First job: Painted houses and mowed lawns to buy music equipment.
Rule for life:  Be yourself, everyone else is taken.
Never leave home without: Amex.
Most inspirational person: My kids and my girlfriend Sofia.
Best DJ gig you’ve ever been to: Haven’t yet!
On a night out you: Have more fun than humans are allowed to have.
Close your eyes and listen to my music, you will see: Fun—whatever that looks like.
Hum this tune in the shower: ”Bananas in pajamas.”
Last lie: I’ll never drink again.
What to expect at your gig: An awesome start to an amazing New Year for all.
Favorite website: www.stumbleupon.com.
Favorite audience: People who live for the music, dance it, breathe it, sing it and live it.

Technique & medium: Digital photography on light-box, screen, photographic paper print.

Why Bangkok Noir? Actually Noir is the French word for black. The title is inspired by film noir, which is a movie style that has roots in  German Expressionist  cinematography. It emphasizes  low-key lighting and  unbalanced compositions; this is the perfect characterization for the kind of mood which I want to photograph.  Bangkok is a world of shadows and occasional bursts of light that make it an interesting model for my camera.

What inspired you to take these images? Bangkok itself. Bangkok’s shadows always interest me more than the scattered light. Bangkok is often characterized as an erotic city but there is so much else going on at night.  There is always activity: you can donate a coffin for homeless people in a temple, get a tattoo, visit night and flower markets—and there is always a special food, bar or disco out there. The pictures are taken from everywhere in greater Bangkok, chosen by instinct, by chance and sometimes by planning.

What draws you to a particular image? As a photographer I always found it very challenging to capture the various light moods in Bangkok at night. Sometimes there is only one bulb, one neon strip, a Tuk Tuk passes by with red, green, yellow lights or sometimes there is a fully illuminated  skyscraper. This light, the reflections, rain, clouds and moon are always moving. Everything is permanently changing. You find an amazing location, the next day it has may be gone.

This exhibition is categorized under the five human basic senses, why is that?

For me, there is no other megacity in the world where the human senses are always this stimulated.  Bangkok is a 24-hour kitchen—a smell, a taste, a sound, something to see, to discover, and if you need a touch, get a massage or try giving one. Bangkok is the perfect blend of form, content and feeling. It’s full of shadows and light. I love Bangkok.

Parisa Pichitmarn

Yamazaki

B28 per piece. G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., BTS Siam.
What a bizarre look. Is this egg tart overdosing on calcium? The crust is really cakey, not crispy, and the filling has a whole lot of vanilla. More like a pudding, and with no bold egg flavor.

Kanom <WINNER>

B40 per piece. For a complete list of branches, visit www.ka-nom.com
We love how the top is browned nicely and that it actually looks how an egg tart is supposed to look like. In fact, our tasters eagerly queued to pop this cutie pie into their mouths. The flakey crust is nice and crunchy and you can really taste the egg in its thick filling.

KFC <RUNNER UP>

B25 per piece. G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd., BTS Siam.
The appearance is tip top thanks to the browned yellow custard. In fact, we like the KFC filling best, too—great texture and a smooth milky taste. The sour note is the crust which is obviously intended to be flakey but ends up being more clumpy.

BreadTalk

B28 per piece. G/F, Siam Paragon, Rama 1 Rd. BTS Siam.
Here we go again with that shortbread-like crust that we just hate. The crumbly dough feels undercooked but we must admit that this is the most eggy tasting tart so far—thought that might be too much of a good thing.

Mandarin Oriental

B35 per piece. G/F, Paragon, Rama 1Rd. BTS Siam
It may be an absurdly small tart but it definitely has the best crust thanks to a great blend of butter, salt and a crispy texture. It has a pleasant taste but tips towards being more of a Western dessert. The filling texture is that of lemon curd—minus the lemon, of course.

What’s an Egg Tart?

These pastries originated from Hong Kong in the 1940s in the cha chaan tengs, Chinese tea diners that serve affordable on-the-go dishes such as noodles, pasta and fried rice. Both short crust and flakey pie crust are acceptable but the latter is the choice of connoisseurs. We bet Hong Kong nicked the little tarts from Macau’s Portuguese community as they look just like the pastel de nata that have been around since the 1800s.