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[title]In Bangkok, the music scene has transformed over the past few years, led by crews of DJs and collectives – both Thai and international, who are tackling imbalances in the industry by carving out their own creative corners. These collectives do more than play music: they build communities, experiment with sound and space, and create opportunities for voices too often overlooked. And the number of groups pushing this forward is far greater than most realise.
Collectives are the empowering force. DIY at heart, they share resources, skills and ideas, providing spaces free from discrimination and harassment. Each crew has its own identity: some focus on multidisciplinary arts, others on workshops and mentoring, and some simply craft nights that feel electric and alive. What unites them is a vision of equality, inclusivity and diversity – for their members and for everyone who joins.
Detour is the one for those chasing tracks you hear once and immediately need to know more. RomRom bends genres and expectation, from Bhangra to Brazilian hip-hop, creating nights defined by atmosphere rather than label. Non Non Non gives a queer sanctuary, where electronica, EBM and techno collide and the crowd feels at home. Kleaning Service turn up once a month with their offbeat 'cleaning' sessions, a tongue-in-cheek disguise for nights that refuse to behave predictably.
Transport, meanwhile, are a softer, warmer embrace of the dancefloor. moor brings underground international talent rarely seen in Thailand, while Kangkao builds immersive nights where sound and visuals shape the imagination. Yet, Human Spectrum crafts visual worlds that bend perception, adding a striking layer to every party.
In recent years, these collectives have shaped more than club nights – they’ve created spaces where marginalised voices thrive, connections are forged, and music feels alive and purposeful. Here are eight crews to keep on your radar, each one a different story, a different sound, and a different vision of what nightlife can, and should, be.
RomRom
Who are they? RomRom isn’t a brand or a club night so much as a stubborn experiment in why music feels different depending on who’s listening. DJ Pez and Tam kicked it off at 12x12 after years of house parties and sleepless weekends from Manchester to Cambodia. What began as two DJs pushing their own obsessions has grown into a collective orbit: independent fashion labels, tattoo artists led by Yellow Fever, visuals from Human Spectrum, animations by Matt Harris, artwork from Fang. Pez, a fixture at the city’s finest venues and host of The Soul Weekender on Bangkok Community Radio, curates a nostalgic journey through soul, from early morning grooves to ‘70s Canto-pop and Detroit funk, keeping the dancefloor alive until dawn. Tam, after years managing events and artists in Cambodia, returned to Thailand, quickly reconnecting with the scene through his show Tam Bryce, Nice to Meet You, delivering cosmic funk and soul from a lifetime of dusty vinyl. Behind the decks, Pez and Tam still hold court but they’re joined by WoodenNico, Brent Burns and residents like Dangdut Banget, Gres Teh and Pam Terada.
Why you should join them: If your idea of ‘soul’ stretches more than the obvious, RomRom will feel like home. Their nights refuse labels, spinning everything from Bhangra to Brazilian hip-hop, Kwaito, Rai and relentless house that refuses to let anyone sit still. You’ll find yourself moving to rhythms you didn’t know existed, letting the unpredictability of the set pull you through the room.
Meet them at: RomRom throws the big ones two or three times a year, and most nights are closer to their home at The Warehouse Talad Noi or Clutch Bar, where neon meets concrete.
Detour
Who are they? Detour began as a modest experiment, an in-house promoter for a single club, a way to add a little flavour to the nights at Never Normal. Peers worked together, riffing on the idea of a night that didn’t follow a straight line – hence the name. Their playlists lean into the unexpected, bookings chosen for sound and presence rather than popularity, each act bringing a twist that keeps the crowd on its toes. When the original venue closed mid-run, one booking left unplayed, the team carried the name elsewhere, turning an abrupt ending into momentum. Now Detour thrives with Jirus, Tonliew, Konnlee, DOTT and Kova O’Sarin, while Tonliew and Kornnlee orchestrate the nights behind the scenes, making sure each event feels less like a gig and more like a living, breathing experiment in sound.
Why you should join them: House and techno form the backbone. The foundation’s solid, sure, but Detour isn’t in it for genre loyalty. They’re chasing the tracks you hear once and immediately need to know more. No formula, no fillers. Bookings come from gut instinct – the artists they’d actually queue for. Odd thing: every international guest so far has played vinyl. Totally unplanned. It just keeps happening, and no one's complaining. The sets feel richer for it, with an edge of warmth you don’t get from a USB stick.
Meet them at: Detour likes to show up every couple of months, keeping things fresh by hopping between spots. These days, Bar Temp. is home, a snug, late-night haunt with the right amount of chaos. It’s all loose-limbed dancers, long blends and people who’ve come for the music first. You don’t need to know anyone to feel part of it, just turn up, and let the night figure itself out.
Transport
Who are they? Transport began in 2017, born from a longing for dance music culture that had shaped them. At the time, Bangkok’s scene was deep in hard techno and minimal, sharp edges and cold aircon that left nights feeling distant. The collective aimed for something softer at the edges, a dancefloor that felt like a hug, music carrying soul as much as rhythm. The group is led by three DJs: Mr Mowgli, Seelie and Brent Burns. Their community is fiercely loyal, drawn by nights curated with care and a roster of selectors both local and international. Pam Anantr emerged as last year’s standout resident, while Dita and Gero made their mark regionally. From Running Hot to Telephones, Eternal Love to Romain FX, and UK acts Heels & Souls, Hand-Made and Sam Don, every booking is chosen with trust, a quality the crowd recognises and admires.
Why you should join them: Their nights refuse to be pinned down by genre. Sets start slow, gradually building into peak-time highs, before easing the tempo while keeping the floor moving. It’s not about labels or categories, but a feeling, a journey that carries the crowd through energy, atmosphere and unexpected turns, letting music speak for itself while everyone loses track of time.
Meet them at: They only throw a handful of parties each year, partly to keep that rush of anticipation alive, partly because juggling full-time jobs with pulling off something this elaborate is no small feat. Hunting down fresh venues in the city is tough, so Chang Chui has become their spiritual home – a raw warehouse playground layered with enough quirks to keep everyone enchanted.
moor
Who are they? Moor began in 2019 in a 382 square meters basement in Seoul, where music, food, art and community collided. When the pandemic shut the venue, the project shifted rather than stopped, morphing into an event collective with the backing of a devoted crowd. In Bangkok, moor Invites was born, a series designed to bring underground talent rarely glimpsed in Thailand – artists shaping the global scene but far from household names. Unlike most crews, Moor has no residents; each event is a new constellation of selectors, chosen not to spotlight themselves but the music they believe deserves to be heard. Two people currently anchor the project: Johnny, based in Korea, and Shinfish in Bangkok, who now steers the series locally, connecting with communities like Detour. In 2024 alone, moor welcomed 46 different artists, each night rewriting what their stage could be.
Why you should join them: If your ears lean towards underground house and progressive, or the subtler edges of minimal, hypnotic and soulful grooves, moor is where it gets interesting. The point isn’t sticking to genre but building a journey, spotlighting artists whose work stretches the dancefloor and resonates far beyond their own scenes. Recent editions have welcomed Evan Baggs, Robin Ordell, International Mac, Tau Ca and Massaï, while Bangkok favourites like DOTT, Elaheh, Jirus, Kova O’Sarin and the Kangkao crew remind everyone that the local scene carries as much weight as the imports.
Meet them at: In Bangkok the gatherings land every couple of months, while Seoul sees two or three a year. The pace is deliberate – each night should feel rare, not routine. Recent sessions have unfolded at Bar Temp., Beamcube, Rover and Elsewhere, with past memories rooted in the short-lived but legendary, Never Normal.
Non Non Non
Who are they? No one set out to fill a room – the plan was simply to play what they loved. Back in 2018, Bangkok wasn’t known for queer techno, EBM or electronica with a heavier edge, so the collective created space for it. Early nights found a home at Blaqlyte, Safe Room and DeCommune, places that matched the raw energy of those sets. Six years later, the crew has grown, hosting international artists while refining their own vision. At the centre now is Mae Happyair, steering concepts that change with each edition. Residents OLLE, MJMA, WinkieB, May Tae, and Baitong~Xystems mix with newer faces NOON, Lomoroom, Digital Cherubs, KiKate and PPOINT, making every gathering feel like a living experiment.
Why you should join them: Queer crowds have found a natural home with them, drawn by a sound that leans into the heavier edges of nightlife. Their focus rests on electronica, EBM and techno – genres that thrive in the shadows – where every set feels charged, intense and unapologetically crafted for those who want more than background noise.
Meet them at: They throw nights roughly every two months, choosing queer-friendly corners of the city like Bar Temp. and Horn. Each event radiates energy, a mix of music and camaraderie that marks how far the collective has come. It’s a full celebration, loud and unapologetic, where the crowd’s identity and the sound collide effortlessly.
Kleaning Service
Who are they? The story began the way most good ones do – with nights out, music loud enough to feel in your chest, and the curiosity that pulls you to new spaces. Friends first, organisers later, they built on what they already loved: the atmosphere of a party and the joy of being surrounded by familiar faces. Now the crew stands seven strong, each one bringing a different shade to the mix. Ayahtareek, Rraatt, Knownlate, Viking, Kornnlee, Dinosound and DJ Tada aren’t residents in the traditional sense but more like a team of specialists, each with their own quirks. Imagine a cleaning company where everyone insists on using a different tool – somehow it works, the variety becoming the charm, the difference itself the glue.
Why you should join them: Electronic music sits at the centre of everything they do, but that doesn’t mean repetition. Within the genre lies an endless spectrum – textures that shift from delicate and hypnotic to heavy and unrelenting.
Meet them at: The crew gathers roughly once a month, timing shaped by the usual tangle of jobs, commitments and real life. When they do appear, it’s less about location than invitation – any spot that wants them to ‘clean’ gets transformed, their version of housekeeping being equal parts mischief and music.
Kangkao
Who are they? Back in 2020, when the world was shut tight by the pandemic, the magic started in Bangkok. Weekends became a ritual: gathering, sharing music, swapping influences, and coaching each other on mixing. Out of those sessions came the idea for a collective, a space to showcase creativity across sound, art and fashion. Now they have a home at Trinity Complex for their gig, a hub where young people can meet something new and unexpected. Running events taught them production on the fly, skills now feeding into collaborations with fashion labels and music companies, big and small. Residents Payu, Nic, Mo and Jakrin command the decks, each bringing a distinctive style that keeps nights unpredictable, immersive and unmistakably theirs.
Why you should join them: Kangkao builds nights around atmosphere, where DJs shape the soundscape and visuals to spark the imagination of dancers. Sets bend with the space, often surprising both performers and crowd. Genres stretch wide – house, acid, techno, breakbeat, electro, trance, minimal and deep house – leaving everyone to interpret the Kangkao sound in their own way. For a little tease, you can catch their sets on YouTube right here and on Bandcamp here.
Meet them at: The underground at Trinity Complex is theirs for now, a base for nights stitched together with sound and spectacle. For the rest of 2025, the dates to circle are October 31, November 29 and December 6, and never repeating the same story twice.
Human Spectrum
Who are they? The collective came together in the quiet after COVID, born from a passion that never dimmed even when the lights did. What started as a shared obsession with sound and movement turned into a collective that designs, produces and builds visual worlds – not just to impress, but to shape how people feel on a dancefloor. Their expertise sits in underground culture, where light doesn’t just illuminate but guides the rhythm of the night. The crew counts more than ten members, led by Ball, Fook, Vaan, Vor and Sprite – the minds who make crowds move before the beat even drops. Their work has travelled far, from Wonderfruit’s fields to the Equation and Retreat festival in Vietnam, The Air House festival in Korea, China’s Zhaodai on Leave Festival and .TAG in Chengdu, each project glowing with their signature movement.
Why you should join them: No party feels whole without the stuff you don’t always notice first – the lights, the visuals, the atmosphere that makes you lose track of time. Human Spectrum handles all that. Trusted by promoters from Bangkok basements to Vietnamese mountaintops, they’ve turned dancefloors into something near-religious. If they’re on the lineup, it’s probably going to work.
Meet them at: You’ll catch them at most parties, but Bar Temp is where they truly belong. The crew co-invested in the space, turning it into a second home where friends gather, music flows and the nights feel effortless. The place that carries their energy, a backdrop for both familiar faces and unexpected moments on the dancefloor.