Five years ago, one of Taipei’s most popular electronic dance clubs — 2nd Floor — shut down after years of intense scrutiny from law enforcement agencies. But it didn’t stop 2nd Floor directors David (夏天浩) and Alan Hsia (夏天倫) from continuing their careers. The brothers rallied their forces at Luxy, transforming it into the heavyweight venue that’s now synonymous with “fashion” among the hipsters of Taipei. To mark Luxy’s fifth anniversary this month, we asked David, Luxy’s current director, to reflect on past successes and spill the beans on what’s yet to come.
Taipei Times: Could you tell us a bit about yourself? How did you get into the business?
David Hsia: I was born in Taiwan and grew up in the States. After graduating from the school of business at USC [University of Southern California] and a few years of work, I moved back to Taiwan to pursue a career.
I got into the nightclub business because of my love for electronic music, and it’s always been a dream for me and my brother to have a club of our own. I was fortunate to have a dedicated, like-minded team [the LOOP production crew]. We believed electronic music and party culture wasn’t just about drugs and yao tou (搖頭) [head-shaking] as the mainstream media perceived. To us, it’s about music, dance and people sharing positive vibes.
Since then, we’ve been dedicated in transforming Taipei’s club scene and party culture into a more positive social atmosphere and taking the scene to a global level — it’s now been nearly eight years.
TT: 2nd Floor mainly focused on electronic dance music and had hip-hop in the smaller, side-room, but with Luxy it’s the other way around. Why is that?
DH: We actually didn’t set which room played what type of music when we first opened Luxy. But due to the geographical location of the club and the market trend, we try to accommodate the best we can according to the demand. If there’s a bigger audience for the artist, we’d usually have them in the Galleria. The difference in size between the Galleria and Onyx rooms is actually not much, just different in table counts.
TT: How do you see the nightclub scene’s progression in Taipei over the years?
DH: I’m glad to see that now clubbing is no longer considered as something negative by the mainstream. And I’m also glad to see that through competition in the industry, Taipei’s club scene has surpassed many other countries on a global scale. I have visited many countries in Asia, Europe and [the] Americas, and I’m proud to see that Taipei has some of the best nightlife in the world. We were told by many reputable, well-traveled artists that they are very surprised and amazed by the great scene and audiences in Taiwan.
TT: For you, what are some of the most memorable events at Luxy?
DH: The best events for me personally were when we hosted Paul van Dyke, Armin van Buuren, Grand Master Flash, and the latest being Flo-Rida. Being able to host the best artists in their respective genres and having the best crowds to enjoy them is most memorable to me.
TT: Are you content with how Luxy is right now?
DH: Many have concerns over the bad economy and the market down trend in the past year or so. But I’m thankful to all our supporters who are still making Luxy one of the hottest clubs in Taiwan.
TT: What are some upcoming events we should look forward to?
DH: On the 31st, it’s one of our most anticipated parties of the year: Halloween Massive at TWTC II [Taipei World Trade Center Hall 2 (台北展演二館)]. This year, it features Above and Beyond [currently ranked No. 7 in the DJ Mag top 100 poll from 2008] and Zoe. On Nov. 11, Judge Jules will make his first appearance in Taipei, and this New Years Eve party will have [Academy Award-winning rappers] Three 6 Mafia.
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