Somewhere between a tourist trap and a cultural relic, the tuk-tuk sits humming on Bangkok’s roadside – always a spectacle. Foreigners climb in wide-eyed, clutching their phones and expectations. Locals, on the other hand, usually steer clear. Until, that is, Tuktuk Radio turned the city’s noisiest ride into its most unexpected club on wheels.
The YouTube channel, helmed by a crew that feels like pirate radio and performance art, trades in DJ sets performed live from moving tuk-tuks. Not pre-recorded playlists or tasteful ambient loops – this is full-throttle, bass-heavy kind of soundtracking. The music is loud, occasionally too loud, and sometimes it earns them an impromptu police stop. But even then, the set rarely skips a beat. The city becomes the backdrop, its chaos woven into the rhythm. What used to be a passive commute now pulses with something that feels like a celebration, or at least a very decent Friday night.
What makes it addictive isn’t just the music. It’s what’s happening outside the frame – Bangkok in all its messy, magical chaos. Street vendors. Aunties in pyjamas. Neon signs that flicker like they’re trying to communicate. You’re basically watching a city mixtape, unfiltered and on the move.
These are not flashy, overproduced broadcasts. They’re grainy, glitchy, often filmed on the fly. You get the sense that you’re being let in on something – not quite secret, but not yet mainstream. Like catching a band before they blow up, or watching a friend fall in love with vinyl.
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And just when you think they’ve peaked, they go and take it to the river. Yes, really. Tuktuk Radio now runs boat sessions on the Chao Phraya, with DJs spinning as temples and skyscrapers float by. It’s giving lo-fi chill beats to cruise to.
And yes, it’s still a platform – for young DJs, for new sounds, for Bangkok itself, unfiltered and unbothered. It’s not polished, but it doesn’t need to be. That’s the point. Watch it at www.youtube.com/@TuktukRadio, or better yet, flag down a ride. You might just catch the beat.