If you’re bored of hearing LMFAO’s Party Rock Anthem played five times a night every time you go out, it’s probably time to head down a new rabbit hole. Mind Circus, the 11th installment of A State of Sound, could be just the thing for you.
Dominik Tyliszczak, the founder of this avant-garde themed event, is known for building large convoluted stages from Styrofoam and using a laser to project designs and patterns onto them. “We always try to find new and creative ways to bridge art and club life a little bit since music is art. There should always be more visual and performance art,” Dominik told the Vinyl Word in a telephone interview.
You can expect the sound to be just as original as the effects: Dominik has invited Stefan Kostarelis back for the show, and the pair will step into their electronic alter ego Burn Electric. The duo promises a live performance different than ever before. “We are both passionate about music and like to experiment a lot. This ends up producing an interesting sound,” Dominik said.
Photo Courtesy of Viktor Lin
Also on the bill is newcomer Swing Child (real name Saeban Yang, 楊廣弘). Dominik discovered the electronic DJ, who is 25 years old, while judging the 2010 Pioneer DJ Contest. In only his second year of deejaying, Swing Child came second in the Taiwan leg of the competition and went on to Shanghai, where he placed third in all of Asia.
“He has a unique take on electro and pretty cool stage presence. He did a lot of interesting things with the 10 minutes he was given,” Dominik said.
Swing Child, whose name comes from the Japanese movie Swing Girl, began deejaying after his inspiration, local DJ Spykee Fat (real name Chin Hung-chieh, 金弘杰), piqued his interest. “I attended his shows so often and each time I heard him play, it was always a different experience,” Swing Child said.
Spykee invited his young protege to perform at The Wall (這牆) in September 2009 after the British Fake Blood backed out of a show at the last minute.
“I was so impressed,” Spykee said. “He played on four CDJs and no laptop. That’s impressive for a young talent. So many newcomers choose Ableton Live or Traktor for the auto beat-mapping, but Swing Child showed skills and taste right from the get-go by keeping it to the basics.”
A year and a few gigs later, Swing Child was asked to perform with his girlfriend Emma Chen (陳映均), unexpectedly taking the couple’s partnership in a new direction.
“It was interesting because I never thought about performing with my girlfriend,” Swing Child said. “But it was so natural. She was already interested in the genre of music and had a lot of experience with DJ equipment. So this got her practicing and then we started getting booked more together.”
He said it’s made him realize that when he plays alone, he tends to play more of what only he wants to hear, “but Emma has said she will only play music that people will dance to, so when we play together there is a wider variety of music that grabs people’s attention right away. People have said it’s really fun to watch us interact with each other while we play since the other one has to kind of pick up from the style that the other left off.”
The ambitious young DJ is now trying his luck in the studio and hopes to start producing his own music. “I want to surround Taiwan with an electronic environment that is not so closed off,” he said.
■ A State of Sound presents Mind Circus featuring D. Hooker, Swing Child, Burn Electric, and Genetically Modified Beats 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). Call 0955-904-600 for reservations (English service is available). On the Net: www.luxy-taipei.com. Admission is NT$300 before 11pm and NT$600 after. All tickets include two drinks.
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