Tiesto exorcised the ghost of Sasha at what may have been the party of the year last weekend at World Trade Center Hall 3 (WTCH3), with a three-and-a-half hour set that showed expertise, artistry and a willingness to please the crowd that hasn't been corroded by the attention he has been receiving since being crowned the world's top playa.
In contrast to Sasha's New Year's Eve performance in 2002/2003 at WTCH3, there were no busts, you could hear the music (not its echo off the walls) and there were no egotistical temper tantrums from the star performer -- who kept disappearing to powder his nose, it seemed.
Instead, "Orange Boy" -- a New Zealander from Bali -- whipped up the crowd with his enormous schlong and outrageous black vinyl and armored suits, as he strode through the crowds on stilts. Daniele Davoli, with Miss Motif on vocals, warmed up with a fine set and the visuals from CC Lab mixed images of Taipei to great effect.
Organizer Alan Hsia said around 5,000 to 6,000 people turned up for the event. "I thought it was really great because the old-school party people -- all the party people nationwide -- joined up, even the clubbers. It was a really good vibe."
And Tiesto: "Instead of us going to see a DJ perform, he turned it around and made it seem as if he came here to perform for us."
The previous night, Tiesto had turned up at Ministry of Sound (MoS) to judge a DJ contest and gave punters a one-hour set. The fact that he did so was the least well-kept secret in town. Project director Peter Bodie said, "We promised Tiesto and we delivered him first."
Tonight and tomorrow at MoS will be another first for Taiwan, with Jocelyn Brown -- the biggest and brightest vocal chords in the business -- doing two live sets with the almost mythical Studio 54 DJ Bert Bevans. Brown has sung with most of the big names in the business, including Michael Jackson, John Lennon and Bette Midler. You will recognize the voice even if you don't recall the name.
Elsewhere tonight, it's "Funk da House," with DJs Coffey, K Fancy, Em, Dark, Victor and @lan, at Bacchus, Warner Village. Tomorrow, the club will introduce its new progressive and tech house DJ from New York, Adrian.
In Taichung the big noise is 24seven's birthday party. The magazine is presenting an imaginatively named "Birthday Party" at The Londoner, with MalFunktion. "Ass-shakin' grooves you love, have always loved, and don't yet know that you've always loved," are promised.
Also tomorrow, at Luxy, the US' DJ Dan will be out to make an impression with his blend of electro funk.
The Vinyl Word: Disco started with Bert Bevans, find out where it ended up, with Brown and Bevans at MoS tonight and tomorrow.
For your information:
Bacchus: is at B1, 12 Songshou Rd, Taipei
The Londoner: 68 Gungyi Road, Taichung
Luxy: 5F, 201 Zhongxiao E Road, Sec 4, Taipei
MoS: 310 Lequn 3rd Rd, Neihu, Taipei
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