The traditionally rock-centric Formoz Festival is for the first time staging "electronica," an umbrella term for musicians who don't play in the now-traditional drum and guitar format -- and DJs.
The label electronica is often used when government officials or promoters want to put on DJs at an event they are sponsoring, but do not want to be associated with the stigma they created: equating dance music with drug use.
The other use of "electronica" is by the musicians and DJs themselves ("artists"), who use the label to distinguish themselves from their more commercial (better paid) club cousins.
PHOTO COURTESY OF SILENT AGREEMENT
Hence, in regard the "Electronic Stage" at this year's festival, organizers are keen to explain that though many of the names that will be appearing are club or rave DJs, they will not be when they play at Formoz Festival. This may sound contradictory.
"It's not really a dance stage, it's indie electronica. In Taiwan there are several kinds of electronica. You've got your dance or techno music and your drugs -- and you've got your independent scene. This stage focuses on the music rather than drugs. It's not a club, it's different from a club," says Formoz Festival founder and Cthonic lead singer Freddy Lin (林旭佐), head of Taiwan Rock Alliance.
It's as if rock musicians, fans and those on the indie scene never took drugs.
So, while Formoz Festival is to be congratulated on the fact that it is putting on dance, ambient, experimental, drum `n' bass and other forms of electronic music -- some of it less commercial than played in most clubs -- it will actually sound and look a lot like a dance party.
Dance music label Silent Agreement is organizing the Electronic Stage and said tonight's show will go on until the early hours. Tomorrow and Sunday will go on late, too. This, translated, means a dance party will take place after the rock bands have finished on the other four stages.
Acts to look forward to tonight include The Album Leaf, Californian Jimmy LaValle's electronic-mood music inspired by Brian Eno and (for his latest album) Iceland. The show is likely to include projection art and live strings. Local heroes Monbaza, 78bpm and popstar-turned-artist DJ Lim Qiong
(
That US assistance was a model for Taiwan’s spectacular development success was early recognized by policymakers and analysts. In a report to the US Congress for the fiscal year 1962, former President John F. Kennedy noted Taiwan’s “rapid economic growth,” was “producing a substantial net gain in living.” Kennedy had a stake in Taiwan’s achievements and the US’ official development assistance (ODA) in general: In September 1961, his entreaty to make the 1960s a “decade of development,” and an accompanying proposal for dedicated legislation to this end, had been formalized by congressional passage of the Foreign Assistance Act. Two
Despite the intense sunshine, we were hardly breaking a sweat as we cruised along the flat, dedicated bike lane, well protected from the heat by a canopy of trees. The electric assist on the bikes likely made a difference, too. Far removed from the bustle and noise of the Taichung traffic, we admired the serene rural scenery, making our way over rivers, alongside rice paddies and through pear orchards. Our route for the day covered two bike paths that connect in Fengyuan District (豐原) and are best done together. The Hou-Feng Bike Path (后豐鐵馬道) runs southward from Houli District (后里) while the
President William Lai’s (賴清德) March 13 national security speech marked a turning point. He signaled that the government was finally getting serious about a whole-of-society approach to defending the nation. The presidential office summarized his speech succinctly: “President Lai introduced 17 major strategies to respond to five major national security and united front threats Taiwan now faces: China’s threat to national sovereignty, its threats from infiltration and espionage activities targeting Taiwan’s military, its threats aimed at obscuring the national identity of the people of Taiwan, its threats from united front infiltration into Taiwanese society through cross-strait exchanges, and its threats from
March 31 to April 6 On May 13, 1950, National Taiwan University Hospital otolaryngologist Su You-peng (蘇友鵬) was summoned to the director’s office. He thought someone had complained about him practicing the violin at night, but when he entered the room, he knew something was terribly wrong. He saw several burly men who appeared to be government secret agents, and three other resident doctors: internist Hsu Chiang (許強), dermatologist Hu Pao-chen (胡寶珍) and ophthalmologist Hu Hsin-lin (胡鑫麟). They were handcuffed, herded onto two jeeps and taken to the Secrecy Bureau (保密局) for questioning. Su was still in his doctor’s robes at
RSS