Trance DJ, promoter, and founder of Pure Pleasure Entertainment, Srangkun Sirisinha better known as Lonskii, is the sole driving force behind the trance scene in Thailand and all of Asia. Starting as a DJ back in 2004 in Melbourne, Australia, and having performed and hosted multiple shows and parties, he sought to bring trance music to Thailand. He is responsible for bringing many high-profile trance DJs to the country as well as expanding the annual trance event Transmission to Bangkok. He recently hosted the three-day long UnKonscious, Asia's biggest trance music festival on the beach this past weekend, held in the private Paradise Beach in Phuket. The event featured 15 international DJs from three trance labels (In Trance We Trust, Grotesque, and Pure Trance) which included Menno de Jong, RAM, and Solarstone as well as regional support of trance DJs from Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia.
What inspired you to create and organise UnKonscious?
Last year, I went to the Luminosity Beach Festival in Holland, the biggest trance event in the world and voted by many as the #1 go-to event for trance. At the event, I felt like we should be able to do something similar or even better in Thailand. I wanted to host UnKonscious in Phuket as it is a popular and well-known tourist destination and is a lot cheaper for us to come here rather than flying to Europe. I want people to travel to Thailand to know more about our culture, as well as party at night, like a holiday package. I also chose Phuket as people can fly in, rather than take additional transportation like you would if it was in Koh Samui, which would raise the costs. Most trance events in Thailand are indoors, therefore I wanted to do the event on the beach where people can take off their shoes and dance on the sand, giving a more relaxed vibe.
Why the name UnKonscious?
At first I wanted a name that would stick out and be memorable. But none fit or didn't represent the meaning or idea behind the festival. I went with UnKonscious to show that this is a wild and great party worth going to. I also replaced the 'c' with a 'k' to give it that extra edge.
How were you able to bring such iconic trance DJs into the festival, which consists of not one but three trance labels?
I've had contacts with the DJs through previous shows, so I contacted them through agencies. The uniqueness of this music is that it is very friendly and open -- the trance family mentality. The fact that it's so niche, the trance DJs know they rely on the fans and the fans know that the artists make music for them. We know that they don't make a lot of money, we know it's not mainstream, so they support each other. Most of the DJs are welcoming, very down-to-earth and then the idea that we would like to spread their music is really welcoming to them versus other mainstream industries where it's all about money. Of course, Thailand as a destination is inviting to the artists but they also know that the concept of the event is very unique to Asia. So when they start taking part of UnKonscious, they are able to penetrate the market here.
What do you think about trance music today? Has it increased in popularity? Would you say 2018 is Thailand's biggest year in trance?
Trance in Thailand used to be really popular in the 90s and early 2000s. It then waned in popularity until we experienced a resurgence of electronic music festivals around 2012. Suddenly, people started listening to trance and we had trance music promoters to help build the scene and community. This year, for example, Transmission helped build a trend for people who have never listened to trance before, impressed by the visual and sound production that makes them want to check out the event. People have started listening and recognising trance music to the point where electronic music festivals have started adding trance DJs to the line-up where they hadn't before. Outside of Transmission, which is a global franchise, UnKonscious is Thailand's first real trance-only event. I'm not only expanding trance within Thailand, but to see more than 70 countries attend Transmission, which includes countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, it's great to see that the scene is expanding in Asia. In addition to having global DJs, UnKonscious also showcases regional trance DJs from neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam and Indonesia where trance music is popular.
Thailand seems to have a lot of festivals. How does that make you feel about it being a central hub of electronic music festivals and parties?
A lot of people have been saying that Thailand is the central hub of festivals in Asia because we seem to have one every weekend. We've had most of the world's top 100 DJs in electronic music perform many times, which made me think of doing something different as in the case of Transmission Bangkok and UnKonscious. However, I do think it's great that more people are being exposed to the electronic music genre and of course trance music, although we still have a long way to go.
Would you say the trance crowd in Asia is different compared to the West?
Yes. The Asian crowd is part of a younger generation seeing as trance has just become popular in the last few years. Whereas in Europe, there are fans who have listened to the genre for more than 20 years. If you attend festivals in the West, the crowd is a lot older, including those who are in their 60s and 70s, and even bring their children. People there are passionate about the music and are friendly and approachable. The Thai crowd is more about following trends and may not be able to clearly distinguish between subgenres of trance and what kind of songs each trance artists plays. I don't blame them seeing as they just started to get into the music. To each to their own.
Is there anything that Thailand lacks in festivals compared to the West?
I would say the mentality of the Thai people. For example, foreigners usually are able to party and attend festivals that begin at noon and end early the next morning. Thais rather party at night, around 9-10pm, and go home at 2am. Because of this fixed time, they don't feel comfortable or aren't used to partying during the day.
For those who were not able to attend UnKonscious this year, why should they attend the next edition?
I organised this so people wouldn't have to fly to Europe to attend such trance events seeing as it's 10 times more expensive. This event has all the boxes ticked in terms of location and facilities like what you would experience in Europe so people shouldn't miss such an event. We also have a solid, globally recognised DJ line-up, some of which have never been to Asia, which attracts fans. It's also different than other events and isn't too pricey.
