Now that record stores and vinyl DJs are endangered species, teetering on the brink of extinction, hearing wax in the mix has become a blast from the past.
If you’re partial to the warm sound and thick bass of vinyl records, tomorrow’s 90s Revival Party at China White, which showcases hip-hop from that era, spun old-school style by some of the best local DJs and record diggers, will be of interest.
The party’s organizer, Dasu (aka Ghetto Child — a beatmaker of some renown), faithfully nurtures his vinyl fetish despite the proliferation of new technologies.
Vinyl Word: When did you start collecting records?
Dasu: Since I was in high school, so it’s been about 10 years. But the funny thing is that I didn’t have turntables then. My friend took me to a small record shop called Doobiest in Ximending (西門町) where I saw DJ Chicano. After meeting him, I became very ... interested in deejaying, so I started buying records. But when I’d finally saved up enough money and got turntables, I broke my hand, unfortunately, and I had to wait for a long time until I could play the records.
VW: What happened?
D: I got in a fight ... If I weren’t making music right now, I’d probably be a punk. I used to be really rebellious — getting in fights all the time, skating, ditching school ... I was bad.
VW: Where do you buy records now? How many records do you have?
D: Mostly online or wherever they sell records — could be a flea market or a secondhand bookstore. But buying records has become a habit. It’s getting harder and harder to find records in Taipei now. I guess I have about 2,000 plus records.
VW: Which genres do you collect?
D: Mostly funk, soul, jazz and hip-hop.
VW: What equipment do you use to produce music?
D: Mainly Akai’s MPC [series] (drum machine) and the EPS 16 Plus (sampler), and sometimes I use software for a final touch.
VW: Who are your influences?
D: Pete Rock, DJ Spinna, J Dilla, DJ Premier, James Brown and classic funk. DJ Chicano was the person who got me into ... old funk/soul music.
VW: Which local artists have you been working with recently?
D: Soul singer Pezen — he’s really great. We’ve just made a new single together and will be performing it
live tomorrow.
VW: What’s your take on the Taiwan’s hip-hop/
club scene?
D: Many artists are emerging, but there’s still room for improvement. As for the club scene, although hip-hop is very popular, it seems like most clubbers are into it just because it’s trendy. It’d be better if there are actually more people who know and support the kind of music they like. Otherwise, hip-hop will be replaced by something else, sooner or later.
VW: What are your plans for 2010?
D: I’m working on releasing my first album. I’m in contact with some local and foreign artists about collaborations. I’d like to break into the American scene and hope that my music will get some recognition overseas. It’s kind of hard to make music in Taiwan. I mean, the kind of music I make is far from what the mainstream market wants. I’d also like to bring some cool artists to Taiwan — Anonymous Twist from Canada is one of them.
90s Revival Party 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), tomorrow from 11pm until 4am with DJs Chicano, Ghetto Child, Vicar and Camel and MC Basso and Pezen on vocals. Admission is NT$450.
On the Net: www.milk-crates.com
Correction: The original version of The Vinyl Word carried an incorrect byline. It was written by Queen Bee. The Taipei Times regrets the error
Nine Taiwanese nervously stand on an observation platform at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport. It’s 9:20am on March 27, 1968, and they are awaiting the arrival of Liu Wen-ching (柳文卿), who is about to be deported back to Taiwan where he faces possible execution for his independence activities. As he is removed from a minibus, a tenth activist, Dai Tian-chao (戴天昭), jumps out of his hiding place and attacks the immigration officials — the nine other activists in tow — while urging Liu to make a run for it. But he’s pinned to the ground. Amid the commotion, Liu tries to
The slashing of the government’s proposed budget by the two China-aligned parties in the legislature, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), has apparently resulted in blowback from the US. On the recent junket to US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, KMT legislators reported that they were confronted by US officials and congressmen angered at the cuts to the defense budget. The United Daily News (UDN), the longtime KMT party paper, now KMT-aligned media, responded to US anger by blaming the foreign media. Its regular column, the Cold Eye Collection (冷眼集), attacked the international media last month in
A pig’s head sits atop a shelf, tufts of blonde hair sprouting from its taut scalp. Opposite, its chalky, wrinkled heart glows red in a bubbling vat of liquid, locks of thick dark hair and teeth scattered below. A giant screen shows the pig draped in a hospital gown. Is it dead? A surgeon inserts human teeth implants, then hair implants — beautifying the horrifyingly human-like animal. Chang Chen-shen (張辰申) calls Incarnation Project: Deviation Lovers “a satirical self-criticism, a critique on the fact that throughout our lives we’ve been instilled with ideas and things that don’t belong to us.” Chang
Feb. 10 to Feb. 16 More than three decades after penning the iconic High Green Mountains (高山青), a frail Teng Yu-ping (鄧禹平) finally visited the verdant peaks and blue streams of Alishan described in the lyrics. Often mistaken as an indigenous folk song, it was actually created in 1949 by Chinese filmmakers while shooting a scene for the movie Happenings in Alishan (阿里山風雲) in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投), recounts director Chang Ying (張英) in the 1999 book, Chang Ying’s Contributions to Taiwanese Cinema and Theater (打鑼三響包得行: 張英對台灣影劇的貢獻). The team was meant to return to China after filming, but