Happy International Workers’ Day, comrades. As global capitalism teeters on the brink and swine flu threatens to thin the herd by mutating into an “Armageddon” virus, this weekend is as good as any to live it large. Apocalypse or not, who needs an excuse anyway? Here are the Vinyl Word’s selections:
I.A.S. — Fluorescent Techno Party
Part of National Taiwan University’s Art Festival, this outdoor event welcomes electronic dance music fans and early-bird partygoers with the sound of minimal techno in a “UV LED forest.” DJs: BB and Databass. Today from 6pm to 10pm at National Taiwan University Building 2 (台大二號館正門口). From the main gate on the corner of Roosevelt (羅斯福) and Xinsheng South (新生南) roads, walk down the university’s palm tree-lined road and it’s the second block on the right. Admission is free and there are complimentary drinks. To join in, register at www.csie.ntu.edu.tw/~b92705040/NTUArtSeason/ticket.php.
Markus Schulz at Luxy
Luxy is going full-on electronica tonight with German progressive trance DJ/producer Markus Schulz in the main room and a party called ASOS in the Onyx Room. As one of the most popular DJs in the world who’s ranked eighth on DJ Mag’s top 100 DJs poll, Schulz is renowned for his weekly radio show Global DJ Broadcast and his unique brand of dark, moody, melodic trance. The lineup for the Onyx Room is Saucey, Hooker, Jimmy Chen, Burn Electric and 006. Tonight from 10pm to 4am at Luxy, 5F, 201, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市忠孝東路四段201號5樓). Admission is NT$800 before 11pm and NT$1,000 after.
Masago Beach Jam
Spunite kicks off the beach-party season with this hip-hop bash tomorrow in Tainan, which looks like it’ll be a biggie, weather permitting. From the usual Top 40 hip-hop music everyone is familiar with to the usual sexy gimmicks your favorite hip-hop club employs, this party has it all, including bikinis and bling. Live acts and MCs include Da Mouth, Alan Kuo, Dog G, Melody, GaWeed, Monster and Ndrew, with Jin, Rao, Woody, Ugly, Bug and Dakar on the ones and twos. Tomorrow from 4pm to 4am at the Masago Recreation Area (馬沙溝濱海遊樂區), 140 Pingsha Village, Jiangjun Township, Tainan County (台南縣將軍鄉平沙村140號). Admission is NT$700 at the door.
The Beatdown at Copa
Join this fresh party crew of pro-breakbeat DJs Mixter T and Anti Hero if you feel like shaking it to some freestyle funky rhythms. Tomorrow from 10pm to 3am at Copa, B1, 2, Ln 137, Yanji St, Taipei City (台北市延吉街137巷2號地下室). No cover charge.
Chaki from The Lowbrows at The Wall (這牆)
In the mood for something fresh from Japan? Check out Chaki, the brains behind one of the country’s most sought-after new-wave production duos, The Lowbrows. Find out what’s hot in Tokyo’s indie-eletro scene right now. Supporting DJs: F Dragon and Spykee Fat. From 11:30pm to 6am at The Wall (這牆), B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號地下室). Admission is NT$700 at the door.
In late October of 1873 the government of Japan decided against sending a military expedition to Korea to force that nation to open trade relations. Across the government supporters of the expedition resigned immediately. The spectacle of revolt by disaffected samurai began to loom over Japanese politics. In January of 1874 disaffected samurai attacked a senior minister in Tokyo. A month later, a group of pro-Korea expedition and anti-foreign elements from Saga prefecture in Kyushu revolted, driven in part by high food prices stemming from poor harvests. Their leader, according to Edward Drea’s classic Japan’s Imperial Army, was a samurai
Located down a sideroad in old Wanhua District (萬華區), Waley Art (水谷藝術) has an established reputation for curating some of the more provocative indie art exhibitions in Taipei. And this month is no exception. Beyond the innocuous facade of a shophouse, the full three stories of the gallery space (including the basement) have been taken over by photographs, installation videos and abstract images courtesy of two creatives who hail from the opposite ends of the earth, Taiwan’s Hsu Yi-ting (許懿婷) and Germany’s Benjamin Janzen. “In 2019, I had an art residency in Europe,” Hsu says. “I met Benjamin in the lobby
April 22 to April 28 The true identity of the mastermind behind the Demon Gang (魔鬼黨) was undoubtedly on the minds of countless schoolchildren in late 1958. In the days leading up to the big reveal, more than 10,000 guesses were sent to Ta Hwa Publishing Co (大華文化社) for a chance to win prizes. The smash success of the comic series Great Battle Against the Demon Gang (大戰魔鬼黨) came as a surprise to author Yeh Hung-chia (葉宏甲), who had long given up on his dream after being jailed for 10 months in 1947 over political cartoons. Protagonist
A fossil jawbone found by a British girl and her father on a beach in Somerset, England belongs to a gigantic marine reptile dating to 202 million years ago that appears to have been among the largest animals ever on Earth. Researchers said on Wednesday the bone, called a surangular, was from a type of ocean-going reptile called an ichthyosaur. Based on its dimensions compared to the same bone in closely related ichthyosaurs, the researchers estimated that the Triassic Period creature, which they named Ichthyotitan severnensis, was between 22-26 meters long. That would make it perhaps the largest-known marine reptile and would