The past, present and future of disco was on show in Taipei at Ministry of Sound (MoS) for what turned out to be a solid night of entertainment that featured Studio 54 DJ Bert Bevans, songbird Jocelyn Brown and pumping house from Damian Saint.
Though the history of dance music is still being written there's no doubt that Brown and Bevans will receive honorable mentions for their contributions and their set on Saturday and early yesterday morning will be remem-bered for a long time by the 3,000 plus party people who were there.
Bevans was first up to the plate around 12pm and kicked off the party with a groove that was maintained long after the sun and most of Taipei's residents had risen. Mostly funky and soulful with his trademark deep beats, Bevans was clearly enjoying himself, as he has done so since been given a break in the early 1970s by the progenitor of house music, David Mancuso, at the Loft in New York.
This club was the inspiration for Studio 54, which was opened by Steve Rubell and Ian Scrager in 1977. It quickly became the place to be for celebrities and wannabes in New York and spawned disco fever. The film Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, was released the same year.
Bevans worked at the Loft, Studio 54 and most of the famed clubs at the time and then, when dance music started taking off in Britain in the late 1980s, took a transatlantic flight to do remix work for the Thompson Twins, Chic, Paul McCartney and many others. He also became one of the founding resident DJs at MoS in England.
At the same time Brown was carving a career for herself as the sound of soul and disco, with Musique's 1978 release In the Bush, the standout track of which was Keep on Jumpin', a hit which is still being remixed today.
Needless to say this was on the hitlist of tunes that she sang on Saturday night with Bevans on the decks. She also covered her other classics: Something Goin' On, Ain't no Mountain High Enough, Somebody Else's Guy (which she wrote with her sister), Always There, It's Alright (I Feel It) and finally Believe.
Her voice had power, range and emotion and easily won over the audience, most of whom danced and looked up at Brown in a trancelike state. She was encored, feted and finally bowed out, sweat dripping, with a big smile on her face.
Afterward Bevans finished his three-hour set and gave way to the UK's Damian Saint, who is MoS Taipei's resident DJ.
The 22-year-old from Blackpool got his big break winning an MoS DJ contest in London and has worked in Ibiza, Spain, and Asia. He played a bright and popular set that kept the energy flowing into the morning.
Asked about Saint's playing Bevans said, "He's very good and has got a load of energy. I guess he will keep developing and find the music in a year." Not a bad assessment for someone starting in the business from someone who has been at the forefront of dance music for the past 30 years.
Bert Bevans
Taipei Times: I want to talk to you about David Mancuso first, because he was first wasn't he?
Bevans: David Mancuso was the god of DJs, as everyone who knows is concerned. If I brought David here, half the people would leave because they wouldn't get it, but the other half, oh my god, it would be lightbulbs for them, they would be turned on. He doesn't mix, he has pre-amps, no mixer, he just presents music, from the beginning to the end.
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