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The Vinyl Word

Tasc is the DJ's DJ. PHOTO COURTESY OF TASC

The DJ stepped up to the decks dressed to kill in a turquoise thong and red corset, her bare breasts protruding some 6cm. A bank of cameras flashed, tongues hung out and a few gasps of awe were discernible from the audience of about 250 people, more than 80 percent of which was fueled by testosterone. Portia Surreal’s gig at Champagne Thr3e last Saturday had promised to be a titillating affair. Her shtick: she’s the world’s top erotic DJ who mixes with her tits out, though competition for that sobriquet is thin on the ground.

The night was a rarity, of sorts. DJs Nina, Vega and Portia Surreal were in the mix, a lineup of women in a genre dominated by men.

When Nina played, the dance floor was empty. Despite her technical prowess and some well-picked tunes, the crowd was to be found propping up the bar or huddling in corners. The air of anticipation was palpable, but nobody really knew what to expect.

Just past midnight Portia sashayed up and put, not slammed, down her first tune.

“I think it’s good, because she’s very pretty and for the show it’s awesome; and her music isn’t bad,” said Nina who was observing the proceedings from beside the DJ stand. “We Taiwanese are not that open, so we may feel a bit shy.”

A throng of lads broke through the shyness barrier and was gawping in unison from the edge of the dance floor. A quick survey elicited comments such as, “they’re fake,” “nice tits,” “what a butt!”

Portia knows how to turn on her charm. After picking up a record from the bag to her left, she held it aloft, slowly twirling, then pausing full stretch, before placing it on the deck.

“I want people to pay attention to my music and not my breasts, they even didn’t dance,” Nina said 15 minutes into Portia’s set.

“She is the world’s number one, erotic, fetish, female DJ … . She has a gorgeous body. I don’t think I can handle this,” said Hank, a Champagne Thr3e staff member. He managed though, and remained transfixed an hour later. “Her DJ skills aren’t bad for a female DJ,” he observed.

After the initial euphoria died down, the crowd got into the groove.

Portia’s set was pedestrian, yet proficient, but the volume wasn’t high enough.

“What concerns me is the quality of performance. When you give a concert live, the whole point is to engage with your audience,” said Kayleen Hartman, an expat Taipei resident. “She looks like she doesn’t give a shit about the audience. She looks completely uninspired and she’s not trying to get anyone riled up … . It isn’t sexy.”

After the show Portia was settled on a red velvet sofa in a booth at the back of the club, surrounded by admirers. Where does the on-stage persona end and the everyday Portia emerge? “I don’t draw a line,” she said. It’s hard to imagine her doing the dishes, or hanging out the laundry in her provocative garb. Perhaps her self-proclaimed slave Darius takes care of the chores. Lucky for some.

She spoke in a playful voice, interspersing her comments with short high-pitched giggles that belied her intellect. “I deserve to be treated as an individual artist who has reinvented the standard, typical DJ. I don’t just DJ, I’m a performance artist as well.”

What message, then, does her art convey? Electronic music has egalitarian pretensions, but there are few female DJs. Shejay Web site’s poll of the top 100 female mixmistresses is reassuringly uniform. The majority of those who made it onto the list — Portia didn’t — are by many standards extremely attractive.

Portia Surreal’s show shocks, arouses and disgusts revelers, and challenges conventionality — this is her mark as a performance artist. Her gambit also makes the average DJ appear characterless.

“Get in touch with your real self, right now, and create heaven on Earth, in as many ways as you possibly can,” she said. Apparently realizing that what she was saying may clash with her carefully constructed image, she closed the interview by revealing that her “idea of heaven on Earth is all about rainbows and cupcakes.”

Looking at the weekend ahead, drum ‘n’ bass heads are in for a shot of Friction’s fast and furious style when he plays at The Wall tonight (B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd, Sec 4, Taipei, 台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Releasing his first DJ mix in 1999, Dangerous Drums Vol. 1, the man has since gone on to produce tracks for every major drum ‘n’ bass label. Joining him inside the ride will be his partner in crime, SP:MC.

Tomorrow, Toronto’s Tasc returns to Taipei to play Crystal (B1, 3 Ln 152, Xinyi Rd Sec 3, 台北市信義路三段152巷3號). A DJ’s DJ, Tasc is an open-minded music lover. If it’s energetic and it’ll rock a party, Tasc will cut, scratch, and mix it “in proper DJ fashion.” He promises “lots of upbeat remixes and some of [his] own exclusives, everything from Hip Hop, Funk, R ’n’ B to House and Booty.”

Techno and electro, however, are two genres he won’t touch on. To get those tomorrow you’ll have to head over to Club Plan B on Anhe Rd. Guy Gerber will be bringing his brand of heady, big room, electro house to the small, intimate setting. Already famous in his native Israel as well as Europe, this Selective Sessions event will be his Asian debut. JR and Megan, Schism, and Elements will provide support.

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