Rhythm and Sands festival, 24. jan, Koh Phangan

Rhythm and Sands at Koh Phangan is a relatively new festival which occupies more and more attention of the visitors. It is organized on a monthly basis as an extension of New Zealand festival Rhythm and Vines. Due to serious production, powerful sound system, line-up consisted of DJ superstars with local support and incredible tropical night scenery, it is definitely on of the best events at the island.

It is easy to get to the party by following the main road besides the sea, which directly turns into Beach Village resort in Ban Tai. Taxi is, by default, full of loud people in a great mood. After the entrance, paths leads through the bungalows to the festival spot, which consist of three stages.

Main stage is at the beach, right besides swimming pool illuminated in azure and pink lights. At the dancefloor which is covered by the softest sand, many barefoot people is dancing with the melodic sound of legendary Phill Hartnoll from Orbital. Massive sound system and hypnotizing lights, warm seductive wind and exotic ambient, additionally are pumping good vibe that is overflowing the beach. Then Mickey Finn, d`n`b veteran, enters the DJ booth and the atmosphere is getting even hotter! His energetic beats with liquid d`n`b flavor, made the crowd to share love and fantastic mood even more intensively!

A little walk to the other part of the beach, leads us through happy people dancing under the beautiful sky, to the second stage, Electronic Lounge. It is a bar 2 meters from the sea, covered with finest white sand. The space can host around 100 people, giving it more intimate atmosphere. It is getting full, while Nathalie de Borah drives the audience with tech-house based sound, including couple of retro hits. Then Thomas Gandey aka CadgedBaby takes over the decks, and tech and deep house starts to melts downs the visitors in an amazing night.

Third stage, Open Soul Chillout Park, hosts live bands. Very nice one – The Jam, moved our hips with dancing beats, like Madonna, Vaya Con Dios and others.

After R&S is finished, I can only say – I`m looking forward to the next edition, at end of February! 

More info: http://www.facebook.com/rhythm.sands

Half Moon festival, 2.feb 2013, Koh Phangan

Parties which follow the lunar calendar are organized at Koh Phangan from week to week. Deep jungle at the south east side of the island hides the place where thousands of people celebrate the night of Half Moon. Road from our home to there leads us across sharp curves and slopes strewn by the sand, through the soft lights and intensive scents of the nature and the sea.

 

It is getting crowded in front of the 711 market in Ban Tai, where fluo coloured people are circulating. Besides the spot, shady path under the palm trees and ashy clouds is lightened by the little torches at the asphalt.

In front of the entrance, people are flowing down from their motorbikes parked in lines. After the entry, terrain goes up, through bars and stands, fluo canvas and body artist. The night and the sky are vibrating in the beat of groovy progressive trance sounds.

 

Dancefloor is covered with the white punctuated canvas, the ceiling of the space ship. It is held by the central green column with the eye on its top, from which braided brick-red bundles are coming down. At the gray rock on the right, fire forms are spinning around naked Asian torsos.

Full on baselines rocks the jungle, getting the dust into warm and humid air. The nature is coming down to fairy's garden where the little animals are playing. Aliens with palms below their chins are saying „Kop Khun Kap“, while they are overlooking fluo bats – guardians of the stage. Green shellfish blinks from the chillout gallery ceiling, besides our back. There is the capsule which can create and destroy life, just besides the video beam where Japanese geisha lives in the waves.

We are putting our shoes on and off, around the wet sand, stones, concrete, besides bars where happy Thai people are dancing. It is hooot and we are sweating together with the screaming crowd, while we are driving through the blinking clouds and pounces of psy and progressive flavoured trance. The dawn is near and the knees are getting numb...

On the way back home, wind whiffs through the forest in the harmony of c minor. The sunrise comes at our little beach on the west, while pale pink rays illuminates grayish blended space of the sea and sky.

I`m afraid to sleep, wanna stay in this magic forever.

Btw, line up:

Photos by:

Ivan Krkotić

www.phanganist.com

Half Moon festival, 2.februar 2013, Koh Phangan

Žurke prema lunarnom kalendaru održavaju se na Koh Phanganu iz nedelje u nedelju. Duboka džungla na severozapadu skriva mesto na kom hiljade ljudi slavi polumesec na Half Moon festivalu. Put od naše gajbe do tamo vodi preko oštrih krivina i nizbrdica posutih peskom, kroz mekana svetla i intenzivne mirise prirode i mora. 20 km brze vožnje skuterom vuče anestezirana usta u smeru pareze facijalis.

Gužva počinje ispred dragstora 711 u Ban Taiju, gde se smenjuju ljudi išarani fluo bojama. Changovi i vode padaju kod kante za đubre, gde jedino ima mesta. Pored 711 je odvajanje za žurku, stazom mraka ispod palminih krošnji i sivkastih oblaka, pored bakljica zapaljenih na asfaltu.

Ispred ulaza na party more ljudi se sliva sa bajkova parkiranih u redovima. Nakon ulaska, teren se penje uzbrdo, kroz šankove i štandove, fluo platna i artiste za crtanje po telu. Noć i nebo vibriraju u beatu groovy zvuka progressive trancea.

Dancefloor pokriva razapeto belo rupičasto platno, plafon svemirskog broda. Drži ga centralni zeleni stub sa okom na vrhu, iz kog se spuštaju ispleteni snopovi cigla-crvene slame. DJ booth je uokviren šljašteće plavim neonskim trouglom, pred kog puzi džinovsko cveće.Na golom kamenu sa desne strane, vatreni oblici prepliću se sa golim azijatskim torzoima.

Basovi full ona sve jače tresu šumu i mesec i dižu prašinčinu u topli i vlažni vazduh. Priroda se spušta u vilinu baštu u kojoj se igraju životinjice. Alieni sa dlanovima sastavljenim ispod brade izgovaraju „Kop Khun Kap“, dok nadgledaju fluo šišmiše koji čuvaju stage. Zeleni ljuskari blinkaju sa nadstrešnice galerije za chill koja nam je iza leđa. Ispod visi kapsula koja može da kreira i uništi život, odmah pored video bima na kom gola japanska gejša živi u talasima.

Obuvamo se i izuvamo ukrug po vlažnom pesku, kamenju, betonu, između šankova u kojim đuskaju kiseli Tajci. Vrućinaaa i znojenje sa vrištećom masom, dok se satima vozimo kroz oblake blinkajućih čestica i zalete psy i tech trancea! Svitanje je blizu ali kolena već trnu...

U povratku kući putujemo kroz mirise maslačka i sena i zvuk budilnika iz džungle. Vetar huči u proggy harmoniji c mola. Sviće na našoj plažici na zapadu, dok bledo roze svetlost obasjava sivkasti prostor mora i neba.

Spavati nekad?

Btw, line up:

Fotke by:
Ivan Krkotić
Trip Advisor
www.phanganist.com
www.katiethenomad.wordpress.com
http://katiethenomad.wordpress.com