Green gig promotes eco-consciousness

A free club night with sets from international deejays was offered to Bangkok locals last night, giving them the chance to dance and party for a good cause.

The "Green Night Party", hosted at Club Culture on Si Ayutthaya Road, was a gathering of leading European deejays and local clubbers. It was one of the featured activities from the EU Green Days events, organised by the European Union to raise awareness of the need for global agreement to control climate change. The events run until Oct 11.

"We might feel powerless sometimes in dealing with all our ecological problems, but we need to keep ourselves alarmed. And that makes this kind of event so important," said Norbert Platzer, 29, known by his stage name "Dj Bright," who served as an opening deejay last night where he played a deep-house set.

"It was great to be a part of this project to create interesting discussions and let people take home some interesting points of view and put them to practice.

"Actions are very important and speak so much louder than words," he said.

A native of Austria, Mr Platzer has been living in Thailand for more than two years. He works as a professional deejay in Bangkok.

"From my point of view, Thailand is such a beautiful country with a huge potential to grow as a tourist country. And this fact should motivate Thai people to take good care of it," he said.

Besides suggesting that participants dress in "earth tone" colours, the event organisers also encouraged guests to put their eco-consciousness into action.

Complimentary gifts were given away to the first 150 guests who showed up at the party with a public transport pass.

Mobile phone producer Nokia also set up a corner for guests to trade their old cell phones for special gift bags.

Also present were Swedish deejay duo Johannes Herbert, 25, and Peter Wallentin, 24, who have teamed up since 2003 and perform under the name "Woobanger".

Taking part in this green project, Mr Herbert shared what he had experienced back in his home country.

"I think it's the responsibility of each individual to create the possibility to solve the problem," he said, while Mr Wallentin added: "Any possible thing you can contribute, from recycling to taking public transportation. I think people should take this idea as a part of our everyday life."

Sweden, one of the most progressive countries in the world, has a well-established eco-friendly lifestyle.

"I am particularly against animal cruelty as I am a vegetarian. I believe saving other living creatures is one way to balance the ecology," said Andreas Tilliander, 31, another famous Swedish electronic music producer who made his first visit to Thailand for the event.

Mr Tilliander has produced 13 albums since he began his career 10 years ago. He was awarded the Swedish Grammy in 2005, after two consecutive years of nominations.

Last night's showcase, according to the organisers, was a warm-up event for today's outdoor concert "What on Earth!" - a live concert to be held this evening at Zen CentralWorld, from 6pm onwards.

Mr Tilliander, who will make his debut appearance in Thailand this evening, will be sharing the stage with leading Thai artists. Among them is Tata Young, who recently launched her third international album.

Ms Young has been appointed a spokesperson for the United Nations Environment Programme, to raise awareness against behaviour that contributes to the destruction of ozone layers.

"This evening is going to be the more exciting performance," said Mr Tilliander. "I would like to invite you to join with us and show your support against global warming."