One of the biggest challenges promoters face is popularizing indie music from around the globe to a scene that is years behind.
DJ/promoter Spykee Fat, real name Chin Hung-chieh (金弘杰), does his bit for the cause by pushing only artists that are little known to Taiwanese audiences.
In 2008, he brought Steve Aoki to The Wall (這牆), a gig attended by 500 people.
Photo Courtesy of Kyohei Nishimura
Three years later, Aoki played for thousands at the Halloween Massive on his third trip to Taipei. But Spykee had got there first.
His newest salvo is Gan-Ban Night at The Wall, featuring London-based DJ Erol Alkan.
But just what is Gan-Ban Night?
Photo Courtesy of Decked Out
“Gan-Ban was first a record shop based out of Shibuya, Tokyo. It imported indie-rock and dance music. It became such an icon of Tokyo’s music scene that they launched a party series called Gan-Ban Night. Now, it has evolved so much that is has become the official party night of Fuji Rock Festival,” said Spykee.
Gan-Ban night has hosted electro stars like Justice, Boys Noize, Simian Mobile Disco, Busy P, Sebastian, Brodinski and Scissor Sisters. And now, it’s coming to Taiwan.
“For the first time, we have a really famous international indie-dance party series imported into Taiwan,” said Spykee. “Maybe this party will be the most suitable for The Wall’s vibe thus far.”
Erol Alkan, who is of Turkish descent, agrees.
“I feel that you have more opportunities in a small club, more options to experiment and take risks. As much as I love festivals, they are a celebration of a time and place, and your parameters are decided by that,” said Alkan in an interview with the Taipei Times.
In 1997, Alkan founded the London club Trash. To commemorate the venue’s closing in 2007, the Guardian published a story glorifying Trash’s 10-year stint, calling it “the place to see and be seen.”
During the club’s legendary run, it helped break artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Peaches and Bloc Party. Its guest list was strict and the likes of Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson were turned away.
Between playing festivals like Coachella and producing songs for the Klaxons and Franz Fredinand, he has released official remixes for MGMT, Justice, Hot Chip, Scissor Sisters and Daft Punk.
“There is more music with Boys Noize, as well as some original music from myself, coming very soon,” said Alkan.
Alkan has an alter ego. He plays in the band Beyond the Wizards Sleeve.
“It’s just me and Richard Norris and [we do it] out of love for the psychedelic sounds and attitudes of a distant era. We released plenty of re-animations where we tried to bring the values of that time to modern music, and a modern approach to music of the 1960s,” says Alkan.
Dance Rock Taipei presents Gan-Ban Night featuring Alkan, Renaissance Man, Rory Philips, Spykee, Freaky Squeaker, Swing Child, Kurt and Inn tonight at The Wall, B1, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Tickets are NT$1,400, available at the door.
If that’s not enough electro, Agnst Asia and Dance Rock Taipei are teaming up to host an afterparty at China White tomorrow night. The lineup includes Kurt from Clash the Disco Kids in Singapore, Swing Child, Inn, Spykee, and Freaky Squeaker. China White is located in the alley beside Carnegies at 2F, 97-101, Dunhua S Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市敦化南路二段97-101號). Entrance is NT$400 with a drink, and if you keep your stub from Gan-Ban night, admission is NT$300 with a drink. Doors open at 10:30pm.
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