes, where apparently money is no object, Ibiza is getting a high-end 300 million Euro facelift - a 'Plan de Excelencia' - and can't you just tell it!  

It's a Defected Record Label party and Marco's DJ friend Sonny Fodera is warming up for House legend David Morales - how very exciting! On the fly-over we look across to see the rooftop party lit up in full swing under the Full Moon. The facade of Ushuaia Tower, adorned with vines of flowers, takes our breath away as we pull up in the taxi; now this will surely be something to behold! 

'The Tower is all about exclusivity and style - and voyeurism! Enjoy the music from two different angles - watch the macro events front row with the rocking crowd at The Club or get an elite, bird's eye view of the action from our roof top Mile-High Club. The choice is yours'  Ushuaia Press

Waiting in the queue we are handed Defected fans with the 'I AM DEFECTED' logo we'd seen on T-shirts all over San Antonio, a welcoming gift to usher us up into the roof top party above. Easily pleased - I've got my new Thailand fan! Wait till I rock up on Koh Phangan with that! - I'm already eyeing up Pablo's and Marco's fans too. The stewardess directs us to the foyer with an efficient smile, where she tells us the lifts will take us up to the 9th floor Mile-High Club pool party.  

But... Not so fast! 
The mafia-like Spanish steward at the head of the queue is made of sterner stuff, however.  He pulls Marco aside, "We're trying to create something more elegant here, unfortunately you're dressed much too sporty..."  

Marco explains that we are on the guest list for Ushuaia Tower this evening, and he's also a Resident DJ at Space Ibiza (rated year after year the best club in the world!). Is there any possibility that we can get in to the rooftop party tonight?  "Sorry, no", comes the stern Spanish accented reply.  

I am Defected?  You are Defected!!!  Marco hands back his fan to the stewardess tending the Ushuaia queue: keep your fan, his gesture says... Oh no, that means I'm down to only two fans for Koh Phangan now!

We Are Defected! 

We certainly are: VIP'd up with one of the island's top DJs, on the guest list to one of the island's most exclusive parties…. 

And we still can't get in!!!  
We were still laughing about it on the plane home to the UK the next morning.


Over pizza in the Playa del Bossa strip we discuss the influx of money, which we think is Russian, yet turns out to be a Spanish hotel chain. How Space Ibiza is on a lease which will end in a few years, and that the owners of Ushuaia are threatening to not only buy the whole lease… but to raze Space to the ground!  Yes, you heard that right, raze the best club in the world to the ground.

Why?  To get rid of the greatest and closest competition to Ushuaia? Or just to build something bigger and 'better'?  As we sat there I began to realise that this evening was indeed a once in a lifetime experience; it could well be the one and ONLY time we get to visit this most famous of super clubs, it's era potentially coming to an end…  

MARCO LOCO @ SPACE IBIZA

With a few hours to kill before we head to Space, it's off to Bora Bora for us instead, where another DJ friend of Marco's is playing.  Bora Bora… was it just the imagery of South Pacific islands that had captured our tropic-loving imaginations? We'd heard people raving about it for years, but yet again we are caught by surprise - as we had been all week on our virgin visit to the White Isle. 

We'd either been delighted by the beauty and opulence of what we'd encountered, or amazed by the absolute averageness of it. Is this it? To first impressions Bora Bora is nothing more than a dilapidated beach shack - move along, there's nothing much to write home about here -  apart from the Bora Bora sign and the Full Moon rising behind it!

... And the Newcastle DJ - Danny O! - banging out some wicked uptempo tech house... And the sausage fest! There's taut bare muscles everywhere, and there's such a lack of females that the guys are taking to 'sandwiching' the fleshy feminine wiles on the tabletops. 

"There's room for you too, Mel, go and join in the sandwich!" says Marco, answering my incredulous expression with, "This is Ibiza - anything goes!" It's the Balearic latino style for sure, but it's too reminiscest of a gay fest to me! Too many short shorts and rippling thigh muscles for me ;)

Then it was on to the highlight of the evening: On Marco's guest list, VIP at Space Ibiza . But how could a superclub holding 12,000 people possibly float our Koh Phangan boats? I could have turned around happily after getting this photo backstage! 

This time, however, we were anything but disappointed!!  

Related articles:

Jungle Tribe's VIP Welcome to Space Ibiza

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