Pete Tong was slamming down the latest tunes at MoS last weekend, but AXD was where the genuine action was for fans of London's sound of stripped-down beats and electro funk, all twisted and served up on a dance floor with the occasional climactic epiphany.
Clive Henry, half of the duo Peace Division, delivered a sterling set at the club, proving once again that, when it comes to music, AXD is the purist's choice and possibly the best place in town to get down and dance.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
AXD's sound system is better than the systems at MoS or Luxy and the ambience is down 'n' dirty, rather than a parade under laser lights.
The only shame is that more straight men don't make it there more often. As Victor Cheng put it to the Vinyl Word: "The girls here are better looking than the other places, and if a guy shows interest, you should take it as a compliment."
As for Clive Henry and his crew, they were genuine dance-music enthusiasts, living it large and providing solid entertainment. The longer it went on, the better it got, the more people danced and the better the vibe.
Luxy has produced a CD box set for the media and promoters called The Loop Demo Collection featuring the club's residents DJ Xiaohei, Joe Hoe, Daryl, J6, Reason and Vertigo.
Reason stands out in the set, but J6's CD makes for a pleasant surprise, showing a refined touch. Some of the rest can be a little predictable, as you might expect from a best-of compilation, but overall it shows that local DJs have developed into world-class contenders over the last few years.
The box set may go on sale to the public in a couple of months, but in the meantime, if you can get your hands on a copy, count yourself lucky.
As part of the ongoing effort to promote the local scene, this Saturday at Luxy bedroom DJs are being urged to get out of their pyjamas and take to the decks on the main stage. "There will be DJ battles, fun 'n' games and an applause meter to measure crowd reaction," according to the promoters. Later, Meat Katie and Lee Combs will be showing us all how it's supposed to be done with some funk and breaks.
In Taichung tonight, BOBO's got the funk with The Fever (a jazz/funk fusion band), Boyan and live MC, hip hop, Chi Funk and The Sundance Kid. Superstar Saturdays sees K Fancy take the trip down south, with Nelly, and Dj Han vs. Poverty delivering some tough breaks.
The "Taipei Times Top DJ" Nina will be spreading the Love Groove at Eden tomorrow with DJ @llen, the second-place winner of our vote at the end of last year. Da will be on the supporting cast list and, as ever, the event is free. Check out why Nina's number one.
SL and Saucey are taking Deep Inside on a weekend break to South Korea (our loss is Seoul's gain) and the regular bash at Eden on Feb. 5 will not take place because of Chinese New Year. To make up for it, there will be a Citrus Party at Luxy next Friday, with extended sets from the deep house duo, followed by tag teaming.
Tonight, big-hearted Marcus Aurelius is promoting a show at Boven, near Shihlin night market (437, Zhongshan N Rd, Sec 5
Joining the hip-hop meister will be K-ill, Dr Who, 26, Hooker, Trix, Maxxx and Graham Katrana. vinylword@taipeitimes.com
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