Date: Friday 23 July, 2010
Source: The Nation



Bangkokbased American DJ Manow teamed up in 2008 with a few fans of electronic music to launch a 24hour online radio station with streaming live sets by local independent DJs.
UB Radio began with a small studio and a collective of DJs more than willing to play for free, plus a handful of listeners who craved different vibes. It’s now Bangkok’s best choice for free, quality music online.
Sign up as a member and you get nonstop house, hiphop, breakbeats, dubstep, drumandbass, techno, jungle and mashup. And you can download the mixes, in decent sound quality, for free.
The UB folks throw parties at various venues, flaunting their DJs, building the community and promoting local talents, with occasional bigname foreign DJs as a surprise.
These gettogethers, like the radio show, become prime options for breaking away from the commercialised party circuit.
On Sunday the UB team celebrates its second anniversary at Bed Supperclub with the whole UB DJ troupe manning the deck. Go dressed in fluorescent rave wear, classic hiphop styles, in sunglasses and waving glow sticks.
We had a chat with UB Radio founder DJ Manow.

What’s new at UB studio?
Right now we’re purely focusing on the anniversary party and getting the new website ready. This year is very significant for UB: We aim to really evolve as a brand and become much more interactive with our members, and with the underground community in Bangkok. This is a very exciting time in the scene right now.

What have you achieved so far?
In just two years we’ve gone from an idea to a popular Internet radio station and a vital resource for highquality underground music, clubevent listings, news and more.
UB has now become recognised as part of the Bangkok nightlife scene, whether it’s promoting and hosting its own parties or helping others to get their events visible.

How many DJ are in the UB lineup now?
When we started out we amassed in excess of 100 DJs, but over time having so many began to dilute what we stood for. We’ve since honed the number down to around 50, and as a result the website is running much more efficiently, and what we produce is of a higher quality, so everyone benefits.
In terms of UB members, it’s nearing 10,000 globally and set to grow exponentially once the new website is launched.

How do you see the clubbing scene in Bangkok right now?
After what Bangkok has been through these last few years, especially the past few months, I think it’s a miracle that anything is hap�pening at all. But there is still a solid heartbeat.
Many friends involved in the scene are as driven as we are to prop up what we have and continue to build it back up.
The clubs have taken a real beating, but I’m confident the worst is now behind us. The future is all that really matters now, and there are exciting developments starting to appear. Things will be back in full swing by the end of 2010.

Really?
The scene is evolving, rolling with the punches. It’s hard to know where exactly it’s heading, but it’s defiantly in a positive direction.
The next big thing will be a surge in smaller venues opening, hosting an array of excellent nights featuring professional DJs spinning only the finest in underground music. UB is striving to make this a reality.

After the website’s revamped, after the birthday party, what’s next?
UB has some pretty big plans, although it’s all in the development stage right now. We’ve grown in many different ways, but now it’s our time to really make an impact. Birthday rave UB Radio’s second anniversary party is at Bed Supperclub on Sukhumvit Soi 11 on Sunday.
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-Get in and get two drinks and a mix CD for Bt700.
-Dress code and ID rules apply.
-Call (02) 651 3537 or check out www.BedSupperclub.com or www.UBRadio.net.