How can a city develop a sound of its own? It definitely needs DJs to feel out what the crowds want and to introduce them to new ideas. But it takes producers to ultimately make the sound itself. “We can create a sound for Bangkok,” says Pati Mala, who’s part of record label and party organizers UNSTๆ. “The scene here is really good now and we have a chance to push a real unique, Thai sound.” He hopes that his new EP with Chiang Mai’s Liem, Transmission, is one step in that direction.

UNSTๆ started several years ago as a party, but last year they waded into record label territory, dropping an all-Thai compilation of dance music called Space Cadets, Vol. 1. Most of the active members of the collective are also part of More Rice Records, which releases music from across Asia, but this was an effort to zero in on the hometown. To bring new acts into the mix, they reached out to local DJs and worked with those who were interested in producing, helping them realize their ideas as finished tracks for release. “When we started our parties, the scene was so small,” says Pati. “It was mostly expats and foreigners. We’d go to their shows and it’s only like ten Thai people and 200 hundred others. But so much has changed and grown. Now we’re taking the next step and looking to get people producing.”

In 2011 Marmosets was on the lookout for new DJs to open at his parties and invited DOTT and Pati to play on the same night, which served as their introduction. “I really liked his set so we talked and stayed in touch,” Pati says, but it wasn’t until five years ago that he officially joined UNSTๆ. When DOTT reached out to the team to see who was interested in an EP, Pati jumped at the idea and he was paired with Liem, who’s always got a stack of new music and has a similar style. (If you’re up north and looking to hear some good DJs, be sure to stop by his bar Noise.) The two shared some music through a group chat and landed on the four tracks that made it onto the Transmission release.

The result is a spacey house record with an edge. Reverb-drenched effects drift through opening track “Just Kidding” by Liem, while bouncy kicks, excited synths, and smooth basslines handle the spotlight. “Not Your Disko” by Pati picks up the pace a bit with more snares and brighter tones but matches the energy with trippy effects and bassy grooves. There’s a little 8-bit melody in there too that keeps it interesting. Overall it’s a record that emphasizes fun but also revels in a bit of grime. Is this sound of Bangkok? That’s up to you, peoples.