Open since March, Room 18 has actually managed to make a nightclub work within the sterilized and pop-happy confines of Warner Village. While doing so, the club has also become a main mover in the Taipei rave and dance party scene, which you can check out for yourself at this weekend's Pure Love 01, an event thrown in conjunction with Channel V tonight in Taipei at New York New York and tomorrow night in Kaohsiung at the E-night Club.
In light of Room 18's past ventures, which have included Opium Den and Milk, among others, the club's popularity is hardly a surprise. Basically, it has carried over Opium Den's crowd of celebs and rich kids, which for a while had no place to go, and then expanded to slightly to fill out a bigger space. Tough Room 18 doesn't have either Milk's code-lock door or Opium Den's sidewalk full of Benzes, Porches and BMWs, it does have the same basic atmosphere, namely composed of a beautiful crowd, good music (the hip hop is respectable, much better than at, say, TU), with a mild emphasis on VIP lounges and other forms of bought exclusivity.
Definitely one of the best-looking dance clubs in Taipei (interior design by Ali Chang), it's also one of the most expensive. Cover is NT$800 on weekends, NT$500 on Wednesdays for lady's night (excepting ladies, of course, who get in free, making for the week's busiest party night) and NT$300 every other day. The club is closed Sunday. Beers cost NT$200.
The best thing about Room 18 is probably its serious attitude about bringing top DJ talent tot Taiwan. The first was DJ Krush, Japan's number one hip hop DJ. For Chinese Valentine's Day (七夕) tomorrow at 01, it will be Takkyu Ishino, a Sony DJ and recording artist from Japan who spins pure techno. Ishino will play form 1am to 4am in the venue's "Love Land" room, while a second room, "Paradise Land," is billed as the biggest gay party in Taipei. According to the Room 18 people, "you should dress pretty nice and maybe you'll meet somebody."
Room 18 is located at B1, 18 Sungshou Rd. (臺北市松壽路18號B1) inside Warner Village (華納威秀), tel: 2345-2778. Web site: http://www.room18.com.tw
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