Subcultures on Koh Phangan in a TV Show by DocumentARI

24 Aug 2022

Koh Phangan will be featured in 2 episodes of a TV production made by Ari, who spent time visiting many countries, gathering information and footage during his travels. With his unique take on the island’s subcultures, we speak to him now he is back home to learn more about this exciting project...

Hi Ari, so how did you end up on Koh Phangan?
I started to produce my TV series ‘documentary’. My Ukrainian ex met me in Goa and told me that Koh Phangan was the place for me. 

You have been travelling the world for a long time, filming footage for the show, can you tell us about this….
I was shot in 11 countries, California, Mexico, Japan, Nepal, India, Holland, Italy, Thailand, Ukraine, Germany and Turkey.

What will it be about?
I mostly speak about the underground scene, taboos and Subcultures; these are my speciality, but I also talk about social topics such as slums in India, magical experiences like peyote in Mexico and European festivals, body suspensions worldwide,d my passion is for freaky stuff!

What part will Koh Phangan play in this documentary?
I produced two episodes about Phangan o; one about the Full Moon, of course, named the ‘most wasted drunk Olympiad’. This is a collection of 4 full moon parties with international competition of wasted people. It is accessible to film this stuff because I don't drink at all and I'm a magnet for strange people.
You cover a lot of ‘underground/sub culture’ h; how do you get involved in this?
I started playing Dj New Wave, Punk, Gothic and Industrial music when I was 20; After years in this career, I specialised in E.B.M (electro body music) and Electro Rock. This gave me the connection to become a performer and film Fetish parties that are usually forbidden by the media.
And what ‘subcultures’ did you find, if any, on Koh Phangan?
On Phangan, there are two subcultures, primarily the Psytrance Goa scene and the Techno raves.

What were your favourite parts of the island?
I like Baan Tai because it’s in the centre and you can easily connect to most parties and activities. Still, I'm also linked to the Sanctuary, where I discovered the energetic labyrinth that I talk about in my episode.

What are you currently involved with?
Currently, I'm involved with the post-production of the TV version of ‘DocumemntARI’ and I have material to make 3 seasons. After I sell the first one, I will celebrate and return to Phangan!
And leave us with your life philosophy…
My philosophy is not so complicated; I suffer from Peter Pan syndrome, so I try to ‘carve Diem and be myself everywhere.