Super Flu @ Hansa Beach Full Moon Party

Zany, bizarre, mad as hatters, Super Flu are coming to Hansa Beach's Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan - and are sure to fit right in. The crazy German duo have an obvious love of the weird and wacky, and are impossible to pin down in style or genre. 

Describing their music in nonsensical terms, "Speech bubbles wave engaging basses to you!", it is suffice to say Super Flu rank in some of our underground Koh Phangan DJs' Top 5 producers. 

Darragh Casey and Benoit C are both big fans, and all of us dancers from the Sandcastle Club have had our 'ambient rave' on to Super Flu, whether we realise it or not (I didn't): Their tracks Fibi Maybe and Reeves have had us all dancing in the early hours of the morning!

Super Flu's one and only date on Koh Phangan is at the infamous Full Moon Party, at one of the most amazing stages on the beach. Hansa Beach is blazing a trail with it's quality line up of Underground DJs for the Full Moon Party, but the keyword is commercial underground, meaning not so underground that no one gets it.

This is a brave attempt by Hansa to educate the masses to good music, and you know what? With 4000-5000 people inside the Hansa Full Moon Party last month, it's not only working - it's taking the Full Moon Party by storm, and breathing fresh life into Haad Rin.

Super Flu are headlining the Hansa Stage at 3am, by which time the Full Moon Party will be in full force. You can expect quality music at Hansa all night long, stages, podiums and a killer sound system. Support from some of my favourite Koh Phangan DJs, Benoit C, Darragh Casey, Pablo Escobud and Cortex from Phangan FM.

Brought to Thailand by the Groove Box team in Phuket, Super Flu are also playing @ Cha Cha Moon Koh Samui, Iguana Phuket, Levels Club Bangkok, and Shanghai and Bali on this Asian Tour. 

But the main event can only be…
FULL MOON PARTY - HANSA BEACH - MAR 15TH
Find me on a podium!

Related articles:

Review: Sensational Super Flu Full Moon

Artwork via @Hansa Beach & Super Flu

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Christmas Day Party Koh Phangan Style

WE know how to party on the islands! From an all day party at the Secret Garden, to Christmas dinner at MerKaBa Beach Club, and on to the most amazing Christmas Rave in the jungle at Jungle Experience Koh Phangan, it was systems go all day…

Kawee Koh Phangan was working his Christmas magic with his Jesus Love Party down at the Secret Garden in Haad Rin, with a line-up of island residents on the decks from 10am to 10pm, to start off the Christmas Day festivities.  

Brimming with love as usual, Kawee invited us in his cute French accent, to "Come to love and be love, DANCE & FREE YOUR SOUL, & Kiss Your Life ! LoVeYourSelf ;-)" 

Lea and I were quite happy to get into festive spirit with him, and start off the merriment on the dance floor as we were served our morning coffee and croissant. 

My friend Notker had arrived for breakfast with his first Thailand Experiences tour of the season, and we soon had the newly landed Party Tour working off their organic brownies with a good old Christmas Day dance - welcome to Thailand, Koh Phangan style!

Pablo came on the decks at Kawee at 4pm, even though we'd just been invited to Christmas dinner at MerKaBa at the same time. A man of his word, he would have forsaken his Christmas dinner to not let Kawee down - and Pablo loves Christmas dinner! In fact, he'd been dreaming of it for days.  

So when I returned from MerKaBa half an hour later to say dinner was delayed, it was happy days all round! We spent another few hours spinning around Kawee's dance floor to Pablo's funky ass tunes… 

… before heading here, to MerKaBa Beach Club, for a divine Christmas dinner feast-up with friends.

Lucky, lucky us: minted roast lamb, pink roast beef, leeks and cabbage, Harmony Dave's home made stuffing and cauliflower cheese, roast potatoes and roasted veg… I'm salivating again just thinking about it. And such a beautiful location!

This most beautiful beach club close to Haad Rin has been crying out for a day party by the pool… and here it comes!! Season opening @ Mer Ka Ba Beach Club Sat 28th DJs Pablo Escobud Kaonashi Mr T Lance Red Eye le Funk will be on the decks from 3pm!

After a few glasses of red wine the clock was soon striking eight bells, and we had to leave our friends and Christmas dinner party at MerKaBa behind to make a dash to Jungle Experience, for the big event of the night… Christmas Night Jungle Rave!!!  

JUNGLE EXPERIENCE - CHRISTMAS NIGHT! WED DEC 25TH

"Koh Phangan is becoming known worldwide for its underground movement, the music industry is paying attention. This event showcases just some of the Islands Resident DJ talents & the producers that are the foundation of the scene here. We want to say thank you for your support in 2013 & we look forward to a huge 2014 with you!"

Jungle Tribe

 Pablo Escobud @ Jungle Experience Koh Phangan Dec 25th

Nice piece of recognition from the Jungle for the island's underground DJs, who judging by Jungle's response the next morning didn't disappoint expectations: 

"Seriously great music last night!! Big love to the DJs" Jungle Experience

I know they didn't disappoint my expectations, my dancing feet were alive all day and all night, until I could dance no more. What a beautiful way to spend Christmas! 

Christmas Day Party Koh Phangan Style!

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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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Full Moon Party Week, Koh Phangan

It's a busy week on the Thai islands! Full Moon this month is Oct 19th, which means the week leading up to the infamous Full Moon Party is always full on with party preparations, DJ line-ups & underground parties.

The madness starts in earnest with the first of two Jungle Experience parties four days before Full Moon, although by that time we're already full on with party promo and DJ sets.

We've also just had the finals of the Poo Ton Police Football Cup followed by the closing party, with free flowing beer and entertainment at the Police Station. 

It was a great two weeks of entertainment and community spirit, but having a thick head didn't exactly help at the start of this busiest of weeks!

Quinte KL underground DJ and club owner, Alex Martin, was flying in from KL and Beijing to support returning headliner and Jungle favourite Randy Seidman and it was fun fun fun in the Jungle last night...

Pablo came on for the last few hours with an early morning techno set and we were still raging at 7.30am, with the crowd whooping and whistling for one more when he finished up already over time! 

We've recorded the set and are sending it off to our Dutch friends at Radio Diego's Techno Department as they are big fans of Pablo's techno music. Come to think of it, I'll have to send it off to the Canadian guys at The EDM Array too!

And tonight - exciting - we're headed to a new location in the Baan Tai jungle for a new party. With a stellar island line-up to dream of, we know we're in for a night of Voodoo magic! Can't wait, awesome flyer!

After tonight we get a night off… then it's back to Jungle Experience itself for a Full Moon Party warm up treat: Orbital's Phil Hartnoll headlining with Randy Seidman and local support!  

We've had a power cut all day here on the islands, and I just hope I can now access Phil Hartnoll's answers and get his Phanganist interview written up in time. Oh the dilemmas of island life...

Oh yes, and then it will be Full Moon… ;)

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Marco Loco Nights of Ibiza Album Release

Marco Loco's 'Nights Of Ibiza' album launch party @ Cafe Del Mar 

was last Fri 4th Oct with live vocals, keys and percussion! 

A few days later the musical maestro heard he'd won Ibiza Clubbing Guide's award for Best Ibiza Resident DJ... and rightly so! 

How about best upcoming Ibiza Producer too? Click the links below and have a listen to this!!

Shipfaced: Marco Loco playing No Requests

 

Marco Loco Nights of Ibiza

Keep Calm and Listen to this!!!

  

Excuse me DJ have you got something we can dance to,

something with words???

I certainly do madam... this one's for you ...

No Requests

The Music n You

Missing You

Photos from Marco's Shipfaced boat parties this summer, 

no strangers to 'No Requests'

 

Update from Celestial 09/10:

Marco Loco 'No Requests' climbing the Beatport charts!

Go Go Marco!

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W Retreat Koh Samui #DJLAB2013

27th Sept 2013: W Hotels Worldwide and Burn present - DJ Lab 2013 - hosted this year by W Retreat Koh Samui!

In its third year, this prestigious global DJ competition searches out six of the best under-the-radar Producer/DJs worldwide - with the most impressive and talented finalists being flown this year to W Hotels Thailand.

Joining mentors such as Paul Oakenfold, Andy Caldwell and Michaelangelo L'Acqua for a week long DJ LAB bootcamp at W Retreat Koh Samui, it's a dream come true for the six international artists from UK/Hong Kong, LA, Turkey, Mexico, Berlin and Seoul, who were later flown to W Hotel Bangkok to perform at the #DJLAB2013 finale...

Josh Butler - Got A Feeling (Pleaseurekraft edit) 

played by Andy Caldwell @ #DJLAB2013

Two weeks after returning to Koh Phangan (landing at Jungle Experience Koh Phangan and Phangan Art Exhibition) we arrived over on our sister island, Koh Samui,  just in time for a night of Samui exclusivity.  

From one extreme to the other: community life on Koh Phangan to the high life on Koh Samui; and yet after our recent summer tour to the VIP highlights of London, Ibiza and Hong Kong it felt like coming full circle, back home to the Thai islands...
In W Retreat Koh Samui's WOOBAR the wealthy elite were dressed to impress, congregating to drink champagne and cocktails. You could tell by the cut of the well-bred men's chinos and the swagger in their dance moves that they were Masters of the Uber Cool, while the ladies graced the scene in their killer heels, red lipstick and expensive dresses.

The VIP pods in the moated swimming pool were reminiscent of a similar theme at Ocean Beach Ibiza, but with a price tag even Ocean Beach would be jealous of: available for a mere 20,000bt to reserve your own VIP experience positioned around the DJ booth and dance floor.

Was everyone here on holiday? Or were they the wealthy echelons of Samui society? Or, like us, were they just into the music?  Because if they weren't into the music they were doing a very good job of enjoying this most hip of high class parties south of Bangkok!

Wealthy Samui Thais as you wouldn't know existed on the islands were 'too cool for cats' on the dance floor, while rich Mexican honeymooners invited us to drink tequila. Everyone was chic and convivial, and oozing charm and elegance...

There were beautiful women to die for were in abundance, including the maitre d' cocktail waitress, who informed Pablo she would find him anywhere in the party. Now that is attention to detail, and 6* service! 

More than happy to watch the W Retreat Koh Samui firework show and 'move/mix/mingle' to the 'hottest hit makers & winning DJs' from DJ LAB 2013!   

Within the central dance floor the DJs worked their art in front of a giant crystal skull in blue LED headphones, looking out from a DJ booth up close and personal to the hip dancing crowd. Beyond the VIP pods, onlookers from the bar impeccably held their wine glasses to attention as they 'moved, mixed and mingled' through the swaying WOOBAR scene.

At the end of the evening, Grammy winning headliner Andy Caldwell took over the decks with his smooth deep house: he played Kraftwerk's 'Got A Feeling' and I was 'taken to the stars', realising that this has been the soundtrack of our summer tour, having heard it played in London, Ibiza, Bangkok and now W Retreat Koh Samui DJ LAB 2013.

A few days later via twitter we saw that Ryan Dinham, photographer for Ministry of Sound and Curiousity Club at Gigalum, was also at #DJLAB2013, at W Hotel Bangkok. London to Thailand - the best of all worlds! Lucky us...

(Lucky us indeed. It turns out London's star club scene photographer is on tour with none other than Paul Oakenfold himself, doing a few shows to Bangkok... and Argentina!)

WOOBAR VIP pod and dancefloor, W Retreat Koh Samui

And those six lucky finalists! Not only do they get to play the creme de la creme of high society parties in Thailand, they also get a week's intensive bootcamp with mentors such as Paul Oakenfold, who has been a legend in our British music consciousness forever!

They then get to perform on a world tour of W Hotels Worldwide later this year, and each will produce a track for exclusive release through W Hotels and burn. Talk about commendably nurturing raw talent...

Put your spin on it, indeed!

Now, where do we sign Pablo up for DJ LAB 2014?…

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