One night in Saigon with Khoi Mai

It’s only been a short ride as a DJ for Khoi Mai, a Saigon raised music lover who spent a few years on the road before returning to what would be an even more exciting adventure in his homeland.

Hanoi is where he resettled in 2018, and it didn't take long for the musically-versed folk at underground hub Savage to lock him down as one of their key residents. Playing for a club like Savage comes with its fair share of prerequisites, but mostly loosely termed around one's commitment and testimony to being a purveyor of good vibes and depth of selection. Both boxes are easy to tick with Khoi, as his humble nature and approach to life are highly resonant in his uncompromising selection of tasty house music.

It's not that Hanoi was too much or too little, but more so that Ho Chi Minh City was also a fresh playground to test new sounds. Khoi moved to HCMC just a few months ago and quickly got helmed as a resident of The Observatory, one of Vietnam's forefront establishments for connoisseurs of the underground.

Rolling percussion, spot-on vocal selection and delectable 4 am house vibes are all smoothly packaged into this layered mix of pleasant surprises. This set reminds me of a good night out in HCMC, one that many regular music travellers are missing in Asia right now.

Grab a few cold cans of Saigon Beer and hit play to tune into Mixmag Asia Radio 032 with Vietnam's Khoi Mai.

Tracklist:

1. Prins Thomas - Bobletekno (Perkmiks)
2. Atdhe - Cuốn Vào (Better Things)
3. Bang The Drum - Push / Pull
4. Channel Tres - Sexy Black Timberlake
5. Phil Weeks - Live at the Palladium (Original Mix)
6. Idjut Boys & Laj - Not Reggae (Guitar Mix)
7. Ragtyme - Fix It Man (Chrissy’s Fixer Upper Edit)
8. Moodymann - I Think of Saturday
9. Paper Issue #2 - Fat Dan’s Rub a Dub
10. Telephones - Kanal (Prins Thomas Sure Oppstot Mix)
11. Planetary Assault System - Wriss
12. Charlotte OC - Hangover (Moodymann Mix)
13. Channel Tres - Brilliant Nigga
14. Paper Music - Downtime
15. Detroit Swindle - Live at the Cosmic Carnival (Original Mix)
16. Essa 2 - 2 With a Star (Road to Damascus Remix)
17. Daphni - Springs
18. Ryuichi Sakamoto - Riot in Lagos
19. Chmmr - Kanke Faux Alt Du Peker Paa (Telephones Remix)