DJ Dan the Bangkok man

Everything started with his first clubbing night in Europe.

The first kick drum, the first bass line, the first clap!

DAN BURI, a young DJ from Bangkok, found his love for electronic dance music when he was just 18 years old.
As a former rapper in a hip hop crew he has grown and evolved into a respectable member of the house music community.
Today he is an up & coming DJ who has been blessed with opportunities to prove his abilities at venues throughout Europe and Asia.

Since 2009 he has played in nearly all of the most renowaned clubs in Thailand and has stood behind the decks at more than 200 gigs.

He and a close collaborator, Toby White, started the collective project 'Black and White' in Bangkok with Dan using his pseudonym 'Danny Black'.
Building on the success of the Black and White project, Dan Buri established an event agency named Bangkok City Beats which organizes events and tours throughout the city and greater Bangkok region since 2009.
His ability to cultivate and harness the organic energy coming from the dance floor and reflect it back upon the crowd makes him very popular among his fans.
His charisma, paired with his individual musical selection, identifies him as a unique artist and one who should not be missing from any special event.

At the beginning of 2011 Dan Buri joined forces with underground house music DJ and producer Sunju Hargun and formed Underground Circus - holding a monthly residency at Glow Nightclub with their Underground Circus Parties, which have gained an immense number of followers throughout the whole year.

Year 2012 has a lot to offer for Dan.
He is since the beginning of the year a monthly resident DJ of the Champion Sound Nights at Bed Supper Club Bangkok, the ultimate and most renowned nightclub in town.
He is now holding a brand-new residency at Levels Club where he has already warmed up for one of the hottest acts in the house music scene right now: JORIS VOORN!

His first EP " HIGH RISE" has been released in April 2012 on Asia Music followed by a release called " Nosey Beast" which is released on Stab Recordings ( Berlin ) . Another EP will be released soon on Asia Music which is called " Deep Waters" EP and the newest labels, where DAN signed his tracks to be Lantus Recordings. More info to be announced!

DAN BURI is currently working on his first production release and is on track to graduate with a diploma in Audio Engineering from SAE Institute of Thailand in 2012

DAN BURI's aims are to play at future club events and big festivals around the world wherever there is an opportunity for him to showcase his remarkable talents. Be sure to be part of the vibe and energy that Dan brings to all of his events as one of the best of the next generation of south east Asian DJ's!

We are happy to make this interview and share your story with the Phangan people. We have just read all about Dan out in the big world now in your Bio. What is your Koh Phangan story?
Ha-ha, my Phangan story is hard to describe in a short answer, I could write a book about it :P !

To make a long story short:
My first time in Koh Phangan was in 2009! I was in Holiday with my former DJ partner Toby White and we were fascinated from all the upcoming parties on this island!

We called it the IBIZA of South East Asia. So we planned a DJ tour the following year and we were booked 12 out of 14 nights of our stay in Phangan and Samui! It was an amazing time, because we have also played alongside our good old friend DJ Nakadia at Fusion Club Samui, Mint Samui and the Beachhouse Koh Phangan!
I was impressed by the audience which was really up to underground music and I saw a lot of potential in the party scene there! That’s why I love this island.
Especially the Jungle Experience is the highlight of all the parties going on in Koh Phangan!

While the Full Moon Party is getting more and more commercial every year, the parties surrounding the full moon night, are rising out of the ashes!
It is remarkable how the Jungle Experience made it from a Psychedelic Trance Event to a proper underground house music festival of its kind, with all the fire shows, the beautiful location and the artistic dance performances!
A top event..

Have you been involved with projects here before?
Like described in the first answer I have been in Phangan quite often and I have played many events!
The Jungle Experience, Loy Lay Floating Bar, Anahata Lounge, Beachhouse, Kangaroo Bar, Hacienda, Sramanora Waterfalls just to name a few!

You are living in Bangkok now. What are you doing there?
I am a professional DJ in Bangkok and live from the money I get from my gigs in Bangkok!

Currently I am a resident DJ for a new late night Club called BASH and I am a resident warm up DJ for international house music Acts for an event agency called Champion Sound which is organizing events every Thursday at the renowned Bed Supper Club. Not to forget my own event which I am organizing with SUNJU HARGUN at Glow Nightclub called Underground Circus every second Saturday of the month.

How would you classify your music?
My music includes different shades of house music! I would see it as a hybrid of deep, dark, groovy, techy HOUSE!

Which music did you bring in your record bag for Phangan?
For Phangan I have always the best banging techhouse in my bag!
I know that phangan party people need the energy, driving them to an ecstatic emotional state of mind!
A lot of bass and groovy patterns of percussions paired with some distinctive ( not cheesy ) vocals.. That’s my key to make the people shake their booties ;)

What do you listen to yourself when you want to unwind?
At home I listen to a lot of Deep House to relax and feel a specific vibe! But it depends on my mood which kind of deep house I am listening to.

Coming from German underground. How do you feel about the Scene here?
I have been in Thailand for more than 3 1/2 years and I have seen a change in the music scene!
When I started to DJ in Bangkok everything was about the commercial hits, which were just charted in the TOP 40's! But as more and more foreigners are creating and organizing parties, I have seen an upraise of underground house music.
We Bangkok people have created a circle of people who are doing such kinds of events and try to build a movement! And I am very proud to be a part of this movement, a part of a change in the Bangkok music scene!

The Berlin underground scene - Like the Ost kreuz side such as Friedrichshain and Neu Köln is very punk and underground.
Do you connect to this?
I love everything about the underground!
The German techno / house scene has definitely shaped me in a certain way!
I feel very connected to this party scene, since I have been very strongly involved in those parties! I was 18 years old when I listened to hard techno and I slowly evolved over the years to the person and artist I am now!

Berlin summertime is Trance party on Trance party. The GoA24 route. Is this your scene?
I have never been very interested into trance as it has been too dreamy for me!
I was more the techno dancer! In the summer time I always went to big festivals in my region such as Pollerwiesen, Ruhr in Love, Love parade, Heile Welt and others.
There it was about Techno / Minimal and also house: powerful basses with straight rhythms!
That's my world and I just enjoy it the most!

Where and who do you get your inspiration from?
I am getting inspired by a lot of the new artists which are coming up with the following labels right now! Cross-town Rebels, Vision quest, Suara, Trapez, Great Stuff,  8bit ( to name a few ) are labels which I personally like a lot. When I started to DJ Sven Vaeth, Richie Hawtin, Ricardo Villalobos, Loco Dice, Matthias Tanzmann have been my heroes and they actually we my motivation to start being a DJ.

Do you find Koh Phangan to be the right place for you? Where is your favorite place here?
Yes of course! I love Koh Phangan!
It is like my second home, as I have built up a strong friend base and I just feel awesome when I am down there!
The best party is Jungle Experience, the most beautiful beach for me is Haad Salad, and a great seafood restaurant is the Fisherman's Baan Tai!

What are your next projects?
Do you see yourself playing on Phangan in 10 years from now? Where do you see yourself then?
Yes of course! Music is my passion and I cannot ever imagine me giving up being a turntable rocker. I mean yeah if I am over 50 and I am getting signs of Alzheimer I might consider it! Ha-ha...
When I am turning older I think I will just spend my times in the studio to produce tracks.

If you were a Magician what would you make?
A futuristic port where you can get from A to B within seconds ( was always a dream of my childhood )... hahaha...

What is your favorite cartoon?
Tom & Jerry

Which song would you like to have played at your funeral?
I don't want to think about it at the moment, but I guess something happy to make it less sad ;)

What is the strangest question anyone ever asked you?
Can you play Gangnam Style?!

What was your last lie about?
I don't lie ;)

What is your life philosophy?
Live the day like it's the last! Use all your happiness and be the one you want to be! You are a part of this world, so go out and show it, be brave, stand tall and show what you can do best to achieve what you ever wanted to be in life!

Is there something special you would like to communicate to the people regarding your music or projects or something that you just want to tell about?
I have been releasing a few Ep's over the past months which you can find on Beatport.