Phanganist speaks with DJ Olympias, originally from Ireland but now calling Amsterdam home. She will join us at Phanganist for our Full Moon Mini Festival, find out more in our interesting interview…
Hi Olympias, so you came to Phangan twelve years ago, what was it like then?
I didn’t really move out of Haad Rin so couldn’t compare it too much. Haad Rin looks the same, the same shops, restaurants and the same Drop in bar, so it’s nice that it hasn’t changed too much. Now the island is more developed outside of Haad Rin.
We came for the Full Moon party but it wasn’t exactly what we were expecting so we found Backyard which was a more intimate setting with big speakers, good tunes and a nice group of people. We got stuck for two weeks as most people do, the island doesn’t seem to want to let you go.
Why have you come back this time?
We were looking for somewhere to spend the winter and so far the only places with a nice vibe, warm weather and music were Koh Phangan and Tulum in Mexico. Fabrizio, my manager, went to Mexico last year. We came here so he could see it and it’s better than we were expecting as the music scene has grown. Now there are four or five clubs which are up and running and they’re playing more European underground Techno and Deep House.
How did you get involved with Loi Lay?
I just sent a message to Darragh Casey and sent him my sets, he liked it and booked me, I’m very grateful.
How was it playing there?
It was amazing! I was a little worried that the crowd prefered progressive deep sounds, but they were in the mood for Techno so I was happy that they got a nice shock and I think that’s exactly what happened, I shocked them and they went crazy.
So how did you begin your DJ career?
In Amsterdam, I met some organisers and they could see that I really enjoyed music when I was dancing. All I could do was talk about who produced what etc and so they asked me to buy a traktor controller and an audio card and a week later they got me to perform in Amsterdam.
So it was your initial love of music that got you started?
Definitely, also parties and sharing experiences with lots of people, good jokes and positive atmosphere while listening to music. I had a great group in Dublin before moving to Amsterdam and we would travel everywhere in Europe and went to the best festivals and clubs. Not only good parties but ones that are hard to reach. 
So try to explain your style….
I used to listen to alot of Minimal Techno when it was big in 2005, then after a few years more djs started to include a bigger variety of genres in music. Now I play Techno which is quite driving but I mix it with Deep, Minimal or Acid tracks, whatever fits but is not heard often.
Depending on the night also, if it’s daytime I do lighter music. It depends on the mood of the crowd. You also have dj for the people.
You will DJ at Phanganist for our ‘Full Moon Mini Festival’, what are your plans?
I think my sound is one that you don’t hear on the island. As long as I can start to make their feet tap and get the crowd to come together and show them new music that they may not have heard before then it should be interesting. The line up having chemistry is also important, they should get on well and play one after the other to bring up the atmosphere.
We’ve seen more female DJs coming to Phangan which is great! is it any harder for women in the industry or has this stereotype broken?
I don’t think it’s any harder, no matter if you’re male or female if you don’t have the contacts or don’t impress the organisers they won’t contact you. You need to know how to promote yourself.
There are good and bad people in the industry and with the good ones sex doesn’t matter and as you say there’s more and more coming up which is great. Saying that, I live in a country where women are respected and there are a lot of female Djs with more and more taking the headline slot.
What are your plans for the year ahead?
I'd like to finish producing three tracks, I need to just make the quality of sound up to standard and hopefully release them on a good label. I’m also focusing on our booking agency Eclipse Bookings which has many talented artists.
Have you tried out many parties here?
We’ve been to 360 Bar, Loi Lay obviously, Waterfall, Samsara and we just missed Lighthouse, but will go there soon. I’ve heard some nice djs play.
Nakadia and Jo Peirano were deep and sexy at 360 and you have the view of course which is a great addition.
Waterfall I was surprised with as the venue is beautiful. The music was not my style later on in the evening, but I went to see Darragh play there and he warmed the crowd up nicely as usual! I still have to go to Guy’s Bar & Eden. My friend Jadele will be playing there Saturday for the Chinese New Year.
What have you been doing on Phangan in your free time?
I want to see monkeys and there’s a possible sea turtle rescue happening so we’re going to meet the reptile guy and I’m hearing a lot about different projects on the island where community groups are helping to make the island more eco friendly, for example Kalosfund.com
I’m really interested in learning more about the community aspect of Phangan and waiting for the sun so I can explore more!
How is life in Amsterdam?
Its great, we live in the centre of the city so everything is accessible. Everyone is on a bicycle and they are starting to remove gas cars.
There’s always a party on but it’s a bit more civilised compared to Berlin! Almost everyone goes out on a Friday and back to work on Monday. But they party hard!! They’re the most professional organisers. They care about the people, the decor and there’s always comfortable areas.
Do you think Phangan could learn from this?
Yes definitely, it’s already on its way from what I'm hearing and seeing. Communities are trying to help Phangan develop in a more modern eco friendly way. The parties are also nicely organised and decorated here.
And leave us with your DJ philosophy….
I read something I thought was nice as the industry can be competitive and closed, it’s from a friend’s post, who is one of my managers Marie; ‘you rise by lifting others’. Don’t know who said it….
In the music industry context, it’s more about being open and sharing rather than keeping music to yourself, and being competitive with gigs. Having a producer's track shared amongst the crowd I guess is what every producer wants. And if we all help each other to reach our goals and have a good time listening to great music, then why not lift each other?
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