As a child: My mother noticed that I listened very carefully to music, so she bought me my first record.
First job: Delivering newspapers.
Rule for life: Be honest with myself and other people.
Happiest moment: When my children were born.
Can’t live without: A turntable.
Hum this tune in the shower: Flash.  
People always assume I’m: serious and shy.
Best gig I have ever been to: Leeds Festival.
Would like to be remembered as: Somebody who is a champion in music.
In 20 years: I’ll still be doing what I’m doing.
What do you like about Thailand? Weather, people and records.

What have you been doing since your previous exhibition, Nocturne?
I had a chance to do a number of entertaining projects, like making a film and music with Superzaaap!, in addition to my photography.

How did this exhibition start?
I used to party a lot and one day I started to feel like I’d had enough of it. Now I’m not as hardcore a drinker as before and that change has let me stop and focus more on myself. I grew up mostly listening to calmer musical genres like classical. But when I got a little older, society drew me into the electronic world. I’d like to come back myself, so I came up with the idea of capturing everything in black and white without using any help from a computer.

So, you’ve only just taken all of these photos?
Yes, they are all new. The photos that were shown on the first floor illustrate the concept of ‘Stop and Think.’ As I’ve said, the exhibition started when I stopped partying all the time and came back to focus on the more peaceful side within me. These photos are of ordinary places and things that I see every day. Something in each of made me pause and think, though, and I try to capture that beauty in my work. I focus in on the details of each object. For the second floor, I took pictures everywhere I went. I spent one and a half months working on them.

So, which is your favorite? Artistic black and white shots or party photos?
It’s hard to say which my favorite is. Both of them are kind of my babies. The “party photography” project though has already grown up, while the black and white photography is still a newborn and needs a lot of attention. So, for now I’m choosing to focus my time and energy exclusively on the latter.

Were you worried that Nocturne fans would be disappointed?
My previous Nocturne is fun and, honestly, everyone has their own fan base. I don’t worry about that too much. But now that it’s only me, I feel nervous on grand opening day as I’m not sure if anyone will come to see my exhibition.

What next?
I don’t have a concrete idea in my head about where to go next, but I know I’ll continue with both the party photos and the black and white images.

Medium and technique: Acrylic on canvas

How did this exhibition start?
I got this idea from everything I see around the world. Bruised represents any experience, human or otherwise. There are a lot of disasters happening over the world these days. It makes me stop and think that our world experience is fundamentally wounded and bruised. So, I interpreted that world in this series of paintings.

How does this exhibition evolve from your previous exhibition?
The only thing that is the same is that I chose to use acrylic colors and canvas, but the technique is different. As the concept is “bruised,” I added a lot of water to dilute the intensity of the pigment, which gives the colors themselves an injured look. The presentation is also more like a story. One painting can recall some memory from the past and has the ending in itself.

What’s the story behind this painting, Love?
Love has many dimensions. It could start with happiness and end in tragedy. Both from my own experience and the experiences of my friends and family, I know that heartbreak isn’t something we forget. It’s like we have a scar on our body. So I came up with the picture of a boy and a girl with these bruises all over their bodies. When you look into the paintings, it makes you feel as if you are experiencing these memories for yourself.

Tell us a bit about your latest album, Suharit Luen Kan Thep.
It is about my past experiences, music that I like and a mix of electronic genres with Brit pop, and alternative rock.

Who designed the album cover?
It comes from my inner self, which I like to express to maximum levels, then comes a discussion with the costume and graphic designers. And voila!

What is your inspiration when mixing sound?
My inspiration is sounds that make me travel to heaven on earth.

You listen to?
The Cure, Depeche Mode, Radiohead, Blur, Muse.

What can we expect from Bat Blast?
A new sound blending funky guitars and alternative guitar sound with my electro house sound. It’s my first time ever doing this. You can expect to move and, please, do get wild.

Who’s on the playlist?
Of course, Depeche Mode, Lady Gaga and Bird Thongchai.

How do you think you’ve changed from when you first started?
Totally, both as a person and an artist. I feel music in a different way. Before as a DJ I was checking for new tracks and played my sets—that was it. Now my life is taken over completely by my work: the way I dress, the way I think, they way I design my day—it’s all about the music.

How does your family handle your fame?
My family can’t really imagine what’s going on, except when they see me on TV in Thailand. Then they get some idea something big is happening. They are happy and proud of me. It’s always great when I have time to visit and go back to my old life. When I’m back home, I’m the same little girl I was 10 years ago.

You have been touring a lot. Which has been your favorite gig and why?
It’s so difficult to say, because everyone is different and there are so many great nights. Last August, I played my 500th international gig—no other DJ from Asia has played so much around the world. With every gig comes more experience and more to learn. My favorite club is D’Edge in Sao Paulo but Berlin is my favorite club scene in the world: it’s all about the music there. And then there are the summer festivals in Europe. Just in Holland I play 6-8 festivals every summer and some of them have more than 50,000 people. As I said: too many favorites.

What is the difference between Thai and International audiences?
It’s always great to play in Thailand and I have so much fun here, but in Thailand I miss the real music lovers—the people that come to the club to hear exciting new music. In Europe there is a very hard split between the “commercial” scene and the “cool” scene. As a DJ you have to choose what scene you want to belong to. In Thailand we don’t have this “cool” scene. It makes playing in Thailand easier because the dance floor is already happy if you make a good party—they will not disrespect you if you choose a wrong record. But for all the electronic music artists in Thailand, it is very hard to get work because most clubs just want the same “standard” music and most dance floors don’t want to take the journey into new sounds. I hope that in the future more Thais will have a passion for music and look for something exciting in the music.

What is the most important thing about being a DJ?
When you start as a DJ, normally your goal is to find a club where you can play as a resident DJ. In this case you have to make your boss and the dance floor happy. When I started touring internationally I was working in the same way—trying to make the dance floor happy and getting success that way. But I got to a point when I had to think what I wanted for my life: continue to play music you don’t like and make money, or go your own way and play music that you love. Last week I got an amazing offer to become part of one of the world’s biggest DJ brands. I could make a lot of money immediately with much less work, but I did not even have to think about it—I immediately refused because I want to go my own way.

Which Thai or International artist do you want to work with?
My biggest idol is Richie Hawtin. I already played one event with him in Switzerland this year, and from that day on, he is the one artist that I respect the most. I never really liked his productions, but as an artist on stage he is the best and a big inspiration! In Thailand I have the most respect for a young artist from my hometown Korat: TJ Tiesjungle. He has so much talent, plays great sets and produces amazing music. Artists like TJ should get more chances in Thailand and abroad.

What is next?
I am working hard on my first album and I am also planning an album with some Thai jazz musicians. The jazz album is something that I am really excited about and I hope it will be finished at the end of 2012. My focus is on producing now and I already have a number of great tracks ready to be released.

How would you describe your sound?
When I first became passionate about music, I was listening British outfits like The Smiths and The Jam. So I’m a product of that kind of sound.

Tell us about how your latest project got started.
This is my first solo album. I had composed some of the songs for Day Tripper but they were never used. Later, I met and hung out with Pong and Patrice and we started talking about putting together a band. So I picked up those songs again to use here.

How is the sound different from Day Tripper?
Day Tripper’s music was composed by Tuan and me. Tuan’s songs were influenced by heavy metal, while mine were more like 70s-80s Brit and punk. So this album will definitely be more Brit rock and nu-wave as it’s been composed solely by me. But yeah, it can’t be exactly the same as I listen to new things all the time.

What else are you doing?
Everything related to music: composing music for advertising, spot dubbing, DJing at Prop Bar, Green Space and Motorcycle Emptiness Bar and other composing jobs.

What do you think of today’s music scene?
There are more opportunities for bands, because Thai people are more open to new things. Crub was the very first Thai indie band, in the 90s, and it was hard to find places to play live, and people didn’t seem to understand the songs. Now we are in the social networking age; it’s easy to be famous and be accepted. Technology has however tortured music careers a bit as people download songs instead of buying them.

What has been your best moment as an artist?
When I worked with Crub. At that time, when we recorded, we had to play everything live, while now the computer makes things a lot easier. I loved that feeling when everything seemed fresh and you could really feel the music.

Aree School of Dance Arts

1521/2 Sukhumvit Rd., 02-714-0812/3. www.areeschool.com. Open daily from 10am-6:30pm.
Probably the most serious school in this roundup, Aree offers ballet (for kids and adults with experience, following the curriculum of the Royal Academy of Dance in London), jazz (five levels, with styles divided into real jazz, Broadway, Latin, lyrical and street jazz), Spanish dance (following the syllabus of the Spanish Dance Society; styles include regional dance, Flamenco and classical) and contemporary dance, which is more freestyle and encourages self-expression, movement and gestures. Prices range from B4,200-6,600 per three-month course. Apart from the main studio at Sukhumvit, there is a branch on Silom (3-4/F, Silom Complex Building, BTS Saladaeng. 02-233-3291/2) and the Dance World School (6/F, CentralWorld, Rama 1 Rd., 02-613-1739).

La Rueda Dance Studio

Sukhumvit Soi 18. 083-685-8285. Open daily from 1-10pm.
Offering a much more fun and laid-back vibe than the other more formal places listed here, La Rueda is a dance bar and studio offering group and private dance classes in a friendly atmosphere. The classes include salsa, bachata, Argentine tango, sexy jazz, lyrical jazz, basic dance elements and stretching classes (B3,200 per eight-hour course, B500 for a one-hour drop-in).

Rum Puree Dance Studio

5/F, Amarin Plaza, Ploenchit Rd., 081-430-6684 or 081-439-0200. Open daily, Mon-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat-Sun10am-6pm. www.rumpuree.com
Rum Puree Dance Studio offers a pretty diverse selection: classical dance which includes ballet, contemporary dance and modern jazz; ethnic dance like Afro-Carribbean, bellydancing, Flamenco and Thai dance; social dance like New York salsa, Argentine tango and swing dance; and popular dance like hip hop, music video dance and striptease. They even do dance-themed exercise classes like jazzercise, zumba and pole dancing. Try out a class for B400 (1 hr), or opt for a whole course (B3,000-8,400). They also do private lessons. And do be on time as they won’t let you into class if you’re more than 20 minutes late.

Dance Centre School of Performing Arts

53/3 Sukhumvit Soi 33, 02-259-8861. www.dance-centre.com. Open daily from 10am-8pm.
It used to just be a ballet school, but the Dance Center now offers classes in both Western and Eastern styles. This peaceful little house in a sub-soi of Soi 33 does ballet, Argentine tango, yoga for health and relaxation, Tai Chi Chuan, ballroom, Latin, contemporary dance, street dance, hip hop and jazz. You can just drop by and join in an hour-long class for B500 or a one and a half hour-long class for B750. Full course packages range from B4,200-12,600.

Bangkok International Dance Academy (BIDA)

2/F, Peninsula Plaza, 153 Ratchadamri, 02-253-9529. Open from 11am-8pm, close on Monday.
Specializing in Latin dance and traditional ballroom, this school has both Thai and international teachers. The program is open to drop-ins which start from B800 for 50 minutes while the price for 10-lesson courses (50 mins per lesson) ranges from B6,000-12,000.

Free Soul Studio

620 Sena Villa 84, Bangkapi, 086-323-9874 Open Sat-Sun 10am-8pm.
This house converted into a studio is crawling with hip, urban youths practicing street dance. They specialize in hip hop, contemporary dance, K-pop and J-pop. You can opt for either private or group classes for B2,900 (9hrs) or drop-in class B500 (1hr).

I was not born into a musical family. My father had a collection of about 50-100 records of Thai songs, but I wasn’t interested, not until I revisited them after coming back from the UK.

I studied fashion marketing when I was in London and worked as creative director for an advertising agency, only to find out that I didn’t like it at all. I’ve never had any music classes. I’ve just expanded my knowledge by listening to a lot of music.

I started listening to house and hip hop. House music has samples from disco, Latin and African music, while hip hop has its roots in soul and funk. Gradually I started to find the sources of those samples and stepped into the world of world music.

An MP3 is like air. It’s got no dimensions. I’ll buy the CD first, but if it’s a record I really like, I’ll buy the vinyl. The sound from a vinyl is much more than an mp3 can give you. And it’s got cover art and everything that makes the music tangible.

The first time I DJ’ed was at Market Bar in London for a free beer. I met the resident DJ of the place at a record shop in London, and most of the records we bought were the same. So he invited me to join him.

I decided to stop working on fashion and pursue my dream—music. For four years, my main income came from DJ’ing. Then I came back to Thailand and attended some sound engineering classes, but I didn’t like that. But then I found my dad’s music collection and got deeper into Thai music.

I bought Thai records, mixed compilations and promoted Thai music. After a while, I decided to do it on my own, under ZudRangMa Records.

Someone once told me I had the bad taste of a taxi driver, when I launched my first compilation. I didn’t really mind. Thai people hadn’t opened their minds much then. That’s why I distributed my first compilation in Europe.

Look thung is like durian. It’s hard to get into for first time listeners, and you either love it or hate it. I kept pushing it until I had more Thai fans that didn’t reject my work.

My first Paradise Bangkok party was in 2009 with Chris Menist. I met him at a record shop. The first and second parties were very successful, even though we didn’t promote them that much. We mixed Ethiopian music, reggae, African and other world music with Thai funk and look thung.

My purpose is to bring all the music in the world together and make Thai people proud of our own sound. Lately, many people have asked me to play only Thai songs, but that’s not what I want either.

Isaan Dancehall is my second party which focuses more specifically on Thai molam. We have a lot more Thai records now, and I feel it’s important to mix this with dancehall music. It really worked when I first did it in Japan.

“I can’t play in Bangkok; everyone hates molam,” Dao Bandon told me when I booked him for Paradise Bangkok. It turned out to be a very fun party and he thanked me the next morning. Thai people are more open now.

I don’t think I have sophisticated tastes. I like songs that I can feel, and they happen to be these Thai country songs. But I hate look groong like Suntraporn’s. I want to puke every time I hear it.

I’m not a fake kid who pretends to love look thung songs. I’ve had a fight with a taxi driver on this issue. I said I loved Angkana Poonchai and other artists from the same period. He answered that I had the tastes of an old Isaan uncle, and he wouldn’t listen to that stuff even though it’s from Isaan. I think that’s pretty ridiculous.

I buy a vinyl as soon as I see it, otherwise it might be destroyed. I once went to buy a specific record at the Cambodian border, but the owner told me he had just burned 20,000 of them. These guys destroy the history of music! Some of these songs only have 300 copies in the world. If we don’t save them, they will disappear.

I have 50 copies of some records. That’s why I decided to open a record shop.

I believe that the Bangkok music scene has a future. Today people seem to be more open to new things. One day a high school boy came into my shop with his mom. He picked up a spiritual jazz record by New York artist Moondog and bought it after I played him a sample. Apart from Japanese and European collecters, I think the only other Thai person who has it is Pod Moderndog.

We do our part to create variety in the Bangkok music scene, with the belief that the industry can break through the commercial pressure.

Follow ZudRangMa's updates on parties and CD releases here: 
https://www.facebook.com/zudrangmarecordsthailand.