Nakadia is a very busy woman. The Thai-born DJ who now lives in Berlin is one of only a few females commanding the craft successfully. She’s now played more than 800 performances in 54 countries to date, and 2012 was a little hectic to say the least. Nakadia is back to share her blend of deep house and tech house in Thailand, after a whirlwind tour through France, Switzerland and Germany . She plays her birthday party at Glow, a club very close to her roots this Friday. We caught up with her in Marseille Provence Airport via e-mail to talk about all the big moments of the past year.
Coconuts: Tell us about making the big move to Berlin.
DJ Nakadia: In 2006, I started living in Berlin for six months of the year. That means three months in Thailand, then three months in Berlin and so on for five years. In 2006 I finally got my artist resident permit and I moved into my Berlin apartment for good.
Coconuts: Why move permanently? How’s it going so far?
DJ Nakadia: It is very difficult to have success as an electronic music artist in Asia. Most Asian clubs only want commercial music and I cannot be this kind of DJ – I love music too much. So, Berlin was the place to be for me. Berlin is the capital of electronic music. The city is full of amazing clubs, over 50,000 DJs live in this city and you can get inspiration everywhere. Since my move to Berlin I have developed so much as a DJ and I can’t wait to see how far I can go.
Coconuts: Describe what the last year has been like for you.
DJ Nakadia: A lot of things have happened. This was my first year as a producer. My first track came out in January and I now have 12 releases in total. These productions got me to the next level of my career, finally.
I’ve got the respect of most artists in my scene, even the ones that did not take me seriously before. Many labels have asked for my tracks and other DJs have asked me to produce remixes for them. But it was just a start on this new level. My music opened many doors and I became friends with a lot of great artists through my music. Nakadia is really just getting warmed up now!
Coconuts: How is the underground music scene different in Germany compared to Thailand?
DJ Nakadia: Germany is THE country for underground music and Berlin is the capital. The best labels are here, the best clubs, the best DJs and all the companies that support the scene, like Native Instruments or Beatport. Every underground DJ of the world loves to be in Berlin. That is something Germany and Thailand have in common – also every DJ likes to be in Thailand. Not because of the music, but because our country is so beautiful and so exciting. And now Thailand is even starting to develop an underground music scene. A few years ago it seemed impossible, but now it is there.
Glow Nightclub is a good example of a cool club without commercial music. The club is the place to be for music lovers and at Glow I feel like I am in Berlin. That’s because a cool club is not only about music, but also about the people that go there.
Thailand is developing more than other Asian countries right now. We have new clubs opening that offer high quality music and more events offer good music. The scene is on its way. Unfortunately, Koh Samui has lost the groove. It is purely commercial now and the cool scene has moved to Koh Phangan. There are great events on Phangan and it means that I will be taking the boat a lot there in 2013.
Coconuts: What do you love most about coming back to play in Thailand?
DJ Nakadia: I love to come back home. Always when I play somewhere the second or third time I know many people already and that makes the party even better. And it is always so exciting to see how the music and club scene is getting better.
Coconuts:What’s happening for you next year?
DJ Nakadia: There will be a lot happening and the schedule is already filling up very nicely. I have produced a lot more tracks that will be released in early 2013. I just joined the Clarisse Label from Switzerland and we will do Clarisse label nights all over Europe, for example also at Sankeys Ibiza during the summer. I will start co-operating with some of the biggest artists of the scene in 2013 and much more.
The sky’s the limit for the future. So far I worked 10 years to come to this point where I am now, and it seems that now my steps are getting bigger month by month. I can’t tell you all the details, but watch me and see…
