The new decade is very close and Thursday gives you the opportunity to get out there and celebrate the end of the noughties. Read on for a rundown of New Year’s Eve parties from Taipei to Kaohsiung.
“The best thing about New Years Eve,” said Shawn Kidd, “is that you get to do a little more than the usual night out.” Kidd is co-hosting Milkface with Tommy Milloy at Barbados in the Xinyi District. According to Kidd, Milkface is “one of the UK’s up-and-coming nights,” and now Taipei will experience it first-hand.
The lineup is strong: Anti Hero, vDub, Edify, Code, Sinister Sound Syndicate, Subtle and 006. Dom, aka Fratzuki, will be hosting and rapping. “I wanted to have a well-rounded night starting with funk, b’more and some 80s rock,” said Kidd. “Heading into the main part of the night will be a mix of dance-rock, funky breaks and electro glitch. Finishing with good ol’ dirty ass electro tech house and nu breaks.”
10pm until 8am at Barbados, 101, Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路101號). See Milkface2010 on Twitter for details.
Over at the Sunworld Dynasty Hotel, Frog in a Sock is throwing The Last Minute in the Presidential Suite with a rooftop overlooking the city. Last year’s event was packed and this year the DJ lineup is the Sofa Kings, Marcus Aurelius and Baer in the hip-hop room. Over in the dance hall are G.M.B, Yoshi, Hooker and Jimmy Chen.
9:30pm until 6am at Sunworld Dynasty Hotel, 100 Dunhua N Rd, Taipei City (台北市敦化北路100號). Pre-sale tickets are NT$800, NT$1,000 on the door. Call Matt for details at 0988-421-990.
Fusion Psytrance Party invites revelers to a rave in a beautiful outdoor setting. This likely-to-be the “psytrance party of the year” packs a solid lineup with Moski, Emerson, Spike-J, Fancy, Kirlivin, Koala, Sean, Merv and Jocy. On-site accommodation and campgrounds are available.
6pm to 8am at Fei Feng Yuan Ecological Park (關西飛鳳園生態園區), 80, Siahenggeng, Sinli Ward, Guansi Township, Hsinchu County (新竹縣關西鎮新力里下橫坑7鄰80號). Presale tickets (available today and tomorrow) are NT$350, NT$550 at the door. For more information, send an e-mail to shakasale@hotmail.com or call 0930-722-415.
Tiger-Hunting, an alternative outdoor event, features bands and DJs including We are So Sad, Bazooka, Ashen, Asian Desperation Frontline, Zephec, DataBass, Fish, DJ Mezak and DJ City. “We aim to attract metal-heads and punk kids willing to give electronic music a try, as well as ravers who can feel the thrill of punk and metal,” says DJ City.
9pm to 6am at Fuhe Riverside Park Parking Lot (福和河濱公園停車場), beneath the Fuhe Bridge (福和橋) in Taipei City. Presale tickets (available until Wednesday) are NT$250, NT$300 at the door. Go to tiger-hunting.blogspot.com for more information.
It’s got rock, hip-hop, electro, drum ’n’ bass and break beat, plus DJ Mykal and hot Japanese girl DJ Alyn — and it’s being held in a warehouse. Partyroom Party, with its big acts but underground vibe, is where Taipei’s hipster contingent is likely to end up.
10pm to 4am at Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914), 1, Bade Rd Sec 1, Taipei City (台北市八德路一段1號). Presale tickets are NT$600 (available through www.ticket.com.tw), NT$900 at the door.
In Taichung, Colour Wolf is going at it again at 89k with a lineup that includes two rock bands, The DoLittles and The Stackers, and DJ Arctic Wolf. “Our resolution,” said organizer Kyle Merriman, “is to rock harder than ever before.”
10pm until 5am at 89k, 25, Daguan Rd, Taichung City (台中市大觀路25號). NT$500 at the door with a drink.
It’s rare to see a big non-club event in the south on New Year’s Eve, so look out for Magician if you’re into trance parties. Headlining the night is DJ Shogun, a rising American-born Taiwanese DJ and producer who’s been signed to Armin Van Buuren’s Armada label and made a huge impression on the global dance music scene with works supported by the likes of Paul Van Dyk and Aly & Fila. Also playing are Eason, Satan, Amati, Nova and Eros.
9pm to 6am at Kaoshiung Gaisyuan World Trade Center (高雄凱旋世貿中心), 600, Gaisyuan 4th Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市凱旋四路600號). Tickets are NT$800.
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
The following three paragraphs are just some of what the local Chinese-language press is reporting on breathlessly and following every twist and turn with the eagerness of a soap opera fan. For many English-language readers, it probably comes across as incomprehensibly opaque, so bear with me briefly dear reader: To the surprise of many, former pop singer and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) ex-lawmaker Yu Tien (余天) of the Taiwan Normal Country Promotion Association (TNCPA) at the last minute dropped out of the running for committee chair of the DPP’s New Taipei City chapter, paving the way for DPP legislator Su
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