A techno-spinning expat who for years has stalked the clubs of Europe is due to make her return Friday night.
Nakadia, Thailand’s techno homegirl, is bringing her Berlin-soaked beats to unfamiliar ears for one night only at a Bangkok dance hall at an event she calls Black Cat. Before her arrival, we spoke to her about the scene’s post-pandemic prospects, and why she thinks Thai audiences may be more receptive to her techno voodoo.
The Berlin-style techno chops she’s honed on the international circuit may be new to casual Bangkok clubgoers, especially in a year that saw few major techno names booked on the club circuit.
“I always follow my own style, and I have always wanted people change their perception of underground music in Thailand,” she told Coconuts from her home studio in Berlin by video chat. “It takes time to build a scene. I’m thinking why not bring the Berlin clubbing experience to Thailand?”
Black Cat starts at 9pm on Royal City Avenue’s V12 by Onyx, with Nakadia going on around 11pm. It will open with one of Thailand’s original techno stalwarts, Dan Buri. After that, Nakadia will show the V12 crowd what 20-plus years of DJing uplifting techno style sounds like.
She sees her upcoming Black Cat gig as an experiment to find out if Thai clubbers can take interest in the sounds of the underground she’s been peddling for years.
The Berlin scene has come to define techno. To casuals, it may just be an endless series of Boom-Boom-Booms! But fans tune into its distinctive bass drums voiced by synthesizers and drum machines, and its dark and industrial sound.
Nakadia has built a fan base that’s mostly comprised of non-Thais and tourists. It may be too deep in the pool for Thai preferences, which lean toward consensus-based electronic-pop radio hits.
“Mostly before COVID, I had tourists traveling from around the world to Thailand who love my music. I think there’s only about 10% of Thai fans,” Nakadia said.
But she believes post-pandemic, Thais have become bored by the same-same, mainstream EDM that’s remained unchanged for years and have an appetite to feast on something more savory.
Nakadia has witnessed lone ravers in Berlin forge friendships at the club, and she compares that with Thai revelers, who are often shy and stuck in their comfort zones. She thinks the scene is maturing, but has a way to go.
For one, she believes Thais could be more comfortable being themselves – whether freaks or geeks.
“I want people to come in black, wearing sexy latex, something that’s fun to dress up,” she told Coconuts from her studio home in Berlin by video chat. “You don’t have to wear super crazy outfits and wear sunglasses or something, for underground music scene, you can wear something as simple as a T-shirt.”
She’s also hoping to turn some heads – up from their devices.
“It would be great to see them go into a club and not use their phones,” said Nakadia, who is 41 and originally from Korat. “It creates a sense of community in the club, where people can make new friends.”
And while Nakadia works to win over some of her compatriots, she accepts that she can’t change the minds of those who wrote her off from the start because she was a woman. She’s always expressed pride in that, in being one of the first Thai female DJs to make a splash, though it’s common today.
“If people don’t like me, or hate me … doesn’t matter! It’s their choice, its totally up to them to spend their time being annoying. I don’t need anything that could give me headaches,” she said.
How long will she keep doing it? Nakadia says as long as she keeps meeting new people who enjoy her music.
“I don’t know how long I can go for this, but it’s not about age,” she said. “I can be 50 or 60 and you will still see me at the DJ booth.”
FIND IT
Black Cat by Nakadia
V12 by Onyx, RCA
9pm-2am
THB450 online; THB600 at the door
