At a disco club in the Bronx during the late 1970s, Grandmaster Flash (real name Joseph Saddler) invented deejaying, the mixing technique that lets DJs cut and mix one track with another by using two turntables. Essentially, he created the way your favorite DJ deejays.
Grandmaster Five and the Furious Five, with whom he also pioneered MCing and freestyle battles, took New York by storm with a new genre of music — hip hop. Even today, the group is widely regarded as the founders of rap, hip hop and hip-hop culture, and has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as the very first hip-hop artists. Break dancing, beat boxing and graffiti writing — all these elements of hip hop are thanks to Grandmaster Flash. Hell, you can probably give him credit for things like Wu-Tang and snapbacks too.
Grandmaster Flash, 58, helps kick off grand opening week at CA Club tomorrow night with what will surely be a mind-blowing performance of acrobatic scratching, cutting and sheer skill.
Photo courtesy of MN2S Management
While Flash plays tomorrow, CA Club doesn’t officially open its doors until Tuesday when Christian Audigier hosts the grand opening. Several other celebrities from Taiwan and China will also be in attendance, said CA Club marketing executive Sandy Lin. They are also planning a fireworks display over the Breeze Center courtyard.
The club has already been operating for a few weeks now, with Attar! playing a few weeks back and a handful of local DJs testing out the setup and sound in the meantime. The venue is already looking Ed Hardy-esque with the label’s signature tattoo style of luxurious rock-and-roll skull and roses decorated throughout.
Expect it to be even more so by this weekend for Grandmaster Flash, and the club also plans to pack a chopper and a Ferrari into the space for the grand opening next week.
Surprisingly, the club is outdoors, so dress appropriately. It sits on the 2nd floor terrace of the Breeze Center and is accessible from the stairs next to Civic Boulevard entrance. In case of rain, or also if you just want to sit down, there are plenty of covered tables available for purchase, but the rest of the club with the exception of the bar area is alfresco. Since Taipei has very few outdoor spaces, this is a welcome addition to the club scene.
CA Club will open daily with a light menu that includes oysters, caviar, afternoon tea and other drinks. The club, as well as its sister club in Shanghai, is operating under Christian Audigier’s same vision for his champagne and fine wine collection: “It’s not a wine, it’s a lifestyle.”
DJs are scheduled to play every night except Monday. Besides Grandmaster Flash, there’s a stacked international lineup including Designer Drugs on Nov. 28 and Zimmer on Nov. 29. Fashion and music seem to be what is going to set CA Club apart from all the other clubs that are too busy focusing on everything else.
Grandmaster Flash plays tomorrow night from 8pm to 2am at CA Club in the Breeze Center, 2F, 39 Fuxing S Rd, Taipei City (復興南路一段39號2F). Advance tickets are available at CA Club for NT$600, admission at the door is NT$800. Cost includes two drinks. The grand opening party is Tuesday; doors open to the public at 9pm. Admission is free, as it is every night that there is no special event. The club regularly opens daily from 11am to 2am.
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