One of the longest running house music foreign DJ collectives in Taiwan, Swank will mark its fifth anniversary next month.
Made up of Declan, Gareth Jones, Matty D, Kriz and 3b, the group pioneered the house music scene in Taichung, and, while many clubs fell by the wayside, has forged a reputation for quality parties.
"Swank has always stuck to its roots, delivering big room vibes no matter how intimate the setting," said Jones, DJ and one of the outfit's original members.
"Declan ran the show for the first year or so," Jones said in an e-mail exchange last week. "I soon joined in the planning and we shared all the duties. Matty D and Kriz joined the crew a couple years ago, and most recently Bob."
After checking his facts with Nicola Kriz, 27, the newest, yet oldest member, Billy Bob Bloodworth (3b) who is from Texas, said Declan is from Nova Scotia Canada, while Matty D and Gareth hail from British Columbia and Kriz from Edinburgh.
A light workload means the members of Swank, named after the infamous girlie magazine, have time to devote to parties. "The original Swank party didn't even have a DJ, just a ghetto blaster playing mixed CDs behind the bar," Jones said. "Now Swank is more of a cooperative, where each resident contributes something more: ... ideas, promotion, flyers, PR, visuals, decor, and music are done by all."
Since 2005, Taichung clubs Heaven, Orange and Underpark closed after getting into trouble with authorities over drug use on their premises, said 3b. Sparc/Rush bit the bullet in a shooting incident, and the 19th-story UFO Golden Plaza, "an amazing venue," says 3b, gave raising the roof a new meaning when it caught fire and spread to the rest of the club.
"The big closedown has streamlined the electronic scene into a close-knit community," says Jones, who took over Swank after Declan returned to Canada to get married. "But we're still lacking that dream venue we've always wanted."
The best venue Swank has found is Liquid Lounge. "Electronic music is a pretty rare find outside of Liquid Lounge these days," said Jones. "A few other promoters in town have also set up base at Liquid, so you are pretty much guaranteed to find a party there on any given weekend."
Swank has built a strong reputation for playing deep, US, UK, Chicago and electro house music and "high-class," "kick-ass" parties with "no frills" and "no bullshit," according to Jones. The group has hosted international guest DJs including Rithma, Spettro, Dave Twomey and Freq Nasty and local spinmeisters Hooker, Saucey, Nina and Junior and Megan.
"People have an idea that Taichung is too far away," says Jones, when asked about out-of-town attendance. "But there's no excuse now with the High Speed Rail. Swank is always getting rave reviews at the end of the night so basically you got nothing to lose"
Swank's next party is Gore on the Floor Halloween Special on Oct. 27 at the Liquid Lounge, 98 Chungming S Rd, Taichung (台中市忠明南路98號). The team's fifth anniversary bash is Nov. 17. Visit www.swank-dj.com for more info.
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