Feature Interview – VELOX Festival

Earlier this year, VELOX presented the “Velox Online Festival 2021“. From sunrise to nightfall, from dusk till dawn, broadcasting from 11 different locations on their state-of-the-art platform, they gathered 51 DJs and collectives from all around the country to bring the people an event like no other.

With their aim of bringing the sound and feel of being at a festival into the ravers’ home, ozonebeach.club took the opportunity to meet the VELOX team to find out more about the festival.

1.) Who are behind the VELOX team?

Krit Morton: I’m Krit, I coordinate between the crews, location, and DJ lineups.
Thanaphat ‘Ryan’ Ogaslert: I’m Ryan. My main role is to take care of production and video editing.
Fah Sarunrat Seelarat: Hi, I am Fah Pharalai. I work in the production and communication side of things.
Supitchkran Sripasert: Greetings, I am Tucky. I am responsible for the visuals and the art directions for the VELOX project.
Thunyathip ‘Esther’ Usanapong: Hello, I am Esther. I am responsible for the graphic designs for the VELOX Facebook page.
Munta Morton: I am Munta. I am responsible for transportation & logistics, and some of the video editing work.

2.) What does VELOX stand for?

Krit: VELOX is looking to organise a REAL Thai DJs festival with unique dance music in the future.
Ryan: In other words, the name VELOX comes from the different velocity and angles. Representing DJs from many backgrounds with their angles on this form of music, coming together in this junction, therefore, the “X”.
Fah: VELOX is an online music festival that wishes to prove the vitality of the underground music scene in Thailand, mainly Bangkok.
Tucky: I can’t recall exactly what Velox stands for, and it doesn’t really matter to me. You could think of it as a space that tries to showcase our local gems, connecting the dots between themselves, the DJs, and the crowd, through available technology.

3.) Can you tell us more about how the project started?

Krit: It started with an idea and a question, “Why does everyone stream their shows or sets separately? Why don’t we try to form an online festival to gather DJs and audiences together?” Especially during the pandemic, we need to keep our collective soul alive.
Fah: After Phi Krit had an idea to create a live stream festival, we got together and started brainstorming. We started to plan and coordinate the lineup, seek out shooting locations, and recruit crew members. Everything just happened and went with the flow mainly because we all share the same passion for dance music.
Ryan: By bringing together DJs from all over Thailand, we celebrate the act of unity in the current dire global situation. At first, we discussed the duration and numbers of featuring DJs and we ended up with 51 distinct Djs with their unique taste and styles.
Tucky: The crew and I were just gathered together, f**king around. Then we saw different groups streaming in their own way, with their own crowd. So we thought and thought, How can we cross the crowds from different groups and bring them together on one show. From there, with a lot of refinement, the idea started.

4.) What did you find most challenging about organising the event?

Krit: The most challenging thing is how to make people gather passion because we didn’t have funds to do it. However, I am very grateful with the end result.
Ryan: In my opinion, the logistics of the project. But, after we got the time slots done, the rest was mostly pure fun and lighthearted.
Fah: For me, with the limit of having 51 DJs, we couldn’t invite other DJs to the event. In fact, there are many more talented DJs out there that we would like to have perform at VELOX.
Tucky: Well, I could tell you that it was a very ambitious and challenging project from the start. Just the fact we have to gather so many DJs and try to schedule in the slots was a challenge. Even finding the locations was not easy as everything was shut down, due to Covid 19. But thanks to the team’s dedication, they pushed through a lot of hardship and completed it beautifully. 

5.) What are the most satisfying aspects of this project for you?

Krit: The quality of the music. It is just spot on.
Ryan: Seeing DJs come together again with that raw and unfiltered emotion, makes me regain hope in music again.
Tucky: When I saw it live for the first time, I can tell you, it all became worth it. Seeing all the DJs and the crowd active on the live chat made it worth all the hard work.

6.) How would you like to develop this project further for the future?

Krit: We want to expand to other provinces and bring more DJs from every locale.
Ryan: There are so many routes we can take. In my opinion, we could be more inclusive and feature visual artists and set designers in the near future.
Fah: We would like to communicate our message about underground dance music to listeners, and continue creating projects with creativity and quality.
Tucky: Sometimes you guide the system, sometimes you have to let it guide you. 

7.) What message would you like to send out about the underground scene in Thailand?

Krit: Believe in your soul, practice your own taste. The dancefloor is not just about playing music, but also the knowledge in the equipment and the specialisation in your set.
Ryan: There is so much music and people to explore. Let’s cherish this wonderful diversity. 🙂
Tucky: There is still a huge room to grow with plenty of opportunities and possibilities.
Esther: I think it is so cute to encourage each other in the underground scene. We are still growing in these times of crisis.
Fah: Don’t lose hope on the dancefloor!

8.) Where can people find more information about future VELOX Festival events?

Ryan: The replay of the festival can be found on our Youtube channel VELOX. Additional content is posted on our Facebook page and Instagram account. You can find messages from the featured DJs there.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJbef2cm6sc

9.) Have you set a date for the next VELOX Festival yet?  Any other project news to update?

Krit: We haven’t planned anything for the near future due to the unfortunate Covid situation.
Ryan: Nothing major planned yet. But, we are eager to create future projects that will connect AND reconnect people in our scene again. So stay tuned for some good news soon! In the meantime, please feel free to visit and enjoy each and every DJs featured with us. You will not regret it!
Fah: For those who can support us, you can contribute to this festival by sharing our sets from YouTube and Soundcloud. Also, if you want some VELOX memorabilia, we made some limited screened t-shirts that have all the names in the festival lineup. Check it out on our Facebook page If you want to grab one.
Tucky: Due to the current situation, everything is very uncertain. Regardless of that, we will definitely come up with something nice for everyone.

Listen and find out more about the VELOX project:
https://soundcloud.com/christopher-morton-214260252/sets/velox-online-festival-friday-25-june-2021?fbclid=IwAR22eMoCQFxqhT9LjZXed4vZosT3stUsw1WsyDzz1GFNHiR4k-90nJCtm_k

Event info: