The times they are a'changin'. Or so we are led to believe. Room 18 had its warm up re-opening last Friday and grand opening on Wednesday. Both nights were packed with a three-deep queue stretching 25m. The roof was opened up for a VIP bash. The main room still plays the same vapid muzak that barely passes for pop. However, sticking with a tried-and-tested formula isn't always a bad idea: on the plus side, in 18 Lover SL and the residents are still banging out solid house on Fridays.
As for the rest of the weekend, Saturday saw Paulina's on Anhe Road packed to the gunnels for some housey housey. Elsewhere, Fratzuki and friends finished Shady Nights at Club Shadow and carried on spinning dirty house and breaks into the wee hours at Club Cor, one place that has genuinely undergone a re-vamp, having now employed bar staff who can actually pour a drink which contains alcohol and some mixer. That may not seem a huge innovation, but its significance will not be lost on anyone who has ever knocked back a pint of Cor's usual foul-tasting brew and been left deciding whether to sluice down Draino or gulp out of the toilet bowl like a badly-trained Alsatian.
This weekend, most of Taipei will be boarding buses and heading for fun in the sun at the various parties happening in Kenting. However, as we warned last week, the authorities aren't too happy about the satellite raves and already there's been a confrontation between the organizers of the Moonlight Kandi party and the local council.
PHOTO COURTESY OF ROOM 18
The council reportedly banned the party two months ago, but the organizers set up the stage anyway, which didn't please the council, who went at it with a crane. This, in turn, didn't please the party organizers, who blocked the crane with their cars, leading to a stand-off only resolved when the organizers voluntarily took down the stage. They've vowed to continue with the party whether there's a stage or not. If a potential riot isn't your idea of a fun weekend, then check out what else is on in the area by checking last Friday's Vinyl Word at www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2007/03/30/2003354595.
Kenting has already made the TV news with a drugs raid and complaints from irate local residents.
On Wednesday, Kenting residents protested the fact that Spring Scream was not being held near Kenting, thus bad for business, while an unsourced Chinese-language Central News Agency report said the police were rolling out a GPS-based surveillance system that tracks mobile phone users for use during Spring Weekend and are deploying sniffer dogs. A nearby K factory was busted on Monday and the Tachien site may be closed down.
Most of the media have been incorrectly calling Spring Weekend Spring Scream.
"We're used to it," said Spring Scream cofounder Wade Davis. "They do this every year."
For those desk-bound, and not south-bound, Luxy has recently been refurbishing. The Onyx room re-opened on Wednesday, while the Galleria is now closed until April 17th. Elsewhere, Ministry of Sound hosts another installment of the GayDays festival with Love Ball 5 tonight. The "Love Bus" will run to the club every 30 minutes from 9.30pm, from the Cosmos Bank ATM on the corner near Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station, and back into town from 3am. In the club, alongside DJs Mario, Tiger, Stone, Argo and Cool Funk, there'll be male masseuses from Men Q spa. After midnight, the Darkroom opens — it's men only in there and you are asked to play safe, act responsibly, and therefore keep it available in the future. For more information visit www.gaydays-taipei.com.
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