Latitudes 18 English <Premiere> Events section

Latitudes EVENTS

QCHIEF EDITOR

Christophe Chommeloux

+66 (0)918 233 500 chris.choms@gmail.com

Latitudes

CO-FOUNDER

Caroline Laleta Ballini

+66 (0)869 504 961 carolinelaleta@gmail.com

EQlectroshock! Latitudes is back, fully loaded. This “Events” section is a mere, tangy foretaste of what we’re going to offer you in the months to come: a media with number 18, in print and online, as well as So What-style music events: warm, exclusive and groovy.

Our magazine has always been deeply involved in the art scene in Thailand, offering wide visibility to creators and promoters through its content, but also participating more and more in the organization of events such as exhibitions, concerts, parties and festivals.

In 2023, Latitudes Media & Events creates its own brand of musical events: The Groove, whose vocation is to organize unique events, tours and eventually a festival - not bad at all!

With The Groove On the Move, we give artists the opportunity to tour Thailand and surrounding countries. For this first edition, we’re delighted to organize the first Asian tour of an amazing French DJ and musician: THEOS, whose talent as a pianist allows him to spice up his mixes with improvised keyboards lines. Latitudes will take him to Bangkok, Samui, Tao, Phnom Penh, Bali...

The Groove Party will bring together different artists in a unique setting. Accompanied by as-yet-undisclosed guests, Camion Bazar, a French duo on the road to stardom in a magic truck and whose success is being confirmed from festival to festival, will set this new stage with their splashy colors in melodies and frenzied rhythmic patterns.

Let’s Groove!

Cover illustration: Stephff Le Mazette, Niche Malta, Village Underground, Le Petit Salon, Raphaël Lugassy, Thesndoctor, La Machine, IsoPixel, Fotocom Agency

Chom's

Emerging at light speed from his musical childhood to turn 22 in a Balinese DJ booth as a conclusion of his upcoming first ever Asian tour, Theos represents a new generation of Parisian House music at its best. No doubt his hybrid sets, where he improvises on keyboards on top of his DJ mix, will seduce true music lovers among party animals Thailand!

THEOS

Young at Art

From an early age, Theos was immersed in the world of music. At home, both his parents were musicians and his older brother a singer. With the full support of this swinging family, he started in 2019 a career of DJ, producer and musician, and moved to London to study sound engineering and devote himself fully to his art, inspired by a multitude of musical genres that have rocked him throughout his childhood to arrive to House music.

Theos used to listen to Michael Jackson a lot when he was 8/9 years old, and he grew up with this funky vibe, then matured with Jazz and Hip-Hop, untilthe point he was dragged into electronic music, House in particular...

“I discovered House music when I got to high school and simply started partying. I was first attracted to Techno and its more primitive aspect, then over time I turned to House and its subtlety. I also think that these aesthetics were familiar to me thanks to my musical upbringing filled with Jazz, Funk and HipHop, genres that have greatly influenced this music.”

Among his influences, he mentions British DJ Josh Butler, “pretty much the artist who convinced me to get into DJing

and production!” but refers, of course, to Kerri Chandler, the legendary New York DJ and musician who pioneered hybrid DJ + keyboard sets. Theos recently found himself on stage jamming with him: “I took my courage in both hands and went to talk to him backstage at a festival in Amsterdam. After a few minutes of chatting, he kindly asked me to come on stage with him for a track or two. It was with tears in my eyes that I went right afterwards...

It’s a dream come true for me, at just 21 years of age. It’s an event that will remain engraved in my memory, and it’s particularly motivating for me to keep on working.”

ATTACK, DELAY, SUSTAIN, RELEASES...

As studio work is concerned,Theos is considered by its peers as one of the French producers to keep an eye on. Sure!, at just 19 THEOS had already signed his first 7-track release, We Miss The Crowd, to the prestigious UK label Shall Not Fade, in June 2021.

This famous London label, founded by Kieran Williams in 2015, has already signed artists such as Felipe Gordon, Tour-Maubourg, Cinthie,Vitess or Black Loops, a guarantee of its influence on the international House scene that no longer needs to be proven. “Generally speaking, I’m pleasantly surprised by the place of music for the English, which I consider more sacralized than in France, for example,” Theos concedes.

Six months later, after a resounding success, it was Turn Up Marty EP’s turn with 4 new tracks. Hardly a surprise from a guy born with a home studio at hand... “Since I was very young, I’ve always played with music software. When I was 12, I was superimposing loops on my father’s computer on GarageBand,” Theos recalls. “I produced my first track at 15, an assembly of loops and pretty basic drums in MIDI. I never published it, of course (laughs)”

With a rhythm as high as his average BPM on stage, original compositions, collaborations and remixes have mushroomed on several other European labels such as Happiness Therapy (Fr), Airtime (NL) or Pont Neuf Records (Fr), often supported and playlisted by seasoned artists such as Techno pillar Kolter or House legend Kerri Chandler.

For Theos, one project then followed another, including an EP in collaboration with French trio Oden & Fatzo (who will be in Bangkok for the first time at Kolour for Halloween) an EP in collaboration with his brother and singer El Rod, NMW (with a remix by Oden & Fatzo) and even an album in the making by his duo with Noa Milee: Astels

ASTELS

Astels is an electronic Funk, Jazz and R&B duo. Drawing on their childhood influences from the vibrant music scene of the 80s and 90s, the two protagonists revitalize and reimagine those sounds while giving them a modern touch. Their debut single Drive To You was released on June 16, 2023, composed in collaboration with jazz pianist Renaud Palisseaux.

 https://linktr.ee/astels

BLUE NOTES IN THE MIX

Behind the booth,THEOS mixes turntables and machines to create rich, hybrid sets. “I mix my favorite compositions into a DJ set, and add my own live touch by improvising on the keyboard,” he explains. “It allows me to express my inspiration on the spot and makes my performances unique.”

Rex club, Badaboum, Djoon, Machine du Moulin rouge, Cabaret Sauvage, Sacré, Theos has already be booked in the most revered clubs at home in Paris, as well as festivals like Insula Festival or Braises Sonores, alongside House heroes like Franck Roger...

His growing notoriety quickly led him to play over Europe his Hybrid set and his improvisation lines have surprised and uplifted crowds at famous music venues like Village Underground in London and Lisbon, Mondo Disko in Madrid, Atlantic in Barcelona or Audio Club in Geneva, to name just a few.

So where does he go from here? As he has already achieved so much before even turning 22, we may wonder what Theos can now dream about... “I’d love to play in Ibiza”, he modestly elaborates, “at the Defected Festivals or at UK festivals like Parklife

or Hide&Seek... But for now I am super excited about this first Asian tour, it’s a real honor for me to be doing what I do best on another continent. It’s like opening a whole new chapter and I feel a bit like a child, with this image in my head of a palm tree on a paradise island.”

That’s gonna happen on October 18 in Koh Tao, where Theos will play at famous Secret Party alongside Le Godfather.

ASIA IS CALLING

Now is indeed time for him to conquer other continents with his musical and dynamic House music, starting with a tour in Asia produced by Latitudes Media & Events, who managed 2022 Back 2 The Groove festival #3, with the support of Sawasdee France, cultural entity of the French Embassy in Thailand.

Theos will make his first-ever Asian appearance on October 14 at Paradise Lost rooftop, in Bangkok, supported by 2 of the most respected artists on the Big Mango scene: Koish, who will handle the mood around sunset with a 5h mix (!) and

 https://linktr.ee/theos.music

Thai DJ Skinny Mark, a pillar of Tao’s electronic scene, who will open the ball for him.

CHEVRY AGENCY WE ARE FAMILY

Considered by many as the new benchmark in the House & Minimal genre, Chevry Agency is an artist home, production, booking and management agency based in Paris that has proven its exponential growth over the years. Through a roster of top-quality artists that Theos has joined in April 2021 (Vitess, Baccus, Deborah Aime La Bagarre, DJ Steaw, Occibel, Herr Krank, Emma B...), Chevry produces and represents a rich and varied artistic catalog, from Minimal to Breakbeat and from House to Techno. Heterogeneity is their watchword.

To confirm this extension, Arnaud Clerel and his team have delivered a superb program in 2023 and in addition to the Parisian dates that have made Chevry’s reputation, they have also expanded across France and Europe. For those in the Paris region, you can find the team throughout the year at Kilomètre25, Rex Club, Trabendo and La Belleviloise and with appearances at festivals such as Elektric Park and Madame Loyal.

The agency accompanies its artists (strategy, communication, co-production) during their development in France and Europe and ensures the production of their tours worldwide. During the Covid crisis, the agency reinvented itself to create an exceptional and unique online meeting with its supporters: “The Chevry Show” by proposing music production coaching sessions, talk shows

on various themes related to electronic music, blind tests and Live Music show from Chevry Agency artists. Now looking to the future, the agency will keep on enabling the development of its artists and make the crowds dance across the globe.

 chevry-agency.com

In the course of ten years, thanks to their energy, talent and sincerity, the Franco-Transalpine duo has gone from the anonymity of underground raves to the spotlight of major festivals and prestigious clubs, even garnering the honor of an all-night gig at Paris’ most revered Rex Club in 2022. After a noteworthy appearance at Wonderfruit in 2019, the Festive Truck’s route brings them back, at last, to the land of Siam.

CAMION BAZAR A Truck on Track

In May 2023, just as the duo were about to take part in the famous Nuit Sonores, whose 20th anniversary they were celebrating with Alteration, an ambitious live audio/ video show, Camion Bazar found themselves featured in Libération by Brice Miclet, a recognized specialist in radical music who also works for no less than Trax,Tsugi and Les Inrockuptibles.

The article begins as follows:

« In 2015, a pair of hardcore partygoers took over the French capital’s techno nights. A revival of electronic music and its audience was taking place in a mix of frenzy and cold seriousness, cut from the dark, frankly plan-plan. “It wasn’t so much the music that was problematic as the state of mind,” recalls Benedetta.

“Paris was pretty uptight, we weren’t having too much fun. The night was cold.” In the face of boredom, they created Camion Bazar (Bazaar Truck). A kind of lighthouse in the middle of the darkness, an oasis, a real truck, completely crazy, planted outside the hangars, out of reach of the boom-boom. Romain Play started mixing there alone, before being joined by his partner. “I played every genre, every aesthetic,” he adds. “Some clubs didn’t want me because I was too crazy.” For partygoers, seeing this mix of red, pink and yellow, this noisy fry shack, was like breathing. It was not uncommon to see them dancing on the roof of the vehicle. “It was, above all, a place for the expression of more cheerful music, from house to French Top 40, from Caribbean to Funk. It was great.”»

At Nuits sonores, with its demanding program, Camion Bazar has been able to do it all. Since 2016, Romain and Benedetta have performed there, first in their famous truck for the Days, then in the heart of the Fagor-Brandt factories for the Night, in the middle of Lyon for the Extra! format, and again at a now-legendary Boiler Room, which has contributed greatly to the combo’s growing success. With a hybrid set, mixing digital turntables and vinyl, the electronic percussion Romain carries around with him and the intervention of an unbridled

saxophonist, they showed the extent of their talent and their repertoire, moving unabashedly from Funk to Techno and even daring to drop an unexpected Pink Floyd’s Sheep, well felt and blending cheekily into Drum & Bass. Back on the Lyon program in 2023, on the main stage of La Sucrière, Camion Bazar have come a long way, from their first raves to the prestigious Monnaie de Paris, where they presented a 360° version of their show in June, in collaboration with Fip and Dure Vie.

“In fact, Camion Bazar is a real disco ball,” says Benedetta, “It’s a project that was born by chance 10 years ago, from a love affair between us, Romain and Benedetta, then from a love of partying and music, and which has evolved with the same guiding principle: the desire to spread the good values of the night and to share our passion with generosity. Originally, we bought a truck to tour festivals and have our own stage, then it became a kind of traveling mess with an ever-growing community.

Then we put the truck aside for a while and decided to concentrate on our duo: we produced EPs, set up a label, toured more clubs offering our DJ sets, then our live project was born... It’s quite a story! We get bored pretty quickly, and like it when things change. We need to feel evolution in the way we approach music, even if we retain the same values of respect, sharing, fun, openness to others and benevolence.”

FRUITS OF THE BOOM

In 2019, Camion Bazar attracted particular attention in Thailand at the Wonderfruit festival, with two highlights that left a lasting impression on the event’s international audience: as a duo on the Omelette stage and, above all, at the now-mythical finale on the iconic Solar Stage with their accomplices from La Mamie’s.

Camion Bazar returns to Thailand for the first time after the Covid hiatus, with a one-off DJ set on Friday October 27 at Never Normal, Bangkok. That same weekend, the two travellers will play the Retreat festival in Hanoi on Saturday, then join their La Mamie’s pals at the Shi Fu Miz festival in Hong Kong on Sunday! A short but intense tour, which will also take in Bali and Ho Chi Minh City, where the Café des Stagiaires Saïgon will welcome them on October 20.

Amid the luggage, cables and crates of records, and under the watchful eye of their cute dogs, Latitudes asked them a few questions about this new adventure.

© Fotocom Agency

© Fotocom Agency ©

Fotocom Agency

© Fotocom Agency

CAMION BAZAR

You recently worked on a 360° sound format. Did you propose it to Wonderfruit for the Polygon stage? Was it a one-shot deal or something you wanted to explore?

Ah no, we didn’t propose it to Wonderfruit, it’s a great idea, you should be a manager! So yes, Wonderfruit, if you’re reading this, could be quite an experience. Generally speaking, coming back to Wonderfruit as a dj set or with the live show would be great. And we’re interested in the 360° format, yes, we’re interested in any kind of sonic and sensory experience.

What does Thailand mean to you?

A bit like for many of us Europeans,Thailand is synonymous with vacations, excellent cuisine and lovely people.We know it from Wonderfruit, but also from previous trips to the islands. But our favorite is Bangkok, with its history, its monuments, its markets, its grandeur, its hustle and bustle, its lights and its corridors where you get lost. We can’t wait to go back.

After a few months on the road with your live show, how does it feel to be back in DJ format?

Actually, we never stopped djing with the Alteration tour.We alternate between live performances and dj sets. In general, we do one or the other every other weekend, so we’re ready for any situation, armed to the teeth with sound, on fire and full of energy, with the desire to get people dancing and share our soul!

We met in the enthusiastic madness of Wonderfruit 2019, what memories do you keep of those moments?

It’s been an incredible experience. Being in Asia, in 30-degree heat in the middle of December, is a real change of scenery and makes you happy. Add to that the great welcome, the reunion with La Mamie’s in Pattaya and the arrival at the festival, where you go from the city to the desert, and it’s a real slap in the face to discover so many stages, each with its own unique, meticulously crafted scenography. I particularly liked the Thai pop scene, where the atmosphere was one of fun and good humor, and the Thai rock scene, where bands played on a bus.There were also conscious talks, great international and local artists (a little thought for Craig Richards’ Quarry scene, our spirit stayed there) and then everywhere a crazy, costumed world, like in a movie. Special mention must also go to the Rainbow disco club takeover on the Forbidden Fruit stage (from memory), which set the mood. Add to that the fact that we mixed there twice, and we were ecstatic. We had done a great performance at Omelette, which Resident Advisor had mentioned, and then there was the festival closing: a 5-hour set with La Mamie’s to accompany the sunrise, with the sun’s rays bringing out of the shade a huge pyramid-shaped structure in front of the booth, where people climbed, hung on and danced. It was a unique Monday morning after-party, the whole festival was there, it’s unforgettable. Thanks again to Wonderfruit!

You always have the Bazar, but don’t you miss the Camion (truck, in French)?

Ahah, our little baby. No, it’s okay, it’s still there, but in other forms.Well, we say that, but he’s going to be 10 in 2024, so we’re going to throw him a big party that’s going to last for months...

What do the dogs do when you’re away?

They listen to the radio, France Culture to be exact (it’s true, it keeps them company 24 hours a day), and I imagine they watch our stories too. And they stay with a lovely couple who take good care of them, along with other dogs. It’s a bit of a party for them too. But we miss them every day. Between the carbon footprint and the dogs, we avoid going too often far away. We do make a few well-chosen exceptions, but we give it a lot of thought beforehand and decide whether it’s really necessary and important.

In Bangkok on 27/10, you’ll be playing Never Normal. Have you heard of the club? Does the club’s name inspire you?

We’re proud and honored to be playing there, it sounds incredible, super beautiful and it’s the kind of club we appreciate, because it gets things moving and raises people’s awareness, with sound workshop initiatives, talks and so on. It’s beyond clubbing, and that’s very important.

 https://linktr.ee/camionbazar

© Raphael Lugassy

Alexander Batman

The sexyest jungle party on Koh Tao since 2015...

BEST KEPT SECRET

House & Techno

Nestled at the heart of the jungle, on a lush cliff overlooking the ocean, Karma bar is a gem well hidden in Koh Tao and that’s where Secret Party has chosen to settle down and make happen the most beautifully curated parties on the island.

After 8 years of operation, Secret Party is now well established in “Turtle Island”, where this now international brand, ever-expanding its magic to diverse locations such as Koh Phangan, Bangkok, Madrid and even Tulum in Mexico, has its permanent headquarters.

Every one or two weeks, hundreds of ravers gather in the middle of the jungle to celebrate music, dance and nature

under the stars with DJs from all over the world spinning the best of House to Techno. Local well-know talents such as Skinny Mark, Mendy Indigo, Feed the Lizard, Mizuyo or resident Javi Bala rub shoulders in the booth with international names like Bastian Bux, Nakadia, Juany Bravo, D-unity, Javier Gonzalez or Theos.

Thanks to the hard work of its passionate Spanish founder Pablo Isla, Secret Party has really become a one-of-its-kind event in the Gulf of Thailand and with no doubt the most genuine electronic party in Tao.

 www.instagram.com/secretpartykohtao