Location: Phuket, Thailand
Capacity: 5,000
Illuzion’s reputation in South-East Asia is hard to countenance, with more than 2.5 million people passing through its doors the year before the pandemic for in-house sessions like legendary hip-hop-centred party The Notorious Friday — one of the city’s most in-demand events. Not that the draw of other promotions isn’t similarly powerful, with the Shelter area now a regular platform for techno DJs and producers. Open seven nights a week, each evening has a different music policy, so as you’d expect the list of residents is long, with artistic director Mighty Mo, DJ Tracks, KRAIZ, and DJ Groove barely scratching the surface, while MC talent comes in the form of MD Mochio, Ricky Jay, and Karuzzo.
Recent upgrades have been similarly extensive, and include a new VIP lounge hidden behind a large LED screen, an additional bar, and replacement seating for ultra comfort. All that said, it’s the technical improvements that probably stand out the most, now offering Funktion-One, L-Acoustics and Outline rigs across three rooms, 100-square-metre full-HD video, drones and GoPros installed in booths, to live stream sets from visiting big guns such as Dimitri Vegas, ALOK, NERVO, Will Sparks, Tujamo, and Jonas Blue.