Behind the Scenes at DJ Lab 2013
W Hotels Worldwide and Coca-Cola burn called upon young DJs from around the world to participate in a hardcore DJ Bootcamp in Thailand. The competition left a panel of esteemed industry mentors with over 1,400 online entries. Chosen out of those entries was a group of young, starry-eyed and promising DJs ranging from the U.S to Mexico to Korea. The DJs will have the opportunity to put out their first record and they will also tour throughout the W Hotels exclusive venues. The team of mentors included Paul Oakenfold, DJ White Shadow, James Lavelle and Andy Caldwell.
Captions by Lauren Musacchio
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Extraordinary Settings
The DJ Lab split time between the island of Koh Samui and Bangkok, Thailand. The young DJs have been given a huge opportunity to study with a team of mentors by day and perform in extraordinary settings by night.
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Beautiful Surroundings
The talented group of DJ/Producers take a break from lessons to soak up the beautiful surroundings at the W Hotel Koh Samui in Thailand.
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Schooling
Andy Caldwell schools DJ T.A.T., a young DJ/Producer from Mexico City.
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Floating Lanterns
The 'Floating Lanterns' are a Thai tradition on special occasions.
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Prepping for a Set
Andy Caldwell preps for a set.
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Incredible Light Show
An incredible light show by Thai locals.
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An Eager Crowd
DJ T.A.T. from Mexico City performs to an eager crowd of musicians and the media in Koh Samui, Thailand.
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Packed Crowd
Andy Caldwell performs to a packed crowd at the W Hotel Bangkok.
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Kicking the Night Off
Michaelangelo L'Acqua, Global Music Director of the W Hotels, hops on the tables to kick the night off in Bangkok.
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Beached Elephant
After a cruise around the island of Koh Samui, DJ Lab attendees are pleasantly surprised to be greeted by a beached elephant.
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Step Up
Hong Kong DJ duo, Parvenu, step up to entertain in Koh Samui, Thailand.
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Open Exchange
DJ White Shadow, producer of Lady Gaga's Born This Way and upcoming album, ARTPOP, felt strongly about the mentorship program mentioning that he wished someone was there to guide him in this way when he was younger. He said, "I just asked them what they want to do when moving forward because there are a lot of different paths you can choose. I point out things technically – how to change this, how to change that – but really it was just an open exchange of information about where they wanted to go and see if I had advice based on my past experience to help them move there."
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Bonding
"You very rarely spend a week with people you don't know. It's bonding. It's a very different experience. Usually as a DJ, you are there for a day," said James Lavelle.