Ghouls, goblins, vampires, werewolves, characters from Avatar, Sarah Palin-look-alikes, Lady Gagas and scores of sexy nurses, police officers and teachers, not to mention a Mormon or two, will be out in full force tomorrow night for All Hallows’ Eve.
An estimated 7,000 revelers will be attending the Monster Massive, Taiwan’s biggest Halloween party, to see headliner Benny Benassi, the Italian DJ and producer who ranks No. 26 in the world according to the recently leaked 2010 DJ Mag poll and is getting set to release Spaceship, his newest studio album.
“Spaceship, the single, was a real thrill,” Benassi said in an e-mail interview. “It came about by chance, almost. We sent the instrumental to Jean Baptiste who wrote the lyrics and melody. Then we said, ‘Hey, it would be great to hear it with female vocals,’ and Kelis happened to pop into his studio. Then we said it would be great to hear it with some rap, too, and he got apl [apl.de.apl from the Black Eyed Peas] on it.”
Photo courtesy of Chris Davidson and Paul Sears
Benassi says the album is full of surprises. Will he be wheeling any of them out tomorrow?
“I won’t be playing tracks that haven’t been released yet,” he said. “Or, if I do, it’ll be in a different form from the album version.”
■ Halloween Massive (亞洲最大變裝派對2010萬獸派對) with Benny Benassi, Dr Lektroluv and Robert Shah, tomorrow from 9pm to 4am at Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 2 (台北世貿二館), 3 Songlian Rd, Taipei City (台北市松廉路3號). Tickets are NT$1,200 and can be purchased at www.ticket.com.tw, 7-Eleven ibon kiosks, or at the door.
Photo courtesy of Chris Davidson and Paul Sears
A few buildings over and a few floors up is the Annual Room18 Halloween Roof Party.
“Once you leave the elevator, you’ll feel like you’ve walked into Wes Craven’s latest horror movie,” said Andrew Ford, music director for the Room18 group. “Guests will come face-to-face with infamous horror villains like Freddy Krueger, Jason and Michael Myers. There’s an open bar, sexy dancers, the latest hip-hop, electro and classic Halloween tracks, plus Halloween-inspired visuals on a large LED screen.”
■ The Annual Room18 Halloween Roof Party, tomorrow from 9:30pm to midnight on the roof of the Neo 19 Building, 88 Songren Rd, Taipei City (台北市松仁路88號). Invitations can be picked up at Room 18 or Barcode. Admission is free for guests wearing costumes or NT$800 without.
Donning a different guise is an essential part of Halloween festivities, and Dominick Fresina, whose alter ego Chinese Rapper Dom has received a lot of attention, is reverting to his former self, DJ Fratzuki, for Brass Monkey’s 2010 Halloween Bash tomorrow.
“Halloween at the Monkey is one of our biggest nights and everybody lets themselves go,” said Max Murphy, one of the establishment’s owners. “It always amazes me to see how many people get dressed up and into the spirit. Again this year we will be hosting the ‘funnest’ Halloween competition where the guys and girls get to strut their stuff on our specially built stage in pursuit of cash rewards for the best dressed and the sexiest Halloween costume.”
■ Brass Monkey’s 2010 Halloween Bash (銅猴子2010萬聖節派對), tomorrow from 9pm to 4am at 166 Fuxing N Rd, Taipei City (台北市復興北路166號). Free entry and drinks from 9pm to midnight for women in costume, otherwise admission is NT$150. Entry is NT$150 for costumed men, which includes a drink, and NT$300 otherwise.
Meanwhile in Kaohsiung, Freak It 5, Frisky’s annual Halloween party, takes place tomorrow at Roof Park.
Mark Stewart, the man behind Frisky, had thought that last year’s edition would be his last year hosting the event.
He had moved back to Canada soon after getting married, but then he received word from Kaohsiung that Roof Park would be closing its doors for good.
“I jumped at the opportunity to do one final event, Freak It 5 ... even if that means flying back from Canada to do so,” Stewart said. “I’m traveling 10,000km for this party because I know how massive and amazing it’s going to be.”
■ Freak It 5, tomorrow from 10pm to 4:30am at Roof Park, 15F, 165 Linsen 1st Rd, Kaohsiung City (高雄市林森一路165號15樓). Entry for men and woman is NT$600 without costume, NT$500 with. Both prices include two drinks.
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When Bilahari Kausikan defines Singapore as a small country “whose ability to influence events outside its borders is always limited but never completely non-existent,” we wish we could say the same about Taiwan. In a little book called The Myth of the Asian Century, he demolishes a number of preconceived ideas that shackle Taiwan’s self-confidence in its own agency. Kausikan worked for almost 40 years at Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reaching the position of permanent secretary: saying that he knows what he is talking about is an understatement. He was in charge of foreign affairs in a pivotal place in
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