Ok, last issue the flag was raised and this week we're going to go a little further to determine who's the best DJ in Taiwan. And we're going to do it right.
Some say it's an impossible quest. They claim that declaring "the best DJ" is a subjective judgment (of course), that it should not depend on just popularity but technical skills or achievements (perhaps), or that every DJ has his day (true), so we can't say who's the top dog. Well, everyone has an opinion, so we'll poll it with an Internet vote next month, then release the results as a New Year's Top 10. The winner will claim the "Taipei Times Top DJ" award.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
The candidates so far are: @llen, A-bomb, Alicia Hush, Analogue, Apple, Buff Wise, Chewie, Chono, Chozie, Coffey, Da, Damian Saint, Damian Yu, Danjah, Dark, Daryl, Da Tou, Dr Who?, Edmund, Elements, Em Lee, E-Turn, Eric Cheng, Eric Huang, Funkstar, Gravity, Hooker, J4, J6, Jaylen, Jimmy Chen, Joe Ho, K Fancy, Kill (Kevin), Kindread, Lim Giong, Marcus Aurelius, Maxxx, Michaelphonic, Mykal, Nancy Chang, Nina, Noodle, Phifty Phive, Pierre, P!tt, Rainbow Warrior, Reason, Satan, Saucey, SL, Stone, Sundance Kid, Tiger, Trix, Ty, Vertigo, Vicar, Victor Cheng, Wayne, Xiao Hei, Zeon.
If we've missed anyone, then put forward your suggestions. The full DJ list will go up on the Taipei Times Web site in December and voters will be able to choose their first, second- and third-favorite DJs.
Noodle, Wayne and Analogue are Liquid Lifestyle's top-rated DJs, according to promoter Amy Chang, who will be bringing in DJ Jazzy Jeff with Loop productions at Luxy tomorrow, as part of his Asian tour.
Philadelphia-born Jazzy Jeff is a "turntable tactician," says Chang, "and a force on the hip hop scene since the mid-1980s." He is most recognized as one half of multi-platinum rap duo DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince, producing hits such as Parents Just Don't Understand, Nightmare on My Street, and Summertime. Jazzy Jeff has worked with Will Smith, Jewel, and Jill Scott, among others.
Tonight, the one and only Sasha is back to atone for his dreadful performance a couple of years ago for New Year's Eve at the World Trade Center, where he got pissed off because of the awful sound system and kept disappearing for cocoa breaks. He's even said in a magazine interview that the show was his worst-ever.
This time he's at AXD, where he'll play for hundreds of trance enthusiasts, instead of a couple of thousand rubber-neckers. The sound system is the best in town, and he's back to his best with a new album Involver, a peerless mix of 10 great tracks.
The place will be packed, sweaty and high. It'll be classical music (trance) for the 21st century with a big beat. And when it comes to the breaks, nobody does them better than Sasha. Look out for the vocal section mid-way through the album -- "you'll never see me cry ... you're so past tense" -- and check the tears of joy falling on the dance floor. It could be the gig of the year.
The Vinyl Word: The DJ list will go up on the Taipei Times Web site next month. Send in your listings and DJ nominations to vinylword@taipeitimes.com.
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist