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FAHTHAI
CLOSEUP
yangon’s artistic revival
Even with the success of the FAB
parties, South African expat Rick Hein,
who spent several years organising pop-
up parties in London, felt there was
still something missing from Yangon’s
nightlife scene. “The bars and clubs
here are doing a great job, but too
much of it is mainstream,” he says. “I’d
go from one bar to another and hear
the same tunes because most places
stick to what’s popular on MTV.”
Hein and a team of four launched
the Pop Up Club, which hosts monthly
parties. The location remains secret
until the day before and venues have
included private mansions, market
warehouses and upscale hotels.
“Yangon has a fantastic underground
hip-hop scene so we’ve invited them
to perform, as well as playing music
genres that wouldn’t otherwise be
heard,” he says.
The Pop Up Club also flew
Burmese-born, UK-raised DJ Angelo
in from Vietnam to spin at one of its
parties. “I met DJ Angelo while I was
in London and as soon as he told me
he was touring South-East Asia, I
seized the chance to bring him here.
He’s a hugely popular DJ and seeing
him perform in his homeland was
amazing,” Hein says.
These days, Nay Phone Latt no
longer blogs – a decision made in part,
he says, because the country’s youth
are more interested in social media
sites like Facebook and Instagram.
However, if he were ever to resume
blogging (he says he plans to write a
book), it wouldn’t be too surprising to
see it return under a new name; The
City That I Have Dropped seems to
represent a recent past that now feels
strangely distant.
Check out our
destination guide
on page 113
and book
your flights at
bangkokair.com
ABSOLUTELY FAB
The Pop Up Club
hosts parties
with last-minute
announcements
“In an emergingmarket it’s
easy to fall into the trap of
doing something that’s just
good enough. But forme
there’s no fun in that”
