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The Vinyl Word

Last, but not least ... Kotoswitch at Luxy PHOTO: COURTESY OF LUXY

House Biatch at was back again Luxy this month. And as usual, an exclusive gang of cheerleaders and choreography accompanied the self-tagged "Biatch DJ" Cookie's set. Imitating the music video Destination Unknown, the half-dozen go-go dancers wore skimpy navy costumes and held saxophones and cymbals as their props. The bottom-slapping dance was a crowd-pleaser even though it might have raised a few eyebrows. Still, applause was earned for doing a good job impersonating one of the hottest parental-advisory music videos on YouTube, which I'm sure many of the guys in the audience appreciated. Nevertheless, the best was saved for last: Kotoswitch. This night may have been his debut at Luxy, but Koto has many years of experience spinning in Japan under his belt. Rising through the international producer circles with his recent (progressive house) record release on Miami dance music label Electric Candy, run by Thomas Penton, Koto rocked the house without breaking a sweat.

On the hip-hop front, the deluge of commercial tunes has been challenged by a new school of promoters, MC and DJ talents who are in the game for the love of old-school music. One of the prominent local figures of the scene is Shortee, owner of the once-renowned indie hip-hop record shop Da Project in Taipei. Influenced by artists like De La Soul, Little Brother and A Tribe Called Quest, Shortee's sets reflect his preference for true hip-hop, funk and soul. He's also known as one third of the group TriPoets (www.myspace.com/tripoets), an innovative Taiwanese MC crew formed in 2002. Another eminent DJ in the loop is 2Hands (www.myspace.com/mrtwohands), a British vinyl junkie who moved to Taiwan to find the funk. Back in London, he was part of a group called Steady and has released two 12" singles, one of which was on Tru Thoughts label that's now home to Quantic among others. Currently residing in Tainan, the underground hip-hop capital of Taiwan, 2Hands enjoys playing gigs with the local artists (Da Zhi and his crew, among others). "The parties were great fun with a predominantly Taiwanese crowd," he said. His mix of dancehall, reggae, hip-hop and funk with beats using vintage Taiwanese funk samples is unique and much appreciated by those who like to get down. Both Shortee and 2Hands will play Plan B tomorrow. (Read the above story for detailed information on the crew behind tomorrow's Saturday Night Live party)

Finally, after three weeks of renovations, AgeHa is making a comeback this weekend. The new look has been kept under wraps, but the new-look venue will cater to Taiwanese clubbers. Whether the unpredictable local revellers will dig this change, we shall see. Headlining tonight and tomorrow are renowned Japan DJ Sugiurumn and locals David S. and Vertigo. AgeHa is located at B1, 171 Songde Rd, Taipei City (台北市松德路171號B1). On the Net: www.ageha-taipei.com. The party starts at 11pm and entry is NT$600.

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