Gaining Enlightenment with Moksha Lane

Hey Sascha so what’s your story with Koh Phangan?

The first time I was here was in 1998 as a backpacker, there were not many parties back then. I think it was only Full moon, Half Moon and some Full moon after party, I can't exactly remember if it was Backyard or some other place...and it was all Psy Trance of course. 
The full moon party was just two or three stages and about four or five thousand people. That day, I fell in love, so to speak, with the island, the people, the vibe, the spirit and after that I tried to come back as often as I could, sometimes for a short time, sometimes longer. The first time I Dj’d here was in 2007 and then each time I've been here at different venues. 



What started off your Dj career? 


I went to all the clubs in Frankfurt near where I lived, it was one of the main spots where Techno kicked off and developed in Germany. As an eighteen, nineteen year old, I would spend the whole weekend in Frankfurt, club after club. I watched the Djs playing there, all the Frankfurt guys at the time like Sven Väth, Frank Lorber, Dj Dag and so on. After that I bought some Technics and my first needles.

Sometimes I stood for like ten hours behind the Djs watching them, you know people had no tutorials like youtube back then, but I played guitar and had a band so I was quite, what you call a musician which was handy for me, I didn’t have much trouble learning the beat matching and stuff. I very first played in the Mannheim and Karlsruhe area in smaller clubs and parties at the beginning. One time I had the chance to play a huge club, but the owner told me to change my music drastically so I said no, and the guy who came instead of me is now huge so to speak! But this is in the EDM area so it was a wise decision not to do this, I mostly stayed, and still stay underground. 



Where have you played on Koh Phangan? 

Pirates bar, Waterfall party, Jungle Experience, Merkaba, Loi Lay, Sandcastle, Sunset Pearl Bar, Ritual at Secret Mountain, and a couple of smaller parties on the beach. I hope I've named all of them.

I played Jungle Experience in July 2012, this was about the time it got really big. I was headliner and I had a really, really good set I think. The place was packed, I had a really great time and played for four hours. The whole place was jumping. I enjoyed also the Waterfall parties in 2012 and 2013. It was nice because it is something special there. It’s a beautiful place, and in those days there was a new kind of music! It was more Tech House and Minimal and the sound was pretty German Techno, the style I was used to.
Also I think Merkaba is a nice place, and of course I love Pirates bar and hope they open again, I love the place, it's beautiful and it’s a good mix between locals and farangs. Literally i like all the venues i played so far, each has it's own special vibe. Actually there are also a few new venues with much potential for the future I think.



What music do you like to play and what is special about it for you?

It depends on the time and the crowd of course but it’s something between very Deep House starting at 118 bpm for like let's say some sunset warm-up party and then at bigger parties I play more Tech House/Techno. Actually I love the morning hours because my current music is fitting to this time. It’s a bit cosmic, elevating tunes but still with a good punch of Techno. I love playing long sets too, in Germany they called me ‘marathon’, sometimes I'm 10 or more hours behind the decks.



What are your current and future projects?
First I would like to build up my studio. As we just moved here about two months ago I still need to bring my machines and stuff over here. I’m going to get more into producing. Also I am trying to get settled here as a Dj because the quality of the music here is quite nice compared to other places. I want to get some gigs, really looking forward to the high season and just do my thing, I don’t see music as a profession, it’s a passion. 



What do you think of the Koh Phangan party scene?
Well, that’s an open question! It’s so versatile, it's so different, each party is different, in high season it’s different so it is hard to say.
The quality of music is high in my opinion, although the Full Moon party has ‘changed’ a lot, so I was quite shocked seeing it whilst having my 1998 pictures in mind, but well ‘each to their own’.

I know most of the Djs here more or less, and I think they are good, a lot of people come here because of the music, because of the good Djs. Many people come because of the huge parties although I do prefer the smaller ones. There is a special spirit on the island, I think most people who know the island know what I mean. People love to dance wild, they start early to dance, in Germany sometimes you need two Djs before you fill the dance floor, but here most people head right to the floor. Most are here for a holiday so they are in a good mood, which is of course great for the Djs too. This together with the stunning surroundings, the jungle feeling, it’s the perfect setting for parties here. 



What are you up to in your free time?
I have got some other professions that I do so I don’t have as much spare time as I thought I would. Everything needs it's time here. I try to produce as often i can, that’s my thing. I’m really getting into it and look forward to some collaborations with other Phangan Djs. I am trying to do some new releases in the next months, and try to build up some podcast thing, streaming live sets from the studio directly on the internet, invite guest Djs to it, well let's see. Of course I chill out though, try out new things, explore the island and nature and I am enjoying the time with my lovely girlfriend.



What do you hope for your music career over the next five years?
I stopped thinking so far in the future, it doesn’t make sense for me because things change too fast. Maybe I would get disappointed if something didn’t work out. As i said, I didn't come here to start a huge international career or something like that, you can't plan stuff like that. I just want to have great parties, great nights with the special spirit and I like to give people good vibes, good music and memorable moments, then we'll see how everything turns out. 



What is your life philosophy?
Carpe Diem, don’t plan too much, don't judge and let other people have their freedom.