If Friday the 13th is supposed to be inauspicious, no one told the folks at 2nd Floor. They've chosen tonight to reopen their club following two weeks of renovations, just as Sneaky Spins Productions plans to bring down the house with the second installment of their Friday the 13th special, Evil Breaks II.
Inauspicious or not, it's bound to be a good time as the management unveils a new bar and lounge and Sneaky Spins presents the UK's pioneer of breakbeats, Danny McMillan.
Already the city's biggest club, 2nd Floor will now be even bigger as an area formerly used as storage has been turned into a lobby lounge. Hoping Design, the same firm that designed Mega 19, has been hired to redesign everything from the front door to the DJ booth.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CONTAGIUS MUSIQ
"We've switched up the bar, redid the lobby on the street level and added a new area," said proprietor Alan Hsia. "We've also totally redone the DJ booth and put it on hydraulics so that part of it sinks into the stage and part of it rises up to the ceiling."
The improvements are the first of a two-part renovation project that will later this month see upgraded laser lights and the installation of a cryogenic system that will fill the club with a thick cold frost in 2.5 seconds.
"If we left it on, I guess, technically we could freeze everyone in the club," Hsia said. "It'll save on air conditioning." The disco ball has also been doubled in size, which has led to some technical difficulties in delivering it. "The guy who made it discovered after the fact that it was too big to get out of his door," Hsia said.
But many of the improvements will be enjoyed solely by the DJs, whose booth has been outfitted with an array of new equipment, including four turntables and a mini-fridge.
"Did they add a toilet?" asked McMillan, who is headlining the evening. Although making his first trip to Taiwan, McMillan has already cemented his reputation in the US, Australia and at home in the UK, where he's spent the past 15 years pioneering the breakbeat sound both as a DJ, producer and owner of his own label, Inflight Entertainment. As a producer he's remixed the likes of DJ Krush and New Order. As a DJ he's toured throughout Europe, North America and Australia. "In three years, I've done 19 tours of the States," he said.
It may sound like a jet-setting life, but McMillan keeps it all in perspective and even teaches underprivileged kids in his native Stratford. "I'm not one of these DJs that plays nine sets every weekend. I want to have a balanced life," he said in a phone interview. "I'm married, I teach, I own a label and I live in my studio." And that's where he plans to stay until its time to bow out.
"You've got to let go gracefully. I don't want to be one of these people that got known for putting out really good records and then threw it away with a load of crap at the end of his career," he said. "There are DJs out there who see it as a job. They don't enjoy it but they ain't got nothing else to do. They just turn up and rather than thinking, `This is an amazing record' they'll go, `Well, I think the kids will like this.' I think that's when it's time to let go."
McMillan will take to the decks following DJ K Fancy and MC Headspinna, who go on at 11pm. 2nd Floor's own DJ Reason will finish off the evening, which might run pretty late if McMillan has his way.
"I like playing four and five hour sets," he said. "If the vibe is there and people are up for it, I'll play on."
Performance Notes:
Tickets cost NT$700 at the door or NT$400 in advance and can be purchased in Taipei at Amp Music and Clothing, located at 9, Chunghsiao E Rd, Sec 4, Lane 205, B1, Taipei (北市中孝東路四段205巷9號B1), or at Citizen Cain at 67,Dongfeng St (北市東豐街67號). 2nd Floor is located at 15, Hoping W Rd, Sec 1, Taipei (北市和平東路一段15號).
The 60-second interview:
Taipei Times: I'm going to give you several words or phrases and I want you to tell me the first thing that comes to your mind. Ready?
McMillan: Yeah.
TT: You sure?
McMillan: Yeah.
TT: Wanker
McMillan: A cockney term for someone who's a bit of an idiot.
TT: Pop culture
McMillan: Popular music or popular surroundings.
TT: Paul Oakenfold
McMillan: Ibiza pioneer.
TT: Depeche Mode
McMillan: A fine electronic band, but not the best.
TT: The Beatles
McMillan: Oasis wish they were them.
TT: Chinese food
McMillan: Beautiful.
TT: Chinese girls
McMillan: Very beautiful.
TT: Online file sharing
McMillan: Destroying underground music.
TT: Hello Kitty
McMillan: Hunh?
TT: Break beats
McMillan: The rhythm section in '70s funk records combined to make the break.
TT: Danny McMillan
McMillan: Human being.
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