Aside from the bands, Spring Scream threw up a little electronic treat this year.
“I loved how my acid electronic sounds echoed through the green fields at Spring Scream,” said Mei Wong, otherwise known as The Analog Girl. “Performing from sunset straight into moonlit skies was also such a surreal experience.”
At 6pm last Saturday, the 50 or so people in the audience witnessed a stunning Singaporean singing over her MacBook Pro-produced tracks and using a Yamaha Tenori-On, a futuristic-looking LCD handheld screen.
“It is a music sequencer which allows you to create beats and melodies on the spot using a 16-by-16 button matrix,” said Wong.
“What’s so exciting about this piece of music technology is that the LED buttons light up and animate as you press them to form your song. And the light can be seen from both the front and back of the machine, so the audience [is] able to partake in the visual feast as well, which takes live electronic music performances to a whole new different level of experience.”
Characterized by Time as a cross between Tricky and Bjork, Wong described her music as, “technicolored candy floss running through a sun-kissed horizon. Electro music for those lazy outdoor afternoon naps on the soft green grass.”
Catch her tonight at After the Scream at Bliss, B1, 77, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段77號B1). From 10pm.
On the Net: www.analog-girl.net
Moving on to the darker side of electronica, it looks like Spring Scream was usurped this year by 48RENU, a huge outdoor party held at Hengchun Airport that showcased a wide range of international artists leaning towards indie electro-rock, breaks and tech-house.
“Credit given where credit is due to Boogie, Freaky Squeaker, DJ Mykal, and Spykee Fat [formerly of dance rock duo Tomodachi] for kick-starting and making this scene what it is today and making it possible for an event like this to coexist in a scene that has been previously dominated by trance, house and hip-hop,” said 48RENU attendee and Taipei-based DJ Shawn Kidd.
Friday nights at Spring Scream can be a little quiet while the revelers arrive, “but this wasn’t the case at 48RENU as local Taichung Swank DJs geared up the crowd just in time for Brazilian DJ Anderson Noise to step it up a notch with his deep crunchy tech beats,” said Kidd. “This was followed by Rogue Element who stole the show.”
Saturday was the big one however, “rolling out the same hard-hitting punch with Aquasky, Spykee Fat, DJ Mykal, Atomic Hooligan, Felix Cartal, LA Riots and EvilNine spinning their legendary They Live track mashed up with old skool rock,” Kidd said.
Taiwanese DJ of the moment, Spykee Fat and his Dance Rock promotion team will be rolling out another installment of their well-attended electro clash nights at The Wall (這牆) tonight.
Tonight: Drunk Rocker at The Wall (這牆), B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1) from 11:30pm until 4am. Entry is NT$400 with a drink.
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