Halloween gave the city's superclubs another chance to put on a big bash last Saturday, with Gimp Boy the Nightclub Spanker stalking the stage at Luxy, while Infusion, "the most exciting new live dance act to hit the 21st century" jetted in for a show at Ministry of Sound (MoS).
According to the promoters and those who were there, it all went off splendidly at both mega parties and a good time was had by all.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
The Vinyl Word, however, was more interested in checking out MoS the night before, after hearing rumors that gangsters were scaring off the punters, the vibe was becoming stale and the fabled sound system was buzzing a bit and losing power and range.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
It was inevitable that Taipei's nightbirds would flock to MoS when it opened, but what has it given birth to nearly nine months after opening its doors for the first time?
A decision to have weekly themes and dress codes to freshen up the party scene at MoS seems to be working and a section of the crowd was dolled up in beachwear, though there weren't that many speedos in sight -- and probably just as well.
There were, however, dancers from Australia and there was an unexpected appearance from the SunSon Theater troupe, which entertained customers at the outside bar. Then they joined Ibiza and Thailand party DJs Bora Bora and Gary Gecko inside on a sand stage, with palm trees as a backdrop.
As usual, SunSon danced, sang and drummed energetically and upped the energy levels for the night. Afterwards, there were men in diving suits firing massive foam guns, followed by acrobats clad from head-to-toe in bright lycras.
It was entertainment of the type that borrows heavily from clubs like Manumission in Ibiza, Spain. You could see that people were psyched by the production. It was theater without the boring bits. If the gangsters were there, they were hiding. The sound, however, is still not as bassy as I would like and not as powerful in the middle as it used to be.
Back from Beijing and badder than ever, Chozie was playing at Eden last week and is at the Pig and Whistle in Taichung this weekend. He will also be putting down the vinyl at the new Thursday-night shindig, Shag, at Club 70's (12th floor at the Living Mall) next week. He'll be playing a few days later at Luxy, but just doing the price comparison -- NT$70 for Shag, NT$700 for Luxy -- we know where the accountants will be heading to hear Chozie's latest cuts.
"It's cool to be back," this nation's most famous Australian said. "Everyone has been welcoming me with open arms. It's been drinks and late nights all the way. I love it."
Chozie has set up a company that projects laser animations on buildings and has been promoting the DVDJ -- which does what it sounds like it should do. Basically, its two CD players and a DVD player that allows the DJ to control images and music together, hopefully fusing the two for a unique sound-and-light experience. The busy bee has also set up a studio and an independent record label, as well as finding time to work on a massive club that contains a KTV and live band area.
"I'm still DJing four nights a week at Suzy Wong, the most happening bar in the whole of China, though there's a lot of competition now. I've been touring Sri Lanka. Colombo was really intense, but there's 90 percent men at those parties. Apparently, `good girls' don't go to parties there."
Finally, two good gigs this weekend are the further adventures of Deep Inside from Saucey and SL at Eden tomorrow, with four-hour sets from two of the finest house DJs in town.
Liquid Lifestyle is back with a must-see at Room 18 the same night. Miami's Jin was the first ethnic Chinese rapper signed to a major record label and is a US freestyle MC champion. Among his many achievements, he was called "the artist to look out for" by Rolling Stone and starred in 2 Fast 2 Furious. Jin is touring Asia to promote his just-released The Rest is History album.
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