The Vinyl Word was recently encouraged to do more reviews of events. Another reader asked for better coverage of parties outside the capital city. This week we aim to please.
It used to be that Kaohsiung and Taichung were the places to go for a night out and Taipei's clubs were being raided and beaten into submission by the police over the issue of drugs. No longer, it seems.
We are fans of Chi Funk's Ant, whose parties in Taichung usually hit the mark and who successfully took his act over to Barcelona in Spain this summer. Regrettably, while he was away (but certainly coincidentally) the police started cracking down on clubs, hassling punters and scaring them off with urine tests.
As a result the scene is pretty dead in Taichung at the moment. Ant's "Mix Master Marathon" party last weekend at Moon Island and Penthouse was a case in point. Twelve DJs from across the island were playing all night, but just 350 people turned up.
"The best time was the after-party, from around 5am to 11am, when there were about 400 people," Ant said. "It was the same everywhere in Taichung that night, the Sound Garden was the only place full and that holds 150 and was free. The synergy hasn't coalesced in Taichung."
Clubbers at the party said cops were still being "hard on clubs" and DJ Paul Energy, who was taking time out in Taichung from promoting events in Kaohsiung said it was the same situation further down south.
"A few years ago it was great, full of passion, but trouble with the police in Kaohsiung has been worse than Taipei, Taichung or anywhere else. It was a guaranteed bust every party," Energy said. "No-one was making any money and even if you did go to the parties everyone was on edge."
Energy said that with Ministry of Sound (MoS) and other Taipei clubs taking clubbing into the mainstream there were fewer problems with police and the scene had taken off in the capital city.
As if to prove the theory, there are now coaches from Taichung taking clubbers to MoS every weekend. "Many people are already make regular pilgrimages up there," said organizer and Compass chief-editor Douglas Habecker. "We thought, `Hey, why not co-ordinate this and provide an easy and cheap way of getting up there?' MoS is a leader in the market, so we aim to do more promotions."
Back to the big city tonight, it's goodbye to one of the scene's favorite personalities DJ Em. Luxy is presenting 13 DJs and three MCs in two rooms. "It's Em Lee's going-away party [he's moving to China] so come on out and give him a good sendoff!" said DJ K Fancy.
Make it up the mountain the next night for Tensegrity Entertainment and Maxxx's "HOW?HGIH." It's a free party at the Monkey Tea House, with two MCs, 20 DJ's and two stages, menacingly named "The Edge of Sanity" and "The Heart of Darkness."
There will be sparkling views of nighttime Taipei, fresh air and great sounds from Taipei's finest DJs. Where? 71, Wanshou Road, Taipei. Directions? "Turn left on Xinglong Road off Roosevelt Road. Turn left on Mucha Road. Veer left onto Xinguang Road. Cross the bridge towards Chengchi University. Turn left at Wanshou Road toward Chinan Temple. Follow the glow sticks up the mountain to Monkey Tea House." Good idea? A shuttle bus will be running from Taipei Zoo MRT (Brown Line) to the party from 9pm to 9am. There is a charge of NT$50 each way.
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