Finding a Needle in a Haystack of House

In the last 6 weeks I've been asked repeatedly where the next hotspot will be in the ET Zone. I've put a fair bit of effort into trying to track one down but as it stands there is nothing positioned to take over the nightlife and party feel left behind by Santika. Interestingly there are 4 venues along Ekamai that all have dual bar configurations that I would have expected to jump into the scene. Nang Len, Jet, Curve and Muse all have secondary rooms that stand to position themselves uniquely in the zone. Unfortunately they are all afterthoughts with little creativity and definite lack of focus. All 4 play house music which I've said a hundred times before does not get people out. I'm not saying house music isn't good...it is...but locals here take to it like tequila as a hangover remedy.

That said it amazes me that while all 4 remain empty like a fat kid's birthday party, none of the owners have even attempted to change it up. If even one of these started a local Hip Hop groove it would pick up where Escudo and Santika left off. Granted it would take some marketing to reverse the tainted image most farangs get while visiting the main venue halls but I would definitely help market this and we could take over the ET Zone as the Hip Hop kings!

So which bars have the best potential for this? There are three that come to mind and here they are in order.

Groove Kitchen
Groove Kitchen is located on Thonglor between Soi 1 and 3 and has been open since I moved to Bangkok. It has however always struggled to draw a crowd. For starters there is no indication at Ana Garden that this place even exists, but hidden in the back like a highschool couple at a Hugh Grant movie, lies a real gem. They have even been neglected on their own mother's website with the link to Groove Kitchen from the Ana Garden homepage broken (welcome to Thailand). Now like every bar sans Thai music they play house. With a bit of marketing, signage and hip hop thunder this baby could rock and the atmosphere is perfect for this market.

Jet Metropolitan Life Phenomenon
Jet's neglected brother is a far cry from a phenomenon. Shockingly the type of crowd that is drawn out to live Thai music venues just isn't interested in the monotonous drone of obscurity that house offers. In this case, as with most dual venued establishments, the impenetrable density of Thai zombies wins and keeps most interested clubbers out. The house half does occasionally get some traffic but this spillover from customers in the main room is more like undesirable heartburn after cramming down a full pizza. It would take a bit more work but with some solid marketing catering to a more affluent crowd and a dedicated hip hop night this place could be a winner.

Escobar
There was a time when I thought Escobar had the potential to be a local Q Bar. Lately the house half of Nang Len is just an extension of the main crowd complete with low mushroom chairs and buckets of ice and Johnnie. They have maintained their house heritage which is odd as it obviously doesn't work with a crowd who insist on sitting in the middle of the dance floor babying whiskey cokes all night. A few times I have tried to go late and dance and in all cases was thoroughly annoyed trying to dance through a mindfield of unstoppable fungi growth. Note, cocktails here are the worst.

My concern with the last two options is simple proximity. The owners are driven by business models that cater to zoos filled with Thai teenagers. Any attempt at sophistication they may have had has been drowned in endless shelves filled with Black Label. These crowds just deter many club goers on principle and slowly but surely even Jet's sluggish sibling will start to be taken over by the inevitable need of Thais to fill empty spaces with tables.

I look at Q Bar, Twisted, Bed Supper Club, Route 66, Slim, and every after hours bar in the city and they all enjoy great success when they play Hip Hop. How is it the local owners of Ekamai Thonglor nightlife can't see this? For less cost than adopting an Ethiopian kid they can simply change the CD.

Until these sleeping giants wake up, keep supporting the ET Zone and give Groove Kitchen a try. It's a bit hard to find but just walk through the main entrance of Ana Garden on Thonglor between Soi 1 and 3 and head through the candlelit garden path. Once you see it I guarantee you'll immediately recognize the potential and start spreading the word yourself.