How time flies. It feels like seven lifetimes ago that I arrived in Taiwan when in fact it’s been only seven years. Before I even bought my ticket, I had already heard about Megan Murphy (also known as Miz Megs) because despite being a foreigner she was a pioneering DJ in the local underground dance music scene. The Toronto DJ welcomed me with a warm beer (it’s hot in Taiwan!) and introduced me to the scene that I would later cover in the Vinyl Word for almost four years, so it’s only fitting that I write about her boyfriend MC Flipside, real name Natale Pizzonia, for my last Vinyl Word (the column lives on) since she’s sent him over for a weekend of back-to-back gigs.
It’s nice to wrap things up full circle, especially because I watched the local scene grow. In 2009, the only place to hear electronic dance music was The Wall (這牆). Now since the genre has become known as pop music and Americans have even abbreviated it and sold it as EDM — although one could argue that they are entirely different entities — I challenge you to find a club in Taipei that doesn’t play it.
But the genre still doesn’t get a lot of love from its original gangsters, so naturally I raised an eyebrow when Flipside’s bio referred to him as “Canada’s most versatile EDM artist.” He’s got a good defense though: “The publicist I hired in 2012 kept telling me to use that acronym in my bio.”
Photo courtesy of Duro the Third
Flipside says the American media’s version of EDM more represents a style of Euro dance music when deconstructed. He appreciates what EDM has done to the size of audiences in the underground music scene but doesn’t like that it has also caused much of the music’s quality to plummet.
Flipside says that the happy, respectful and good-natured sense of community of the 90s has been compromised by bad EDM habits like taking 9 million selfies and popping almost as many bottles instead of dancing like no one is watching.
But it’s true that he’s a part of it too — he’s had chart-topping house, techno and even breaks hits on iTunes and Beatport that have reached and supported names like Deadmau5 and Axwell all the way to Roger Sanchez. But it was a freestyle over Freaky Flow’s 1999 album Tits that credits him as part of the infamous 90s rave scene, which gives him grounds to make whatever arguments he wishes.
Although then he is oft credited as MC Flipside, today he also DJs, produces, sings and raps in equal parts and to equal expertise, so he’s somewhat dropped the preceding MC and just goes by Flipside to accommodate all his avenues.
Flipside does a double header tomorrow, playing during the day at a pool party and then again in the evening on the roof of ATT 4 Fun in the launch of a new summer series. He’s heard so many crazy stories about Taipei; let’s see if the city lives up to the hype.
That being said, keep in your hearts the memory of Rodrigo Campbell, who lost his life in a tragic accident last weekend.
My earliest memories of Taipei also include Rodrigo, who was on every dance floor that the Vinyl Word ever wrote about. His spirit was always smiling and his outlook infectious. The Vinyl Word extends our deepest condolences to everyone affected by his loss.
And with that, this story and this chapter come to end. Keep on dancing Taipei and farewell.
■ Flipside plays tomorrow afternoon at the Havana Pool Party from noon until 8pm at the Road Castle Water Theme Park (洛德城堡), Ln 160, Tingzhou Rd, Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市汀洲路三段160巷). Admission is NT$300. He plays again in the evening at Kloud on the roof of ATT 4 Fun, 12, Songshou Rd, Taipei City (台北市松壽路12號). The party runs from 3pm to 3am. Admission is free before 10pm and NT$1,000 after.
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