Early last Friday morning, it was announced that Prince had passed away. Sadness shot through my body recalling all the reasons why Prince was a performer in a league of his own. Purple Rain remains one of my favorite albums, and I still remember the scene where Apollonia purifies herself in Lake Minnetonka. Prince was the epitome of keeping it real. He always did what he wanted and lived his life in his own way. Rest in peace.
It only seems fitting that a legend died last week and this week brings the death of The Vinyl Word. Over these 17 years I’ve been in Taiwan, nearly 10 of them have been writing The Vinyl Word and being involved in the nightlife industry. I have learned many lessons, but one of the most important things is this: Always leave the dance floor better than when you started. When I compare Taiwan’s music scene from 17 years ago, I’d have to say it’s in a much better place than it was.
There is truly something for everyone in Taiwan. For many years, there wasn’t a weekend night where people were wondering over their limited options. Today, there are always two, three or four interesting events and the main problem is how to squeeze all the fun out of one night. The three parties that I will cover in this final Vinyl Word column are all part of Taiwan’s maturity into a mecca for nightlife. Special thanks to Jules Quartly, Steve Price, Ron Brownlow, Olivia Wycech, Noah Buchan, Joe Henley, Dana Ter and David Frazier for all the support, influence, passion, constructive criticism and advice over the years.
Photo courtesy of Jamie Mactography
ORGANIK
Most of the time, techno music is enjoyed in dank basement clubs without windows or much natural light. This weekend, Taiwan’s premier techno destination party, Organik festival, which happens tomorrow to Sunday, is the exact opposite. Techno in its various forms will be played all weekend in a lush garden on a cliff next to the ocean in Hualien. For techno fans, this is nirvana.
■ Smoke Machine presents Organik 2016, tomorrow from 10am to Sunday at 4pm at Huting (牛山呼庭), Hualien County, Shoufeng Hsiang, Shueilian Tsuen, Niushan, 39-5 (花蓮縣壽豐鄉水璉村牛山39-5號) . Tickets are NT$3,500.
TRAP WEEKEND IN TAIPEI
The opening sequence on TroyBoi’s biggest hit, Afterhours, has VJ Nina Sky singing hauntingly beautiful lyrics about her love for the parties that happen after the parties. Then, the break kicks in and the sound of 10,000 people rioting explodes into the song. It’s one of the hottest songs on the planet right now and it makes bodies tremble. This weekend, TroyBoi will be putting on a masterclass in trap tomorrow at the new Chess.
■ TroyBoi performs tomorrow from 10:30pm to 4:30am at Chess, 9F, 12, Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路12號9F). Admission is NT$1,000 and comes with two drinks.
DANCING TO A DIFFERENT BEAT
DJs Resident Soul (real name Paul Duffy) and Hi-Five (Michael Wald) are taking on a gargantuan challenge. By combining their promoting and deejaying skills and knowledge, they are opening The Beat.
“Musically, we’re not aiming to be either commercial or underground because both of those approaches are as limiting as each other,” Duffy said. “No going through the motions. Each night will have its own energy, its own special moments.”
■ The Grand Opening featuring Chamber, Puzzleman, Monoply, Resident Soul and Hi-Five is tomorrow from 10pm to 4am at The Beat, B2 27 Fuxing S Rd, Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市復興南路二段27號B2). Admission is NT$200 before 11pm and NT$300 after and comes with a drink.
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