It’s Friday night, you’ve got money to burn, cigarettes in your back pocket, and it’s time to party… but where are you going to go? Bangkok’s nightlife has been changing a lot recently and new trends have been sweeping across the city at a steady pace. For the most part, closing times have become a less-talked about issue and styles of music are becoming more and more diverse. Commercial hip hop is still popular but it isn’t given the prominence it once was, and that can only be a good thing.

RCA is quiet. It’s not fair to say the place is dying, but it’s certainly changing. Club Astra is now, sadly, in a state of hibernation. After unforgettable parties at the end of 2005 (Deep Dish, Carl Cox), Astra played venue to a string of quality events with both local and international talent playing. The trouble was that the energy was only there for the big parties. We were spoilt. Out of nowhere there were people like Goldie, Sasha, Coldcut, and DStyles playing at the club and so it was difficult to be excited about anything on a lesser scale. The rumors surrounding Astra have been many, and even now there is some question about its future. The official line is that it will only be open for special events, but this is Bangkok – anything is possible.

Club Culture is what people are calling the ‘new Astra’, if there can be such a thing. The large venue is a converted Thai theater and it’s located on Sri Ayuthaya Road opposite Siam City Hotel, conveniently close to the Phaya Thai BTS station. It’s a brave move opening a club in a new area, but the buzz is getting people through the doors thus far. The music policy is similar to Astra’s with events organized by Buzzin, Wrong Disco, Sound Element, and Glitch to name but a few. It’s a good thing that as of yet the lineups announced haven’t been choc full of A-list stars. Hopefully this will allow the club to build up a solid reputation on its own merit.

The big surprise at the moment is The Club on Khaosan Road. There was some doubt as to whether or not such a club would be worth going to (it was never a question of succeeding, it was always going to succeed). Serge, The Club’s manager, has worked hard to inject some life into the Khaosan scene. The soundsystem is huge and crisp and fills the enormous room effectively; the visual equipment is impressive; there’s an incredible light system; and (most importantly) the music is always a pleasure. The psy-trance nights (Thursdays) are proving particularly popular. Electro, house, and techno in their various guises are played throughout the week, with Wednesdays designated for drum ‘n’ bass. The crowd is a mixture of usual Khaosan folk and locals, making the ambience lively if occasionally a bit shouty.

The indie kids are taking over Bangkok. The biggest success story since Dude/Sweet is Club Soma - not actually a club, but Bangkok’s freshest indie party. There guys went from absolutely nothing to drawing big crowds to every one of their events. Having lots of friends, some effective design work, a branding strategy that would put McDonalds to shame, and a real passion for the music has given rise to the night’s enormous success. With a handful of parties at Jazzit under their belt, Bangkok’s trendsetters have moved their premier party to Cliq Bar, with a smaller, monthly, event now taking place at Club Culture.

For a real taste of the Thai indie scene, head straight to Lullabar. The place is something of an institution in Bangkok, open every night except Monday with live bands, including The Girl’s Friend from Internet (who were such a success at Club Soma recently) every Friday. Lullabar is on Mahannop Soi 1, which is just around the corner from Café De Moc at Democracy Monument.

The only problem with the indie scene is that it’s full of covers. Many bands are happy to rattle off their own versions of Bloc Party and The Killers hits, but it would be refreshing to hear more original material. One prime example was the Kid Insane concert at Jazzit in January. ‘Insomniac’, the band’s debut album, was very impressive, and with a large crowd before them they would have done well to showcase that album to the fullest, but they played a number of covers before they even began to explore their own songs. Listening to cover versions has limited appeal.

The event with the coolest concept in Bangkok is Chicks Rock. The idea is that girl DJs play punked-up songs from girl artists, spanning everything from electroclash to pure rock ‘n’ roll. The most recent parties at Barber (soi Sarazine) have seen throngs of happy clubbers dancing till the early hours. Check the website for details as the parties tend to occur sporadically across the city.

Breaks Bar in Patpong (Silom soi 2/1) is a venue that is nurturing local talent, with various tastes in music catered for (house, breaks, drum ‘n’ bass). Clubs like this are a real blessing for Bangkok nightlife because it gives up and coming (and established) DJs a place to play out. One of the problems with the local scene is that there just aren’t enough DJs and as a result you see the same names on flyers.

Glow on Sukhumvit soi 23 is a club that should be so much better than it is. The venue is tidy, there is space to dance, and the staff are some of the best in the city. The likes of Atomic Hooligan have played at Glow but for some reason attendance figures never push much past a few dozen. Local DJs, such as Oum, E.K. and Ekanan play regularly at Glow, but perhaps a more effective branding campaign would benefit the club as it plays second fiddle to Bed Supperclub and QBar (with whom it is impossible to compete).

On the subject of Bed Supperclub (Sukhumvit soi 11), the venue has always had regular events with talent from overseas. Darren Emerson and Laurent Garnier are the two most recently that spring to mind. The cover charges can be a little expensive, but for a big night out fuelled by Long Island Iced Teas it can be a lot of fun.Big drum ‘n’ bass parties haven’t been as frequent this year as in 2006, but there is still a healthy scene. David (The Specialist) continues to be at the forefront of the international scene (as well as bringing over the likes of Timo Maas), but the local DJs are what really gives Bangkok drum ‘n’ bass its identity. Thursdays at Club Culture are the Homebass drum ‘n’ bass parties with Dragon, Pichy and friends.

You can’t talk about the Bangkok party scene without at least a quick mention of Dude/Sweet. The most recent party (the “closure” of Club Astra) was incredibly busy with some truly colorful characters. Dude/Sweet moves with the times, and the current flavor is indietronica, a clever term coined in an almost NME-esque manner. What it comes down to is the current indie scene with bigger basslines and more shouting than singing, but it’s a scene worth exploring and, as the night at Astra proved, hearing those songs on a big soundsystem gets people dancing like madmen.

Nightlife in the City of Angels is changing, but it’s certainly not dying. It’s still a long way behind Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, but it has enough color and creativity in it to keep it interesting. The after hours clubs keep things going until sunrise, so there is always somewhere to go come the inevitable 2 a.m. disappointment.

Techno’ tags: Party, Nightlife, Bangkok, Thailand, Clubbing