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The Vinyl Word

The Rob Solo. PHOTO: COURTESY OF ROB SOLO

Baltimore, Maryland used to bill itself as "The City That Reads." In the early 1990s, violent crime, a high teenage pregnancy rate, the illicit drug trade and the highest homicide rate per capita in America flipped that slogan to "The City That Breeds" or "The City That Bleeds."

While described as practically a bombed out war zone on the mean streets, DJs in clubs around the city were spinning hyperactive music to partygoers who were in for escapism. Rod Lee, Scottie B, Technics, Phinesse, and super female DJ K-Swift all had a hand in creating what is called the Bmore sound. More recently, Diplo, Aaron LaCrate, and The Rub DJs have been producing, remixing and mashing up Bmore and popularizing this unique music around the globe. This spastic and raunchy dance floor romp is heavily influenced by the electro end of house and the X-rated hip-hop shenanigans of the 2 Live Crew.

Though songs like Doo Doo Brown and Face Down Ass Up may not win Grammy Awards anytime soon, they certainly guarantee a sweltering evening of perverse bumping and grinding.

Tomorrow night at Hips, Taiwan goes Baltimore, albeit with a lot less assault and battery. Rob Solo, the hairless king of Taiwan's dirty south, will high-speed his way up north this weekend with his crew to play his second show in Taipei at SPACE BALLERS (full disclosure: I'm opening). Having been doing a lot of quality events in Kaohsiung for the past four years, including last year's massive Canadian Invasion beach party, Solo says, "Expect the unexpected. Some house, some breaks, some booty, some Bmore and maybe some other stuff. Fun music that people may or may not have heard before."

Joining Solo on the wheels of steel straight out of Toronto is Tasc, which will be his fourth time in Asia over a two-year period. Not bad for the former banker who also has a DMC title to his name. "Taiwan has opened my eyes to how people react to different styles of music and different songs," Tasc said. "What I enjoy about Taiwan is that people aren't so jaded and about the music being played and how they just want to have a good time at all costs."

Tasc goes on to explain that his brand SPACE BALLERS is about being on the cutting edge of music. "Most of my friends are established DJs and producers in their own right. There is a healthy competition among the crew that pushes the envelope and keeps us feeding off of each other with our different ideas."

Also tomorrow night, Taiwan's longest running electro night, Cut n' Blo, keeps it dirty at Liquid Lounge in Taichung. The Swank superstars, Declan and Gareth Jones, along with lizard king Hooker, are promising an intimate evening of dark house music.
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