American socialite Paris Hilton flew into Bangkok for one night on Monday (October 22) to announce the massive Sydictive Element New Year’s Eve party planned for Surin Beach. Up to 50,000 people are expected to attend the two-day dance marathon.
Organizers confirmed Ms Hilton will be attending the Phuket event – her first time to the island.
“I believe you should live every day to its fullest, filled with fun and laughter. This time, Sydictive is going to make that so easy and I’m proud to be part of it,” Ms Hilton told the crowd during the launch in Bangkok.
Organizers say the 48-hour party will feature international acts such as LMFAO, Basement Jaxx, Marco V, Tydi, and Ken Ishii, with other acts to be announced in the future
The DJs will play on a floating pontoon, dubbed “the world’s largest ocean-floating stage,” set up in the sea 10 meters from the shore, with 3D mapping and LED backdrops.
Sydictive Element representatives said Ms Hilton – who was propelled into the public eye after footage of a hotel room dalliance was released on the internet – was chosen to be a spokesperson for the party because she is well known for her “charismatic personality, love of life, and socialite status”.
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Dr Warachart Chanchai, Vice President of Sydictive Element, said the company chose Surin Beach instead of Patong because Surin Beach was only 1.5km long, and event security would be better able to monitor the event and control crowds, according to a front page scoop in the Phuket News.
Dr Warachart said Jirat Pethnunthawong, CEO of Sydictive Element, had flown down to Phuket on several occasions to visit the site. This is the company’s first event in Phuket, though Mr Jirat has previously held other events in China and Malaysia, and is responsible for creating the famous nightclub Fabrique in Chiang Mai.
Mr Jirat said that the event had been planned for more than six months, with only minor details still needing to be worked out. He confirmed he had approval from local Phuket authorities on the venue, because it would boost tourism in Phuket over the Christmas and New Year period.
Phuket officials, including Chanchai Doungjit, Director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) Phuket Office; Sommai Preechasilpa, Phuket Vice Governor; Ma-Ann Samran, President of the Cherng Talay OrBorTor; and other representatives from the OrBorTor will meet next week to discuss matters.
During the meeting the group will discuss promotion, logistics, police presence, security and other issues relating to the ambitious event.
Phuket governor, Maitree Intusut, said, “I have known about this project for a while and I think it is a good idea. The next step is to invite all the people involved to meet together, and the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) will take care of this process.”
Mr Chanchai of the TAT also supported the event.
“This will be a huge festival for Phuket, and will be a colorful countdown [to 2013]. The organizers are well known in Asia, and this concert will attract many international acts.”
Mr Ma-Ann, of the OrBorTor, said when he first heard about the event he was surprised because he had not been informed by the organizers. He would know more about the event after next week’s meeting, he said.
When questioned, Sydictive Element CEO Mr Jirat said that hosting the event in Bangkok would’ve turned it “into a media frenzy instead of a celebration of the New Year”.
He also wasn’t able to find a suitable venue in the capital that would be able to ensure public safety for the predicted 50,000 strong crowd.
“With the use of fireworks, laser beams, and projectors there were too many restrictions to host the event in Bangkok.”
When Mr Jirat was asked how he would deal with the lack of local public transport to get partygoers to and from Surin Beach, he said he was still negotiating with the Renaissance Hotel in Mai Khao to try and provide a shuttle service that would run throughout the night.
The hotel is listed on the company’s website as an accommodation option for those coming to Phuket for the event. There is no word what local tuk-tuk operators would make of this arrangement.
Early bird tickets purchased before October 21 are B2,000 and are available from
thaiticketmajor.com.
Line-up for Sydictive Element:
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx is an English house music duo comprised of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe that rose to popularity in the late 1990s. Basement Jaxx started in Brixton, London in 1994, where they held a regular club night called Rooty, which would later become the name of their second album. The duo took their name from the location of the studio where they recorded their first EP.
LMFAO
LMFAO are an American electropop duo consisting of Redfoo and SkyBlu. The duo grew up in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhood Pacific Palisades, where they formed the group LMFAO in 2006. The duo has said its original name was Sexe Dude (read as Sexy Dudes) and the two subsequently changed it at the advice of their grandmother, who wasn’t comfortable with the label.
JFK Mstrkrft
JFK or Jesse Frederick Keeler of the electronic music duo MSTRKRFT (pronounced Master-craft) is also known as the bassist of Canadian dance punk duo Death from Above 1979. The music industry knows MSTRKRFT for its remixes of Katy Perry’s “California Gurls”, Bloc Party’s “Two More Years”, Kylie Minoque’s “Wow”, Usher’s “Love in This Club”, and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Zero”.
Ken Ishii
Ken Ishii debuted on a legendary Belgian techno label, R & S Records, in 1993. In that same year he went straight to No.1 on the UK’s NME magazine’s techno chart. In 1998, he produced the official theme song for the winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, and then in 2000, was interviewed and put on the cover of Newsweek magazine, featured as a symbol of new Japanese culture.
Marco V
Marco V has been around for many years, as an inventive, style-blending deejay and a successful producer. “The audience is always my first concern. If the music is great, but the party isn’t happening, something is definitely going wrong. I try to prove that it is possible to create a happy atmosphere with quality music. It is not the easiest way to play, but it has kept me around.”
Tydi
Signed to the respected Armada label at the tender age of 17, Australia’s Tyson Illingworth is not even close to breaking a decade in the business yet. Better known as DJ tyDi on the EDM circuit, it’s evident there is so much more to come from this musically accomplished phenom. Everyone wants to hear about the DJ’s rock roots, clothing line and his recent release ‘Shooting Stars’.
Myon & Shane 54
The remixes of this Hungarian duo are big favourites of the best DJs in the world, including the likes of Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, Ferry Corsten, Paul Oakenfold, Tiësto, Paul van Dyk and many more. Shane also sings their songs live, so it’s more of a live act, and they had guest mixes on radio shows like Above & Beyond’s “Trance Around the World” and Tiesto’s “Club Life”.
Tiga
Tiga is the stage name of Montreal, Quebec, Canada-born DJ/producer Tiga James Sontag (born 1974). Before producing music, he was involved in the promotion of rave parties in his native city during the early 1990s. Tiga is widely known for his remixes, which include Tomas Andersson’s “Washing Up”, Scissor Sisters’Comfortably Numb and Soulwax’s “E-Talking” but also for his covers of Nelly’s “Hot In Herre”, Public Enemy’s “Louder Than a Bomb” and Felix da Housecat tunes.
Alex Gaudino
Alex Gaudino began his adventure in the music business in Italy in 1993 at the famous Flying Records and UMM. In 1998 Alex founded RISE Records, which soon became one of the most respected European labels, signing hit records like The Tamperer and Black Legend. His remixes over the last couple of years read like a roll call of dance music’s biggest players, including Armin van Buuren’s Never Say Never’, ‘Peace Song’ by Bob Sinclar, and ‘Escape Me’ by Tiesto.
Dash Berlin
Dash Berlin, was born as Jeff X. Sutorius, in November 1979, in The Hague, the Netherlands. A family with wide musical tastes surrounded him and because of his late father, who was a distinguished drummer in a jazz band, Dash became acquainted with the typical marks of rhythmic music at a very young age. While still at high school, he became a devoted fan of electronic music.
Aruna
Aruna Abrams’s musical journey dates back many years and runs through different genres. Starting with metal, then turning to pop and rock, and eventually making herself home in dance. In 2006, she co-wrote the hit song “I Got Nerves” for Disney star Miley Cyrus. The following year, she was approached by The Thrillseekers to create a trance song. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Amadeus
Renowned DJ and stellar producer Amadeus has recently taken his act on the road, playing his newest productions all over the globe with regular stops in the US, Canada, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Australia. He has performed alongside some of the biggest names in EDM such as Tiesto, Steve Angello, Kaskade, Bob Sinclar, Sharam, Roger Sanchez, and Peter Rauhofer.
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