Last weekend, Miami was the center of the dance music world with the Ultra Music Festival and the Winter Music Conference taking place. Jack U, which is composed of EDM heavyweights Skrillex and Diplo, got the coveted closing set at Ultra. During their time on stage, they brought out rapper Diddy and superstar Justin Bieber. Many fans of electronic music were aghast that these two DJs had the audacity to bring out two pop stars, but it just goes to show how blurred the line between electronic and pop music has become.
Closer to home, an estimated 600,000 spring breakers will be enjoying four days of fun in the sun in Kenting for the Tomb-Sweeping weekend. The biggest party is the 2015 Spring Break on the Beach (2015 夏都春宴) at the Kenting Chateau Beach Resort (墾丁夏都沙灘酒店), with headliners DJ Bl3nd and White Vox.
At a young age, Ricardo Alvarez learned to play the violin and enjoyed jazz composition. Eventually, he and a good friend formed White Vox as a jazz duo, and they started recording instruments for their songs, which turned Alvarez to producing music.
Photo courtesy of Ricardo Alvarez
Sadly, the friend passed away, but Alvarez is keeping the White Vox torch going by working with a big-name artist that the friend had really liked.
“I can’t give details right now, but I feel this collaboration would make him proud,” Alvarez said in an e-mail interview with the Taipei Times. “It feels like I’m giving something back to the guy who introduced me to this world.”
For the past three years White Vox has been producing EDM tracks that have big drops in them as well as some different glitch elements. To describe his sound, Alvarez coined the terms Vox bounce and Vox drop. “These aren’t really a genre,” Alvarez said. “[It’s] a way of identifying my music.”
For his show this weekend, Alvarez is thrilled to be popping his Asian cherry in Kenting. “I’ve heard some really nice words about Taiwan so I expect it to be hectic and energetic, plus it’s my first gig in Asia so I’m preparing everything to be perfect,” Alvarez said. “The first time is always the best.”
■ 2015 Spring Break on the Beach (2015 夏都春宴) featuring DJs Bl3nd, White Vox, Dwagie (大支) and others, 3pm to 12am today, tomorrow and Sunday at Kenting Chateau Beach Resort (墾丁夏都沙灘酒店), 451, Kenting Rd, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County (屏東縣恆春鎮墾丁路451號). Admission at the door is NT$1,200 for a one day pass and NT$1,800 for a three day pass and includes all-you-can-drink Taiwan beer from 7pm to 11pm.
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