Sayonara, Ageha! The only “straight” dance club in Taipei that catered to the strictly electronic dance music crowd, a franchise of Tokyo’s famed mecca of hedonism, abruptly closed two weeks ago, shortly after its one-year anniversary. The move not only left the club’s employees in shock as they had no prior warning, but is bad news for the capital’s electronic dance music fans who have few choices of venue left.
“It’s a bummer that a great venue with such a good sound system is no longer available,” one regular patron said. “I’m not completely surprised about the news though, because their business has always been quite slow in general. There were only about 20 to 30 people at tops who go there every weekend, and that’s obviously not enough to keep it going. “
Meanwhile, a novelty bun shop has been raising eyebrows in Kenting with its nightly DJs and thumping music since it opened in May. Run by a bunch of dance music maniacs (known as the Moonlight crew, Kenting’s premier rave party promoters), the shop’s loud, bass-heavy music and DJ booth, which is set up by the second floor window that overlooks the street, have had some passersby wondering whether a dance club is hidden within. But no, it’s really just a shop that sells nothing but hot steamed buns. As for the dance music, what better accompaniment than eating a bun?
The store is located on Kenting’s main drag, next to the area’s biggest disco pub, Golden Beach (金灘). The facade sports Chinese-style eaves and red banners that read “General Ron’s Handmade Buns” (戎將軍手工包子) in Chinese. Both the patio in front of the shop and the interior offer seating and enough space to accommodate patrons who feel like getting down to the music.
“The way that the DJ booth is set up here has a ‘deejaying at a street party kind of feel,’ so it’s really fun,” says Askashu, one of the resident DJs. “And the best part is that you get to play whatever you want. I play a lot of house, breaks and progressive. The other DJ, Su-Bin (酥餅), likes to play house, especially the kind with Afro-beats.”
General Ron’s Handmade Buns is located at 233 Kenting Rd, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣恆春鎮墾丁路233號). DJs play from 6pm to midnight, every night.
Tomorrow, something a little bit special is going down at Paris Night Club in Ximending (西門町). Frog in a Sock boys Angus Yeates and Matt Barker have persuaded renowned hip-hop group Ugly Duckling, of Long Beach, California, to make its first trip to Taiwan. These underground superstars have been mocking the hip-hop world with tight and comic rhymes for the better part of 15 years. They aim for the soft underbelly of mainstream rap and gut it with old-school blades.
Not since November last year, when Numark graced these shores with Coldcut, has Taiwan hosted a hip-hop turntablist as good as Young Einstein. His cohorts, Dizzy Dustin and Andy Cooper, wax lyrical with a downhill, laid-back flow.
Ugly Duckling plays tomorrow at Paris Night Club (夜巴黎舞廳), 5F, 89, Wuchang St Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市武昌街二段89號5樓). Admission is NT$1,100 at the door. As of press time, a limited number of advance tickets were available at NT$850. For information on outlets, call 0917-865-622 (English). The night runs from 9pm until 5am. On the Net: www.uglyduckling.us.
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