Thailand, a country infected with holiday-makers, experiences a nightlife dominated by expats and major corporations who often cater exclusively to the tastes of tourists. The underground electronic music collective Kangkao celebrated its fourth birthday less than a 30-minute drive from Khao San Road, and showcased what the city can really do.
The population of Bangkok is growing by 150,000 people annually, a rate nearly twice that of London. This, combined with the low cost of living and an attitude of resistance in the face of gentrification, has created an incubator for DIY music, art and events in the heart of Southeast Asia.
Birthed from this very incubator is Kangkao. This Thai collective formed in 2022 to offer a refuge from the inundation of cacophonous commercial EDM through home-grown techno nights that evoke a concrete-grunge minimalism. “A lot of events around here aren’t really Bangkok” said Mo, one of the collective’s core members. I found him in the smoking area with an outfit completed by a Harley Davidson Eagle top and a motorbike. “They’re all run by foreigners. Here, Horn and Bartemp. They’re real”.
“Here” in this case is the ground floor of the Trinity Complex: a collection of high-rises used for homes, shops and hotels. Down a few wonky concrete steps and guarded by a couple of patina fu dogs is the raw 900m concrete space that Kangkao are increasingly calling home “We just keep finding ourselves back here”. Elsewhere, the 9th floor bar also locally known for catering to an analogue audience (and being open considerably later than anywhere else in Bangkok), just mere steps away. I ran into Mo at Elsewhere less than a week after our first meeting. Maybe coincidental, maybe a testament to how interwoven Bangkok’s underground scene really is.
Kangkao’s past features have included both internationally revered artists, such as DJ Masda, and the locally beloved, including the likes of Tada and Liem. Members from the core collective are usually a main feature. But they’ve been making steps away from that tradition, with Mellecvm being the only exception. Though they joined the decks for a B2B with Elila.b – a signal that things are “being [handed] to the next generation”. Lineups have come to feature names such as Sho Ando and Gaspray. Shifting a focus on vinyl-heavy textural techno.
The crowd was a dissonant blend of post-ironic, leather adorned techno heads. And what can only be described as touristic partygirl-chic, (think glittery butterfly tops). Mo tells me this is standard. “It’s a whole mix of people. You get people like this.” He points to someone who has asymmetrically draped what might have been an oversized white button-down under heavy metal jewellery. “And also tourists. But that’s Asia. It’s not like Europe where the scene is so established”. I ask him if it’s exciting to be part of something so new, he laughs at the question. “It’s not new! We’ve been here [for a while]. It’s just not… taken off. It’s a small scene still. I like that, I know these faces.. .It’s beautiful to watch everyone enjoy [themselves]”.
