Goldie on holiday in Bangkok (again)
Club Astra was open last night! After a couple of months of downtime, the one-time saviour of Bangkok nightlife opened its doors for Claude Von Stroke. The event was supposed to be at Tunnel (an after-hours club), but circumstances led to it having to be moved. It was odd to see all the Tunnel staff working in Astra, and Tunnel’s door lady is what you might call “mardy”. The soundsystem in Astra is shot to pieces. Bangkok nightlife needs new soundsystems, or at least decent engineers. Club Soma’s party at Cliq Bar last week was really busy, but you got the impression that the soundsystem might have blown up at any minute.
I was surprised to see Goldie last night. Who’s Goldie, you say? You know, the British guy with the golden grills; made the seminal drum ‘n’ bass album Timeless; starred in Eastenders as a gangster named Angel; had roles in ‘Snatch’ and ‘The World is Not Enough’; and had a fiery relationship with Icelandic singer Bjork. He’s the man partially responsible for turning drum ‘n’ bass into a phenomenon, making himself a megastar in the process. Goldie, along with Andy C, Roni Size and Marky, is one of the most universally revered drum ‘’n’ bass DJs.
I’ve long been a fan of Goldie, but I remember that in years gone by he was known as the grumpiest man in drum ‘n’ bass. You could forgive his moodiness after making tracks like ‘Inner City Life’ and ‘Angel’. Goldie is 41-years-old now, but he’s still making tunes, and his latest work under his Rufige Cru alias has been a return to form. The album Malice in Wonderland was released in May this year.
As well as an enormous pair of biceps and a bulging chest, Goldie was sporting a pretty, young girlfriend at Astra. In terms of celeb spotting, this wasn’t particularly exciting, but it was amusing to see Goldie dancing. Goldie has, to the best of my recollection, played in Bangkok three times in the past 18 months, and he loves the place so much that he’s back here on holiday.
Have you seen any celebs out and about in Bangkok recently?
Techno’ tags: Goldie, Drum n bass, Bangkok
