Koh Phangan is not a place where its hard to find a good party, but many times it becomes difficult to find a unique event or even a unique venue. The success of both of these can be found on the coastal portion of the island Ban Tai. Docked up on an almost invisible pier rest a boat which has been given the name Loi Lay. On Sunday nights this wood heavy craft turns into the islands only boat party. Though the boat never leaves the pier, its obvious that all who come aboard are in for quite a wild and sexy ride.
I arrived early at about 10:30pm and to my surprise not only was the boat pretty full already, Paulo was dropping some of the grooviest, what I like to call, Disco-fusion house. I felt like I was back in 1978(even though I was born in 86)! Aside from the lack of bell-bottoms and Afros I really felt like I was on some floating disco. It was a great array of music to warm up the party people and get them primed for a night of nonstop dancing to the funkiest of house around.
A few of
Loi Lay’s famous French Knuckle Cocktails and I was sufficiently buzzed and ready to get off my lonely stool and hit the dance floor. Coincidentally enough, as I got on my feet
Darragh Casey was taking the reigns of rotation and immediately stepped the vibe up from “Disco” to “Lets Go!” Almost instantly the dance floor doubled and the energy tripled! Mr. Casey is one to never neglect to provide fertile beats for those of us who come to dance and come to dance heavy. His track selection embodies everything that Sundays at
Loi Lay stand for : Funky , Sexy , Deep House music. Watching this man at work is both inspiring and uplifting as he seems to be in the spirit of dance as much as those of us on the floor. Though he hails from Ireland , don’t expect any Kilts and Bag Pipes to come out when this guy is in the booth.!
At around 2am we were graced with the France’s prodigal son, Julien. From the onslaught of his set ,his complimenting style was apparent. Julien’s tunes were more Tech House inspired than the two previous DJs and this would prove to be of benefit for it seemed the crowed was ready for a shift in gears. With the shift in styles also came a shift in BPM which in turn gave a shift to the energy of the room. This shift was getting crazy! I fear if the boat wasn’t tied up we would have rocked that thing out to the far reaches of the ocean! For the next few hours the beats did not let up as we continued to move and gyrate our bodies under flashing lights and disco balls.
Loi Lay was one of the first parties I had the pleasure of going to when I first got to the island and I must say it has yet to be surpassed as my favorite weekly party. Every now and again they hand me the keys to the DJ booth where bouts I get the pleasure of steering the boat into seas of Tribal Grooves and Progressive Waves. , I rarely spend much time at parties unless I’m working but somehow Loi Lay has a way of keeping me around for hours on end regardless of whether I’m a civilian or Jockey and for that I salute them and hope they keep flowing the beats and floating the seas !
INlighten
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More about Loi Lay Floating bar - Baan Tai Pier
Loi Lay is Koh Phangan’s only Floating Bar & Lounge gently rocking in the sea by the pier in Baan Tai.
Enjoy a tasty cocktail we recommend the Mai Tai or Mojito or have an ice cold beer while floating on the ocean and watching the sun setting in a sea of colours.
Resting in a chilled and friendly atmosphere you will find it hard to leave.
Every SUNDAY NIGHT Loi Lay offer excellent Party from 6 PM to the early sunrise.
Hosting a variety of Dj’s with Resident Darragh Casey(Antiqua Records) playing alongside many Local and International Guest Dj’s creating a unique vibe each week.
The Sunday parties are fast becoming quite popular among the Electro Funky House Crew of the local Thai’s and Fallangs.
TUESDAY to SATURDAY Loi Lay is open if you are looking for a hang-out or a warm-up before the Moon parties with Guest appearances by Dj’s.
Ideal for birthdays parties or functions, it is a great bar to hang out in Ban Tai uniquely on the water with great vibes and amazing sunset views.
Many of the resident “Fallangs” enjoy this option and in this way we all become a part of adding to the familiar environment and the cosy vibe of the Bar.
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