VIEW THIS PAGE There is an air of freshness to the scene right now in Taipei. The independents are breezing back into promotion mode and the following parties offer a sniff of what may come this summer.
Things are looking up for Rise, Taipei’s newest after-party night, which is held at Club DV8. Resident DJs and promoters Shawn Dean James Kidd aka vDub and Andrew Gilberds aka 006 have been putting on this night for a month now. “I was a big fan of Purple and Texound,” said Gilberds. “We started Rise because we felt it was time to get the after-party scene going again.”
“Taipei’s independent electronic party scene was falling off the charts,” said Kidd. “Small parties trying to compete with the mega clubs seemed to be a thing of the past ... so I figured an after-hours was the thing to do.”
The word is out, “and it keeps getting busier every week,” said Gilberds. “We are seeing foreigners that we haven’t seen before so we are starting to draw on a new crowd. Last weekend with Kolette was rammed and it was good to see a lot of the local DJs out to support.”
“Best moment for me so far,” said Kidd, “was seeing DJs Jimmy Chen, Freaky Squeaker, Reazon, Andrew Ford, Science of Sound [from Spain], A-Tao, Eben, Marcus Aurelius, Saucey and Hooker bustin’ up the floor.”
Although beset with sound system gremlins at first, with no mid-range but a heavy bass (“you could hear people talking on the dance floor,” said Kidd), the space is just right for morning messiness. “It has got a bit of the old dirty feel, which I like,” said Gilberds. “And I love the huge ... light bright board behind the deejay booth.”
Kidd said he has been trying to choose DJs that pioneered the scene here, “like Jimmy Chen and Tiger, Taiwanese DJs that don’t get as much exposure on the foreign scene. This gives us the chance to also attract more of the Taiwanese crowd.”
Rise at Club DV8, B1, 249, Fuxing S Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市復興南路一段249號地B1樓). Every Sunday from 4:30am until 8:30am. Entry is NT$300 and includes a drink.
“It’s just a matter of time before the true hip-hop steps up and kicks mainstream hip-pop in the wazoo,” says Elias Tsai aka Shaman from THC, Taipei’s number one foreign rhymes and beats outfit. Tonight at Bliss is Freaky Friday, when THC will be spitting live MC hip-hop with Mixer-T, while Anti Hero provides breaks and electro-funk afterwards.
“The Taipei hip-hop scene is a steadily growing force,” says Tsai. “More and more dope MCs and producers are coming out of the woodwork here with influences ranging from East to West ... our members cover several cultures, nationalities and languages.”
“Hip-hop is no cheesier here than back in the States, where I’m from,” says Tsai. “Right now, materialism and negativity is the standard in mainstream hip-hop, because the USA is in a very decadent phase. Once people begin to go through hard times again and they realize what’s really important in life, the good music will return.”
THC’s parties are always full of energy. Big on keeping it real, “it is the musician’s job to be a warrior and fight through the bullshit,” says Tsai. “Real will always win in the end. Look at Vanilla Ice, an example of what happens when a poser gets exposed. Our job is to out all fakers!”
Freaky Friday at Bliss, 148, Xinyi Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市信義路四段148號). Tonight at 10pm. Entry is NT$200 with one drink and from 10pm to 11pm admission is two-for-one.
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