Saturday saw two parties in Taichung go head to head, with the relatively new promotion team Colour Wolf at 89k and Greg Russell and photographer Steve Vigar with their even newer promotion crew Up Against the Wall throwing Get It at Light Lounge.
Over the weekend four Taipei-based DJs played in the middle city. At Light Lounge Anti-Hero, Bobby Bonestorm and Mr Blends performed alongside Jhongli-based Rich and Taichung-based Naked and MC Stoppa, while vDub worked the decks at 89k.
Though the venues couldn’t be more different, it was a treat to see both parties so well attended.
89k is primarily a live music venue and although vDub played a killer electro-grunge set and Colour Wolf had kept things going beforehand, the sound system is not up to electro. The party was mainly outside on the street, with a makeshift sumo-wrestling ring and fat suits for anyone wanting to throw their weight around. The presence of mixed martial arts ring girls dressed in bikinis and doing a photo shoot was a real talking point. Should 89k wish to continue as a DJ venue, the speakers could do with an upgrade. Even so, the Taichung crew knows how to party and supports local independent nights.
Light Lounge’s bash was lining up to be a monster when the Vinyl Word left at 3am. Having missed most of the Taipei DJs, a sweet catch was Rich and MC Stoppa on a drum ’n’ bass tip. Stoppa’s claim to be the best drum ’n’ bass MC is a big one and he sounded tight. Great show and flow. Huge boasts are always good to hear when backed up. Russell was gutted that the two extra bass bins which were meant to be in place fell through. Nonetheless, the sound was enough to rile the police, said Russell.
Vigar snapped partygoers holding a small white-board on which they’d written personalized messages. To view the results, log on to
www.stevenvigar.com.
It is surprising there are not more city-to-city DJ crossovers like these. Hopefully some of the Taichung DJs will have the favor returned and hit Taipei up in the near future.
And now, meet Taipei’s newest DJ. Just arrived on Sunday, from eastern Canada, is Kirk Parsons, aka Kaptain K, from St John’s in Newfoundland. Parsons, 34, has been playing for 13 years and has shared the stage with the likes of George Acosta, Above and Beyond, Kai and Infusion.
“When I’m looking for music all I want is filthy, bouncy dirty bass lines,” said Parsons. “I switch back and forth between fidget and jackin’ house. My sound is unique and very different to what a lot of other DJs play.” Parson plays at Fly on Sunday morning at around 5am. “This is gonna be a very distinct sound,” he said.
Kaptain K at Fly, Sunday from 4am until
8am at Cocky, B1, 26-3, Renai Rd Sec 3, Taipei
City (台北市仁愛路三段26-3號B1). Admission is NT$300, which includes a drink. On the Net:
www.soundcloud.com/djkaptain.
If you are going to see one other DJ this weekend and are not a regular at FiFi lounge bar on Renai Road, then a trip to China White at around 1:30am on Sunday will get you a dose of FiFi resident Kay, a vastly experienced Taiwanese DJ respected for her wide musical knowledge, who gets great press whenever her name is mentioned. Also in the mix are EnterStereo, Kaoru and Sanki.
Virus H Party, tomorrow from 10pm until 5am at China White, 2F, 97-101, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路二段97-101號2樓). Admission is NT$350 with a drink.
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