So another week starts which also signals another week nearer the impending madness of HIGH HIGH SEASON.
With all the resorts already fully booked, many are making use of all extra space and turning them into dorms. That’s a lot of extra money they will be making. Forget just the grand a night for a mattress, it means more money spent in their restaurants and bars. I know this is mad, but do spare a thought for the resorts that are actually on Full Moon Beach. Because of all the bucket stalls selling cheap alcohol (we all know by now it’s Lion King in the Smirnoff bottles), when a resort sells the real thing, most people don’t buy it. Yet it’s the resorts that pay for the sound systems and the dj’s and their staff work madness hours for very little money.
After two years as resident at Tommy resort every Full Moon, I know what the costs are and what the bars take, and you know what, as we only sell REAL alcohol, you actually do get what is says on the bottle, it’s no get rich quick scheme actually having a sound stage at Full Moon.
Also at this time of year, I get a zillion e-mails from dj’s I know and some I don’t, saying they will play for free if I can sort them out gigs. I tell them all NO, it’s hard enough to make a living here as it is, and some dj’s already come and just rinse it during high season, but what about us who live here all year round, playing to small numbers during the months of low seasons and waiting for high season!! It’s even harder for the legal dj’s who pay tax, company tax alongside annual work permit and visa fees. On top of the fee of setting up a company (from around 30K) the rest adds up to about 60k a year. SO work it out-say 2k a set, that’s 30 sets where you don’t earn money!!
Anyway, it’s another Sunday, and a very wet one at that. I had no power for six hour so did a whole load of “house” jobs, including re doing my studio/office so now my desk actually faces the sea!
Not that I see it ever, as when I am in the office, I am only looking at the computer screen, but it feels better anyway!
Luckily the rain had stopped by the time I needed to head to Pirates Bar. Snoopoid and Rob Gritton were already playing and I had spent about three hours going through my hard drive building what turned out to be (so I was told anyway) a real journey of a set. I played 11.00 to 12.30 so it couldn’t start hard, but just build. Rob was over the moon with his 99baht white T shirt from Tesco Lotus, although he moaned it was a bit tight around the neck! Marius (Snoopoid) on the other hand was wearing the longest T shirt I have ever seen. As he is almost two meters tall (1.97 I think to be exact) this was no mean feat. Rory Gallagher turned up with his mates, still fucked from the night before (no surprise there then), and it seems Rory cannot find flip flops that will fit his very large feet. Toby White played after me and I really liked what he played. But I bailed before Rob & Snoopoid went back on, but I am sure they were great!
Felt great when I woke on Monday, and after taking Cindy for a walk, I got stuck into a HUGE Beatport session. I listened to every new track in their tech House and Techno genres and found about 46 new tunes. I kicked myself for not doing it before Pirates, but I couldn’t as for most of the day, there was no electric! Heard from Boyonic on Facebook and helped him out with something, then it was off to Thongsala to pick up our new “Security” T shirts at Thai….. and meet P Noi off the ferry from Donsak. Then straight to the gym, then off to see Jao from Half Moon and Woody at The Beach Village and finally home to finish off the Beatport listening. As Traxsource is one dollar (US) cheaper, I then tried to find all the tracks I had put in my “shopping bag” on that site, but NONE, not one was there. I took Cindy for a walk about 11, which was totally pointless, because as soon as we got back to the villa, she ran down the hill to go see her boyfriend! I popped into Jangs on Salad Beach but that was empty, so headed for Crave-that was empty, but Nat showed me a flyer for the Apache Bar where Joe Fubar was playing. So popped in and said hi to Jo, whilst admiring his APC40. An APC 40 is NOT a body part, it’s a controller which he uses with his Ableton programme. But it is sexy nonetheless. Not that I think Jo is sexy at all, I am not into guys!!
Fuck knows what I did Tuesday, zero recollection, but Wednesday is sent getting ready for Full Moon. Good job, as I encountered major probs with the laptop. So to cut a long story short (yes, I CAN do that!), I put all the tunes I want to play on a USB and backed up my entire “Current House” folder onto a big external. Picked up teh CDJ’s from Lady Oh and took them to Tommy Resort about 3pm. Was going to have Loi Krathong with P Noi & Joy, but they were going to the pier about 7.30 and I still had stuff to do at home. So I did the festival with my good friends at Sail Rock Divers, and it was lovely. I am just a sentimental idiot but I really love Loi Krathong.
Popped into The Beach Village to see Boyonic, but he wasn’t there, instead it was Snoopoid treating the crowd oin the bar to some good tunes-with a few classics as well! Did the usual rounds once I hit the beach and then at 2.30, I went to power up the laptop. FUCK ALL. Nothing, zero, nada. Luckily I had the USB so popped in the office at Tommy and copied the music onto another USB, and did the whole set like a REAL DJ. I loved it, and we were still rammed at 6.15. I did the last half hour back 2 back with DJ Mackie, who had some seriously good fresh new music. Got totally soaked to the skin on the way home-it was torrential.
After a good sleep, I made it to Backyard about 4, caught the end of Boyonic’s set (awesome) and then it was Filippo and Peter G (Peter now back on the island after 3 weeks away).
It was good hearing Filippo play the new Stefan Noferini tune “Flash”. It samples the dialogue from Liberation 2-a classic house tune which I used to cane to death back in 95, but Stefan’s new tune has a very commercial bass line, and though I loved it, I wasn’t sure if it was actually cool to play it-but now Filippo played it, I knew my original instinct that it was still a good track was justified. Everyone was there. Mads Lawrence, Lance , Linda , Pablo & Mel , Benoir , Fabrice , Shad, Jacqueline etc etc etc. I kept being asked what I was on, which was funny as I only had 2 vodka red bulls-ok maybe 3.
Headed out at 6 ish as had to pick up the CDJ’s from Tommy and get them back to Lady Oh as promised. Then I get a call from Amanda (remember old flame I mentioned last blog). She tells me she is at my house, having dumped the guy she came with. So we went for her birthday dinner at Rango where the Thai owner told me she had heard I had mentioned the restaurant in a previous blog. I still didn’t get any discount though!! Wtf!! Then we popped into Crave for one, bought a bottle of wine and headed for my roof terrace. After half an hour, the heavens opened once again, which was actually great as we had a real Nine And A Half Weeks moment, before heading for the hot shower. Fuck I needed that!
After lunch next day, the ex dude saw us and followed us to back to my villa-where we just let’s say, had a few words! Friday night was Electronic Lounge and Clair & James were celebrating their birthdays there. They love d’n’b so we roped in Fabrice Phb to take care of that bit. He clearly loves playing that stuff and must have lost 3 litres of water while bobbing up and down through his entire set. Rory was back also, and it was a god night.
Took Amanda to the pier as she was leaving all too soon and then drove to Baankai and collected a long outstanding debt, which was much needed as I am still waiting to be paid for Culture One!! I was starting to feel shit after getting soaked in the pouring rain twice in two days, so had a night in watching movies (NOT THOSE kind of movies) in bed.
It had been a really good week though!!
Next week, it’s seaplanes, Donk and fun on koh Koot!!!
