It might have been unusually cold in Taipei, but LTJ Bukem and MC Conrad made ladies night at Luxy the hottest action in town last Wednesday, also their best gig in Taiwan since 2004. Conrad did a lot more singing this time, adding jazzy, soulful and sometimes dubby layers to LTJ's specialty-blend of deep and grooving drum 'n' bass with his mesmerizing voice. The energy level was roaring high from start to end. It's hard to believe a drum 'n' bass party kicked off to such an extent in Taiwan.
"There is a major difference between this and the kind of parties where they have to use go-go dancers to get people excited," said Julia Chien, a drum 'n' bass fan from Taoyuan. "It's all about music and dancing here tonight. And it would be perfect if they were playing in the big room."
Other drum 'n' bass lovers wished for a revival of the local scene. "What you see tonight may make you believe that drum 'n' bass parties are big in Taipei, but actually they aren't," said Bryan Beemish (aka MC Beemer), who opened for LTJ and Conrad on their first visit. "There hasn't been any big drum 'n' bass parties like this in a long time."
PHOTO: COURTESY OF GARETH JONES
Party animals flocked to The Zoo in Taichung for Latex, a house party hosted by DJs Gareth Jones and Matty D (from Swank) last weekend. The Vinyl Word got caught up on the way and didn't get there till 2am, but the timing turned out to be just right. There was enough time to groove to some nice house beats as well as chill with laid-back Taichung folks and watch a fire-spinner doing his thing on the patio.
For those who are unfamiliar with Taichung nightlife, The Zoo is a cozy new venue in the popular bar/club strip on Daguan Road, near The Pig Pen and Lion King and features an indoor dance room and an outdoor patio and bar behind a sleek-looking white fence.
Spring Scream weekend is approaching, which means it's time to get warmed up. Here's a few events to get you in the mood.
* House at Paulina (tonight). This solid weekly house gig has been going for a while and gets lots of props for its deep, sexy and funky house music selected by producer/remixer/DJ Sona from Dallas, one of the finest foreign DJs in Taipei. (No cover charge. 167, Anhe Rd Sec 2, Taipei City, 台北市安和路二段167號).
* I Love Taiwan at P.P. (tonight). Show your love as DJs from South Africa, San Francisco, Canada and Taiwan gather in Kaohsiung. Hip-hop, house and electro grooves. (NT$250, B1, 10 Szuwei 4th Rd, Kaohsiung City, 高雄市四維四路10號B1).
* Jam On It at China White (tomorrow). Billed as a special event for those who love to party and socialize with foreigners. DJs Jr, Megan, Saucey, Gareth Jones spin house all night long. (NT$350, 2F, 97-101 Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City, 台北市敦化南路二段97-101號2樓).
Rock 'n' Rave" at Liquid Lounge (tomorrow). By the Boogie Crew (the same people who threw the off-the-hook Xmas massive in Taichung last year.) Rock 'n' roll-influenced electronica is hot: Rockers rave and ravers rock. DJs Freaky Squeaker, Matty D, Victor Yeh and Ripper will be in the mix, accompanied by vocalist Kolette. (NT$350 before 12am, 98 Chungming S Rd, Taichung City, 台中市忠明南路98號).
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
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
Last week the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said that the budget cuts voted for by the China-aligned parties in the legislature, are intended to force the DPP to hike electricity rates. The public would then blame it for the rate hike. It’s fairly clear that the first part of that is correct. Slashing the budget of state-run Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) is a move intended to cause discontent with the DPP when electricity rates go up. Taipower’s debt, NT$422.9 billion (US$12.78 billion), is one of the numerous permanent crises created by the nation’s construction-industrial state and the developmentalist mentality it
Experts say that the devastating earthquake in Myanmar on Friday was likely the strongest to hit the country in decades, with disaster modeling suggesting thousands could be dead. Automatic assessments from the US Geological Survey (USGS) said the shallow 7.7-magnitude quake northwest of the central Myanmar city of Sagaing triggered a red alert for shaking-related fatalities and economic losses. “High casualties and extensive damage are probable and the disaster is likely widespread,” it said, locating the epicentre near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay, home to more than a million people. Myanmar’s ruling junta said on Saturday morning that the number killed had