[Event] Unkonscious 2024 - Review

Unkonscious is known as the biggest trance festival in Asia, so of course I had to make my way over there and find out for myself after all the wonderful reviews from other attendees. The festival takes place in Thailand which was always a bucket list location! This was my second time attending the festival and after last year’s experience I knew I had to return.

For those who don't know about me, I currently live in the US, Midwest area. Most of my travels depart from Chicago. It takes just about 2 days to arrive in Thailand depending on layovers. This time, I flew to South Korea (15hr flight) had approx. a 5hr layover and lastly a 6hr flight to Bangkok. I left the US on Jan 27th 0600 and arrived Jan 29th 0000 (Jet lag for days). So unless you’re flying first class, be prepared with sleeping aids and compression socks lol. I tend to pay for my seats so I don’t get stuck in the middle rows. It’s normally < $50 per seat (depending on the airlines) but it’s worth it for me. The cost of flights was very affordable for my income, just about $1100 round trip for 1.5 weeks. Chicago is a hot spot in the US, so flights tend to be “cheaper”. I’ve been to Thailand 3 times now and the most common layover seems to be Seoul or Tokyo.

Arriving at Bangkok airport can be quite daunting but like most international airports it is easy to navigate as long as you read the signs. In Thailand, they use “Grab” instead of Uber, so since most of my flights landed after midnight, it was the best option for me to get a grab to my hotel. There is also the skytrain but it stops running at midnight. It's also very affordable and easy to navigate through when asking around. As a solo traveler, I haven’t had any issues using my phone or asking for directions despite the language barrier. Google translate will do the trick if you feel stuck!

When event organizers can facilitate transport to the party, it puts that festival at the top of my list! The festival takes place at Alexa Beach Club in Pattaya, which is where one can stay for the week full of parties. I purchased the 6 day festival pass that included all events (boat party, pre party, UNK day 1-2 + after parties at the hotel and the two events in Bangkok over the weekend. The ticket also included my stay at Alexa for two nights during the actual festival. All together it was around $450! you can’t beat that! I stayed at a different hotel for the boat party and the pre party just to explore other areas and it was only about 20 mins away with a grab.

Festivals with one stage are elite to me…brings back DS 2015 vibes!  No need to worry about missing other artists or walking around.. everything is right there…and if you get tired or too hot you can relax on the beach or go to your room and relax for a bit! The convenience of being able to go in and out of the festival is the best! the freedom of being able to go to your room to eat, take a nap, grab more drinks or whatever is something I wish every festival had! This year they added the Psy trance stage which I was ecstatic because psytrance is my second love! The stage was way smaller but air conditioned, restrooms just outside as well as a bar and rooftop views and just a nice set up overall for those who needed a change in BPM.

When I think back about my favorite sets, it depends on the subgenre. But the ones that stand out for me were 

• Preparty: JOOF's 4HR pre-party (and festival) set and that comes from someone who sees him often - shocker!!! 😂
• Day 1: Kyau & Albert at the pool party (Ralph set the mood just right), Ciaran McCauley - even after his USB issues - I was glad he was able to play at the afters, and Richard Durand is always a treat!
• Day 2: Sneijder took the cake for me…However, Mark Sherry had a quality set as well and Goa Gummy on the Psy stage. I truly enjoy discovering new artists, his closing set was soo good it made me miss the legend Yoji Biomehanika.    
• Afters: James Cottle b2b Sam Laxton was phenomenal! I had so much fun on both days…there was Trance for everyone!

 

Reflecting back on some of my favorite tracks played during UNK, I'd have to say it was Kyau and Albert who played Velvet morning. I normally don’t request tracks but was happy he played it .  James Cottle played "Without You" - Dogzilla, which is such a favorite of mine and wonderfully mixed during his pool party set. Richard Durand played a remix of "Man on the Run", haven’t heard it in years. Such a classic track and a favorite of mine in the beginning of my trance journey.

Sneijder played “You Take My Breath Away” my favorite track on his recent album "Bring the Noize" as well as remix of "Pearl River"  I mean that whole set was superb. Those are the ones that stand out at the moment. With any festival there are always those songs that you hear more than others or you don't particularly connect with the most, for me this year would be "Sweet Dreams" JOOF Remix?…one play at the pre-party was enough but then he played it again at the festival. After I asked him about it he said "you're not keen of it?" no sir, I am not  Still love him of course, legend of a man. 

Thinking about some of my favorite moments, can be tricky but the biggest one is that some DJs stay at Alexa Beach Club! I was able to enjoy some pool time with Shugz, a nice breakfast with Dan Stone, and during the festival a lot of artists are just walking around enjoying themselves on the beach as well. Similar to Luminosity Beach Festival, I love when DJs can have fun without being bombarded by fans…at the end of the day they also want to party and enjoy their holiday.

But the trip to Thailand wasn't just about Unkonscious! Outside of the event, although this year I had less time, I still managed to do some exploring in Bangkok. I needed to cross off one of the most popular temples, Wat Arun. Rooftop bars are very popular, and is another way to enojy the city views with friends. I recommend Octave, Pastel and Carlton have been some of my favorites ones so far. I also went to True Love Neverland Husky Cafe and it was an incredible experience. They have a facebook page and it was another fun activity if you love huskies just as much as me. Last year, I was lucky enough to take almost 3 weeks off! I explored Pattaya, Bangkok, Chang Mai, Krabi and many of the surrounding islands. Traveling around Thailand is very easy to do and affordable, so I definitely recommend taking the extra time off to do so. 

In closing, it's always amazing to meet so many new friends who are locals and reunited with many from the US, UK, Australia, South Korea, Egypt and the Netherlands…too many friends - all brought together through Trance 💗