On the second floor above a bright green weed shop, nestled in a skinny building amidst the super clubs of RCA, is the home of Durian Radio; a raw concrete box where DJs blast tunes for their friends and stream live video for the world. It’s a station that makes an effort to put on for local DJs amidst the constant influx of visiting DJs from the rest of the world. They highlight a love for local culture in their visuals as well.
Durian was originally a roving daytime party called Dai Daeng—named after the red string Thai weed of lore—throwing parties at unique places like a rooftop along Yaowarat Road in the heart of Chinatown. But when the pandemic shut everything down, they had to find a new way to connect with the music. So they started Thailand’s first streaming station, broadcasting video of DJs from the Commons Saladaeng. “We didn’t seek out famous DJs, we tried to give new DJs a chance to show their style. We wanted versatile DJs with new sounds,” says DJ Psynus, who’s responsible for Durian’s event production. “It wasn’t like playing a big venue, it was more like a family for people who want to share music,” adds Diet Soon, their art director.
People were feening to party, willing to go out and risk catching the virus in order to listen to tunes at their Saladaeng location, partying with masks on for hours. They broadcast 400-500 DJ sets during their time there, lining up four DJs each Saturday and Sunday. But after the pandemic started to loosen its grasp and regular people returned to the Commons, they struggled a bit. At first, they tried playing downstairs, but it wasn’t the same vibe. “It was a different crowd so we couldn’t play whatever music we wanted,” says Joseph, who’s in charge of business decisions and strategy. So they decided to move locations.
Eventually, they settled on moving into their current location above the Green Ape weed shop, which is conveniently owned by Joseph. Being located in RCA has its benefits like never getting complaints from neighbors and being able to stay open until 4AM if they want. But the neighborhood is no longer the nightlife destination it used to be and is now focused on clubs that aren’t driven by a love for music and guests often don’t like being in the area other than to visit Durian. By this point, they had already changed their name to Durian Radio.
They once again found the freedom to play whatever they want and say they haven’t changed a bit since those early days. “We’re stubborn,” they all laugh. “Anything goes,” adds La Yumar, who’s their music director. “But we see more and more foreigners hitting us up wanting to play. We aim to keep the space for locals first. We seek out Thai DJs to play. Sometimes the local DJs are shocked when we ask because they’re shy and afraid to make mistakes.” Although Durian certainly allows foreigners to play, their mission is to show local culture to the world first and foremost. The sound is handled by Bunnyman.
You can see Durian’s local pride in their visuals as well. It’s full of Thai references, with bright colors reminiscent of old-school packaging and fonts pulled from street signage. “We’re not traditional visual Thai style,” Diet and La Yumar say. “It’s modern, everyday type shit, with elements drawn from diverse parts of the culture. Thais are very diverse, with different regions and cultures. We use stuff we saw while growing up, even like curtains and jasmine bouquets; little stuff. Not like Thai dance or Buddhist monks, but small elements instead. It’s still very Thai.”
That approach can be seen on Durian’s new website, which resembles an old mom-and-pop sho huay shop. And it’s clear in their editorial shoot for their most recent merch line, which is actually a restock of their very first line. In it, they pose in front of strip clubs, tuk tuks, and snack on scorpions; poking fun at the tourists who all do the same things. ” It’s kind of a parody shoot,” Joseph laughs. “But it’s still cool, it sits in the middle somewhere.” That could be their motto: they can always be counted on for a bit of comedy, an appreciation for local culture and artists, and a love for cutting-edge vibes.
