Richie Hawtin spotlights Southeast Asian artists at Prada Extends Bangkok

Following previous outings in London, Tokyo and Miami, Prada Extends landed in Bangkok on June 29, spotlighting Thailand’s diverse selection of artists through electronic music and dialogue.

Created in collaboration with Richie Hawtin — who’s designed a series of original soundtracks for Prada’s runway shows under his Plastikman moniker — Prada Extends uses electronic music to unite different cultures and geographies in meaningful conversation.

The series of live events celebrates not only the powerful force of music, but also its interchanges with culture and creative communities as a whole.

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“Prada Extends Bangkok continued our journey uniting artists around the world in an evening of expression and expansion. The Bangkok edition celebrated the diversity and intensity of this vast metropolis, connecting the local creative community through an experience in sight and sound,” said Hawtin.

He added: “For me, Bangkok resonates with a unique frequency attracting a distinctive collection of like-minded people from across Asia. The dancefloor bought together a true melting pot of ideas and inspiration.”

In a city where history and modernity clash and ultimately merge, Hawtin once again showcased his curatorial expertise through a special collaborative presentation of musicians and artists that bring out the distinct Thai flair in all art forms.

Underlining dialogue and exchanges as a key aspect in driving creativity, the event began with a conversation at the Prada ICONSIAM store, where Mixmag Asia Director Arun Ramanathan discussed the conceptualisation of Prada Extends with Hawtin.

The roughly 30-minute conversation also touched on Hawtin’s take on the power of music in today’s world and Bangkok in particular, the cultural diversity, and how it’s developed in the last few years.

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“Bangkok has a certain heat,” Hawtin said, going on to discuss how he became enamoured by the balance of harmony and chaos, which ultimately coincides with his creative process, always looking for a harmonious point via music as an intersection between art, tech and culture.

He went on to add how electronic music culture has great importance in Southeast Asia, as can be seen in the boundless number of talents and sounds emerging from the region.

Afterwards, invitees were treated to a performance by More Rice Records DJ and music curator, Elaheh. Hawtin also stuck around to meet and greet the crowd, comprising of local artists and fashionistas.

In the evening, the event took over Warehouse Stadium in the Khlong Toei district, with a line-up comprising Vietnam-born DJ and former model BongBongQuayQuay who closed the night with powerful, driving techno, plus Elaheh and More Rice Records co-founder Sarayu, who were all handpicked by Hawtin for the event and presented their more off-kilter sensibilities, providing a strong representation of the level of talent in Southeast Asia.

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Accompanying their evocative sets were visual art, 3D, lighting and interactive installations by Chaiyapat Natt Plubsiri aka yellowtrash alongside the work of Supitchkran Sriprasert aka Footprints on Mars — an electronic DJ and visual artist whose work focuses on exploring the aesthetic possibilities at the intersection of music, art and technology.

Attended by many tastemakers from the country and region at large, including including actor Metawin Opas-iamkajorn, rapper MILLI, and K-pop sensation Jeon Somi, Prada Extends Bangkok was held as a celebration of the connection and interaction among different artistic communities, encouraging innovative ways of thinking, uniting like-minded creatives and establishing bonds between cultures and various forms of art.

Watch snippets from Prada Extends Bangkok in the video below.