There is a common misconception that electronic music just goes bang-bang and makes people want to take ecstasy and dance.
Perhaps they should take a peek in Sofa and relax with a good cigar.
Just around the corner from the anodyne mayhem that is LUXY on a good night is a small bar which doubles as a DJ cafe.
Tastefully decorated in hues of brown and green and with patio areas complete with miniature pools, DJs play Morcheeba, 21st century acid jazz, lounge and ambient music -- far removed from the frantic 155bpm of the latest local techno compilation Taipei to Kaohsiung -- out now in the nightmarkets.
You can order anything ranging from fresh oysters (NT$250) to liver mousse with toast, or a larger and more traditional pork knuckle at NT$480. Drinks include the usual beers and some less usual Belgian brews, some interesting liquors, frozen mango or fruit drinks and an expensive latte at NT$160, but better than the Starbucks yardstick.
Nobody with white gloves and a whistle is going to come anywhere near you at Sofa, so if you're looking for a chill night out in tasteful surroundings, where talk is possible and even encouraged, then this is the place to be in Taipei at the moment.
Prepare to be patient, however, as Sofa can only hold about 150 people and even on weekdays staff are found patiently explaining there are no seats "but give me your phone number and we'll call you when there's space."
DJ Kay, of Eden, is one of the investors behind the bar and has put in a DJ booth that sells mainly downtempo electronica, plus some odds and ends loosely related to music.
Another place that is not known for bang-bang, but a more sedate house music or lounge beat is the bar formerly known as Milk, Juicy and now Saloon. Every year, it seems, the expanded lounge either changes its name, decor, or both. This time around the owners have decided to keep the name and do a gentle remodeling downstairs, while opening up more space upstairs.
The anniversary party on Wednesday night saw UK DJ Zulu's eclectic hip-hop breaks rocking the house. He was so good he got a warning from the police -- unusual at Saloon.
Catch DJ Zulu's show at Room 18 tonight. The promotors have added extra incentive by deciding that if you buy a ticket for Craig David then you can get into Room 18 free, later. Mmmm, let's think.
Pick of the weekend is jungle. "Not a popular form of music," according to one of the city's finest
proponents, Fred, aka the FunkStar, who is behind Junglemania, which presents Nasty at Siro tomorrow. "Nasty DJs, nasty bassline, nasty people, we gonna do it in a nasty way ?"
Aside from FunkStar and his nasty drum n' bass beats, will be Dan Jah, Flanky, Posan and special guest A-Bomb, along with some funkier hip hop beats from Edmund.
Said Fred, "People in Taiwan don't have much experience with partying. They have just begun to appreciate dance music and maybe drum n' bass is just a bit much at the moment." The underground party will be held in Siro's basement.
Cuban-American spinsters Oscar Gaetan and Ralph Falcon have been defining the Miami house beat since the early 1990s when their single Reach for Me -- a characteristic blend of alternative dance and pop -- topped the US charts.
Their 1997 12-inch, Fired Up, was an international success and they have been riding the crest of the dance music wave since then. Known as MURK, Gaetan and Falcon are the faces behind the remix desk for artists such as Donna Summer, Madonna and the Pet Shop Boys.
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