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He may be only 24 years old but when it comes to the music business, Fahmai Damrongchaitham has the poise and savoir faire of someone twice his age. But then that's not really surprising, given that the project manager of Mashroom, a new electronic-oriented music label under the umbrella of GMM Grammy, Thailand's major recording company, is the son of Grammy's founder and chairman Paiboon Damrongchaitham.

 The eldest of four children, Fahmai has been closely associated with Grammy since he was just a lad. He remembers folding album covers and inserting them into cassette tape boxes while he was at elementary school.

"I learned more about the business every summer when I came home from school in the States. Fortunately, dad also brought me into the boardroom," says Fahmai, who's now working with Krit Thomas, chief executive of Grammy's music business. "I learned everything from him - his strategic plan as well as the management of all labels under Grammy."

And of course, he's also learned a lot from his father.

"He gives me suggestions all the time just by talking about his working experience. I've adopted my father's motto that says we should attempt to do things, draw up a plan, be diligent in our work, and always be consistent," he says. "He's my role model."

Fahmai, whose name means "new sky", is very much a new generation executive and while he acknowledges being born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, he also sees it for the advantage that it undoubtedly is.

"My father has never forced me to do anything but has always guided me instead," he explains. "This music business isn't about machinery management but people management. If nobody believes in my capabilities, I won't be able to cut it."

Being the son of such a well-known businessman doesn't make life easier but rather pushes Fahmai to work harder in order to succeed.

"I know my father is greater, so I feel more pressured," he says. "Frankly speaking, it isn't necessary for me to do anything but I'd always feel that people were looking down on me and I'd hate that. I want to prove myself that I can overcome the pressure. The Grammy personnel are my resources and I have a lot of respect for them."

Fahmai is interested in a variety of music genres. He started playing drums in his teens and formed a band with his friends at high school, playing rock and hardcore numbers by Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Slipknot and Korn. He cites the last two as his favourite bands.

He later developed a liking for blues and jazz after listening to his father's collection of Frank Sinatra hits and hanging out at Saxophone, the jazz pub at Victory Monument.

He became fascinated by electronic music while studying in the US.

"The first year I was there, I lived with an American family in Santa Monica, California and couldn't really go out. During my second year, I played rock with friends at a Thai pub. In my third year, I moved downtown as I was attending the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California. I heard electronic music for the first time at 'Monster Massive 2007', which was staged at Los Angeles Sports Arena right next to my university. The concert attracted 30,000 people," he recalls.

Since returning home in 2008, Fahmai has been working at Grammy as well as with the electronic music label, Mashroom. He's also attended several DJ-related events at pubs, as well as Bacardi B-Live and Culture One.

"The genre has its own community and fanbase. ZoukOut in Singapore is fun but it's an attraction in support of the government. This market hasn't yet been exploited to its fullest.

"In Thailand, most events are planned for 500 or 1,000 people. If I stick to that scale, I think I can do well thanks to strong marketing and the multimedia companies under Grammy. The production will obviously be better as we have Media Vision as our supplier for big events. With Grammy's connections and credit, it isn't hard for me to contact and negotiate with the DJs I want. Also, we have many outlets around the country that can be used as venues. It's a new market for Grammy," says the young executive.

In November, Fahmai brought in leading Northern European DJ Marcus Schossow for a gig at Thonglor hotspot Maya. This year, he's presenting Egyptian trance music duo Aly & Fila and Japan's ultra popular disco, house and electro DJ Usui at the Big Mountain Music Festival.

"In the future, I'd like to have my DJs on hand. I'd ideally want to present a line-up of mashers along with their profiles - skills and styles - at events here and Singapore, Malaysia and Japan."

Right now, Fahmai's busy working on a feasible business model.

"The trend of electronic music is definitely coming," he says. "It's just a matter of time."

  MASHING AT  BIG MOUNTAIN

- The Big Mountain Music Festival will be held at Bonanza Khao Yai on February 5 and 6.

- Among the electronic-music acts are Egyptian DJs Aly & Fila, voted at DJ Mag among the Top 100 DJs in the world on three occasions. The duo recently launched new record label, "Future Sound of Egypt".

- Another act will be Japanese DJ Usui, a leading figure on Tokyo's new wave and electro-pop scene.