Category Archives: random thought

End of the world

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Here’s the last podcast for 2012. On this show we get into some deep and dark bizniz. I guess you say its my soundtrack for the end of the world, or at least the sound of what is to come in 2013. Starting off the year we have Dubway sessions on January 12 with special guest DJ Mensah https://soundcloud.com/mensahanderson. To date this talented producer  has had big tunes released on Labels like Gutterfunk, Hench and Digital Sound boy.  I am more than honored to have him for our first boking in 2013. I also want to add that we will be hosting the event at a totally new venue. The first session for next year will be held at LSD on the second floor of Grease (yes that’s actually the name of the club) on sukhumvit soi 49. As strange as the name maybe the owners of this place have spared no expense in making the best venue for underground clubbing and I am sure this place is going to be very popular.  Check out more here on their page http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grease-Mon-Sat/493925337297432?ref=ts&fref=ts 

Lastly I just wanted to also say thanks so much for all your support in the year of the dragon, its been a great year and I hope to make next year even bigger and better for DUBWAY.

Don’t forget to click “like” on our facebook page  www.facebook.com/dubwaybkk you can find out info on our gigs, mixes, photos and all sorts of stuff there.

Heres the link to the podcast:

http://www.mixcloud.com/homebass-communications/end-of-the-world/

track list

End of the world – Komonazmuk
Cluster – Innasekt
Feel it – Vivek
silverfish – kaiju
Unknown
Apocrypha – Instinct and Thelem
Dawn of the replicants
apocrypha – instinct and thelem
dawn of the replicants – sleeper
trinity – vivek
culture – Jony
the divide – kryptic minds
Dualism – thelem and kilawatt
stand against war – digital mystiks
altogether lost (peverlist remix) – empty set
arcane – kryptic minds
Hardwork -interface and minus

Goth Trad x Greg G was a success!

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Big ups to everyone who made it down to Goth Trad x Greg G on saturday night! Thank you so much for all your support. You can check out the pictures from the event here:

Heres a link to the recording of My set on saturday
Also many thanks to Asahi, Leap Frog, Apple, Sinamon, Hiroo, Jo, Goth Trad, Greg G, Preduce, DJ Center, Wet Carpet Studio, Nat Sukonbut, Chip 7, Siam2nite.

Check out the latest Dubway pictures here

Posted by dragon on

Big thanks to everyone for making it down to the last DUBWAY party. It was an honor to have two of my heroes RSD and Gapi Dub kitchen come to play for us that night. Also big ups to everyone that made it down that night. extra thanks go’s out to Sinamon and Hiroo, Nin @ DJ Center, Chris Bowden and Katharina. Check out the pictures from saturday night here:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150711612100322.707158.350398430321&l=cccaaee135

Club Triangle

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I am very honored to have been invited to play at Club Triangle in Osaka Japan. I’ve played in Japan a few times but I’ve never been to any other city then Tokyo and in contrast to that city’s workaholic lifestyle  Osaka’s  inhabitants are so much more laid back. Right in the heart of Osaka’s downtown district is Club Triangle. This 3 floor venue blasts everything from underground to hip hop to drum n bass on its massive sound system. DJ wise selectah’s such as Rebel Mc, DJ Zinc and Laurent Garnier have graced the club’s decks. DJ Toyo – Club Triangle’s manager booked me to play on Friday night and even though the crowd was a lot different  than what I am used to (it was a house/techno night) I still am very honored to have been invited by Toyo to represent Thailand and the Dubway crew over in Osaka. I reckon a lot of the stuff that I play nowadays isn’t that much dub step and more on the garage tip, it certainly did go down well with the ravers inside the club on that night. To top that I was joined by an army of my close friends, many of whom I met in Bangkok ages ago. We all got niced up on the two free bottles of Jack Daniels that Toyo kindly supplied us with. If y’all want to see the madness  I uploaded some pictures on my facebook so please feel free to check out what went down on the frosty February night :) I also want to big up DJ Hiroo (oyampan), Quotaroo, Mami and Nobu, Fum and Ken, Naru and Fumi, Hiro, DJ Toyo,  DJ Tuttle,  Fat Boy,  Galaxy Gallery Crew and all the wonderfull peeps I met in Osaka. BIG UPS TO Y’ALL!

Here’s a link to the pictures from that night:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=626885&id=784540018&l=98a55e3af7

Also my Thai/Jap expat friends who run DUDE mag just uploaded this Japanese version of my interview. Big ups to Ken and all crew at DUDE MAG :)

http://www.dude-magazine.com/intervew/artist_interview/djdragon-interview.html

Club Triangle’s website:

http://www.triangle-osaka.jp/

Shanghai Trip

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To date Shanghai is the asian City that I  visit  most frequently. In fact Just last year I was invited to play at the Shelter. The first time playing at that club was Awesome and to date I consider the Shelter is my one of my favorite clubs in Asia. This year I was lucky enough to have been invited again  by Subculture resident DJ Drunk Monk.  The only thing  different from last time was that this event would see Myself, Jo stitch, Mc Sinamon, Pakorn and Napat heading over to Shanghai to Jam with the Subculture crew. Most times I ‘ve DJ’d overseas I would have to go by myself but this time It was great to be able to head to Shanghai with all of my crew. We landed in Shanghai on Thursday night and after we checked in to our rooms we all went out for a night of serious boozing. Big ups to Gaz for supplying us with all those Tiger beers and Jager shots!! We pretty much did the same thing on Friday night but didn’t  go all out since we had to save our energy for the big night on Saturday. I had to admit that I was still quite tired when Saturday came. I took a nap before the party and woke up around 8. I met up with everyone at the Club and made it in time to hear DJ DJI get on the dekcs. After it was DJ Drunk Monk setting things straight with a solid hour of some of the deepest dubstep sounds I’ve heard in ages.  Then it was time for Jo Stitch to heat  up the venue with some serious hard hitting dnb and lemme tell ya the crowd went banana’s to his set! To be honest I think he deserved every last bit of applause :) Jo’s  come a long way and has worked with me for many years now and I’m glad to see him have such a wonderful time that night at the club. I got on the decks at 2:30 and by that time a few peeps were a bit worn out from Jo’s beats so it did take a while for me to get things going again. I think this time I played it was more difficult to get the crowd hyped then the last time I played in 2009. I’m certainly not really into the wobbly bass as much as I used to be. Never the less it was all good and most important I had a great time! While me and Jo were spinning our tracks Sinamon would Jam on the mic with MC CHacha and Esia from the Subculture crew, all the while Pakorn was in the back of the DJ booth creating some wicked Graf on canvas. That whole night the venue was rammed right til the end and everyone left the club happy. Since saturday night me and the whole crew have been partying like mad. I ‘ve just gotten back yesterday and I ‘m knackered! The whole event was a complete success and both the Dubway crew and I were very honored to have been invited to play at the Shelter. Big ups to DJ Drunk Monk and all the SubCulture Crew for being such a wonderful host’s and I hope to see y’all back to play next year at Dubway.
Click down here to check out some more pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=572453&id=784540018&l=3f72eb9510

Rest in peace Juan Paulo Mendiola aka Daddy P-lo

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This month the Dubway crew lost someone dear to us. On Friday September 10 our beloved friend Juan Paulo Mendiola suffered a fatal heart attack. This tragedy happened while he was at Siam Square. Even though the ambulance and medical team arrived in time they still couldn’t save his life. He was announced D.O.A upon arrival at the hospital.

For the Dubway crew Juan Paulo Mendiola or DJ Daddy P-lo was not only a talented DJ but also someone who helped immensely by giving inspiration and moral support to everyone. Paulo was also one of the few people who agreed unconditionally to help us promote and spread the Dubway vibe to the Thai masses. He also helped the crew by warming up the decks at our events and when he had time he would be our official photographer. Most recently Paulo helped to organize the line up at our student workshops in Hua Hin – As a matter of fact Thai reggae Legend Gap T-bone agreed to be a guest at our workshop because Paulo told him about our crew.

Besides helping with work Paulo was a good friend to everyone. He always gave the best insight and advice when times were bad. Paulo was also the kind of guy that would talk nonstop and make jokes about everything. In contrast to his wit and humor, at times Paulo seemed a bit shy; sometimes he would sit and say nothing for the longest time. Either way since his passing I have realized how blessed I am to have been his friend. I wish I made more effort to show my appreciation towards him and all the things he did for me when he was alive. Dubway will never be the same without him!

I still can’t believe what has happened and in some way I think that it’s just one of Paulo’s practical jokes. It’s hard for me to smile or to try to put myself in a more positive mood. I do feel a bit better when I look back and remember all the times that we spent together. Like when Paulo and the crew were in Hua Hin celebrating my birthday and we all got drunk and jumped in the pool or just last week when we were partying at Cosmic Cafe. These are the fondest memories I have of him and I will remember those good times forever.

A few days ago I was overcome with grief and sadness but now I feel a bit at ease because in my heart I know that wherever he is right now Paulo is all right…. I just know it!  And if you knew him personally you would also feel the same way too.

All our thoughts and prayers go’s out to Paulo and his family. I ‘m also sorry to say that because of this tragedy Dubway will be canceled this month. We just want to give everyone time to mourn Paulo’s passing away. We’ll be back again in October.

Check out our homeboy’s last blog post here:

http://rub-a-dub-production.blogspot.com/2010/08/otis-gayle-ill-be-around-and-johnny.html

Check out the pictures from the last DUBWAY Workshop at Vic Hua Hin

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Sorry for taking so long to post this up but last weeks workshop were a success! I know for most of you who read this probably wonder why we even did such a thing in the first place? Well to put it simply – MTV ain’t teaching your kids shit so we’ve taken it as our responsibility to do so. The workshops that day focused on Beat mixing, Graffiti, Graphic design, Electronic music production and Dub music history. Much love go’s out to our teachers Pakorn, T Puchpen, Space 360, Seed Norasate and the Legendary Gap T-bone. I hope we helped broaden the minds of the many thai youths that attended. Also much thanks to Vic Hua Hin and Patravadi High School for letting us set up camp there. Last but not least Big ups to Coffee works and Chef Hiroshi for working so hard to make our food and refreshments. I must admit though If there was anything I learned from this experience it is to not ever try to teach a class in Thai at 10 in the morning… my brain just does not work that early.

check out the pics from the workshops here:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=471527&id=784540018&l=de411a2669

May Dubway session Cancelled

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This month has seen some very tragic events happening in Bangkok Thailand. Because of protests and riots many business’ and homes have been looted and destroyed. Most importantly many innocent lives have been lost because of all of this chaos. As a sign of respect to all that have suffered from these horrendous events Homebass Communications and Dubway will cancel this months Dubway session. We hope that love, peace and unity will once again reign supreme in the kingdom of Thailand.

Peace and respect

Dragon

The dubsteppers that could vs the little big gay club and the DJs that should work there but don’t

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Since its early beginnings Dubway has moved numerous times from one location to another. We started off at Escudo then ended up in Club Culture, from then on we moved to 808, then Box club and since last Friday back to 808 again. I think I might have mentioned this to you guys a few posts back. Well ok let me refresh your memory. Starting off for the 2010 season we hosted the first two Dubway sessions at 808, the first was with DJ Instinct, the second was with Sweden’s All Out Dubstep crew. Although music at those two gigs was nothing less then spectacular on the other hand the turn out wasn’t good enough to impress 808’s owners, but kind as they are they left us with one last choice and that was to move next door to what was then called Box Club. The move turned out to be a blessing in disguise, when we had the third Dubway session with Greg G. It turned out that  the clubs small and cozy atmostphere worked  well with its super heavy sound system and on the night of March 20 we had an awesome party. After that night I thought to myself could this be a new home for Dubway? Well maybe not L because as it turns out that the owners of 808 sold its smaller sister club to a some gay dudes who in turn changed a Box of heavy dub club into a big old gay San fran disco. Well I don’t have anything against dudes who like other dudes and even for a second there I thought we were going to be able to keep our monthly party at that venue.  Well as it turned out on April 30 the Dubway crew turned up at San fran disco to set up all our gear. The manager was very surprised to see us  and had no idea what we were doing there. He later told us that the new owners of San frandisco insist on keeping their clientele strictly gay. That means absolutely no women of straight dudes allowed and that meant no Dubway session!  So the only last minute option available was to head back to good old 808 and hold our Dubway session there.

The line up for that night was Daddy P-lo, Nannue Tiptier, Jo Stitch, Drunk Monk and Mc Cha Cha. The night started off very few people in the club and for some time there I was starting to think that this night would be another piss poor attempt on trying to fill up 808’s humungous dancefloor with dub heads. Surprisingly on this very rare occasion the universe decided to show me the fruits of my hard work and perseverance because once the clock struck 12:30 Drunk Monk and Cha Cha took to the decks. Like magic when their beats started rolling the bass heads all came out of there murky sub caverns and turned what was then a desolate and haunted dancehall turned into a frenzy of jungalists soldiers, techno freaks, house peeps and of course dub steppers. This all felt like a breath of fresh air. Finally we got a serious crowd at 808. Although joyous times indeed, the universe once again has shown me and the Dubway crew that where there is happiness one will find misery. It first started off with one of the resident DJ’s at 808 coming to do his gig and finding out that a bunch of dubstep misfits has now changed his trance night into a straight up bass heavy b-line session. He quickly mentioned to me why not mix in a few happy house tunes or a few trancey numbers to get the crowd hyped! Well I thought his idea was good except for the fact that all the peeps in the venue were there for dubstep and not club trance! Plus it was the managements problem not telling me about the situation at San Fran Disco so moving to 808 was completely not my idea. The management and the resident DJ’s of 808 were cool enough to let us have our party til 2am … mind you by that time the peeps were going off to our beats all the while the residents thought that these peeps were there to listen to club trance………..Well you know what they say “ignorance is bliss”

Well in the end we all got kicked off the decks around 2 am and I think they kept the club running til 5 in the morning with club Trance and electro. I don’t know who stayed on after wards but me and the Dubway crew all went back home for some serious after party action hehehe. In all I do have to say that I was very happy with the turnout for the night, also both myself and the Dubway  crew were all impressed with Drunk Monk and Cha Cha’s performance. Also Daddy P-lo, Nannue Tiptier and Jo Stitch played massive sets for that night and of our bad bwoy graphics guy T. Puchpen did a dope live painting show as well- Big ups to all of  them fo sho’. Also big ups to 808 management to let us have our event at there club. Last but not least big ups to all the dub heads that came down to show their support.. we couldnt have made it with out y’all.  Well I got to finally finish this post regarding Dubway on April 30, stay tuned for the next post on Hua Hin Reggae fesival.

I had to add this link…it’ll give you an idea of what go’s on in a electro or club trance night

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=posers

Bangkok vinyl craftsman

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I remember walking into a record store  for the first time back when I was  in high school. The records displayed on the walls of the shop reminded me of being in an art gallery. The covers were works of visual art and staring at them made me curious about what the records inside sounded like. I remember I would spend hours and hours flipping through stacks and stacks of records and it always felt good when I found a tune that I liked.  I suppose that was the pay off for all those hours of searching for beats. Even now I still use vinyl records and I can’t imagine using anything but that. To me using a CDJ is ok but the feel of the platter can’t beat the turntable’s, also CD’s and especially mp3′s lack any warmth in sound.

Another thing that has always attracted me to vinyl is the dub plate. Made famous by Jamaican sound system culture the dub plate is a one off record that a producer or a label presses to test the tune before it is released. Dub plates were also commonly used by UK dnb DJ’s although now most prefer to use CDJ’s or Serato. It was always the top  DJ’s that had the plates that no one else had. All the exclusive remixes all the mash ups were pressed for them and them only, and it was because of this that gave a DJ his or her unique sound and style.  I always wanted to have a few plates of my own. Unfortunately Thailand’s vinyl presses and mastering studio’s with dub plate machines have all since disappeared. The good news is that even though the mainstream have given up on vinyl there still are a few Thai’s that are dedicated collectors.

Traithep Wongpaiboon aka Au is considered by many  to be one of Thailand’s best sound engineers but,  besides that he is also a certified vinyl junkie.  A few post back I wrote about the Azia Bass and DJ Yas CD’s, well Au mastered both the CD’s. Just recently  he opened a dub plate cutting studio called Boop Records.  Just the other day I was invited to check out his basement studio where he showed me how all the stuff works. All this equipment was shipped from Germany to Bangkok and the total cost was over 1 million baht (30,00o usd). The whole dub plate press consists of compressors, eq’s, cutting head, turntable and monitors. Before the record gets cut the tune has to be mastered, after this the cutting head is prepared, the vinyl is heated and when all this is done the record finally gets cut (each record costs 2400 baht).  Watching Au prepare go through this whole process brought me back to the days when I used to spend hours in the record shop. Now I realize how much work went on into the creation of one vinyl record. Like the graphics on the cover the preparation that go’s into making a record is also an art.

Since the studio’s opening  I have pressed a total of 6 tracks. I know a lot of you who are reading are a bit skeptical on Au’s mastering skills but let me tell you the tracks that he mastered for the plates were amazing, in fact I did get a  track that were mastered from a very well known mastering studio in the UK and I reckon that Au’s mastering is much better(but hey that’s just my opinion). The dubs that I got here don’t sound as punchy as the ones I got in Europe but they do sound very warm and silky. Either way, finally I can play all the tracks that were sent to me with out having to burn them to CD or use Serato.  lets just hope that clubs still keep there turntables!

For more info check out www.booprecords.com