“Peak Taiwan” is more than just a state of mind; it is a reality that is happening right before our eyes. Fifteen years ago, Taiwan was just a small nation trying to find its way in the world. Now, it has blossomed into an international powerhouse with a music and art scene that is just warming up. No, Taiwan is not Tokyo, Shanghai, or Hong Kong, but it doesn’t need to be. Taiwan is still the friendly and mysterious gem of Asia that is riding high on an upwards trajectory.
Looking back at last year, Taiwan had just about something for everyone. Jack U, the hottest electronic DJ duo in the universe comprised of Diplo and Skrillex, bookended the year as Diplo fired up Elektro on the first weekend last January, and Skrillex rocked OMNI last December. Elektro has led the EDM charge by booking a DJ Mag Top 100 DJ nearly every week, while OMNI has kept up since it changed over from Luxy last May with sets from big names like DVVBS, Dash Berlin, and Ummet Ozcan.
While all big cities have glitz and glamour, the thing that gives a place soul is what is bubbling up in the underground scene. In Taipei, two contradicting underground scenes are thriving on opposite ends of the city. Korner, like the minimal decoration on its walls, went darker and deeper than ever before by having techno hero Ben Klock play to a sold out crowd. Funk master French Kiwi Juice amazed everyone with his incredible live show there, too. Triangle was on life support for some of the year, but got a fresh French injection when the Taipei Paris Nights crew took over and made it cool to be retro again. Now, gay and funk nights are happening regularly, and people love losing their mind on the far side of town.
Photo courtesy of Jason Matthew Peters
Last year was notable for a couple of other reasons. Hip-hop icon Afrika Bambaataa spent the better part of a week here and not only impressed people, but also enjoyed getting to know many of the b-boys and b-girls here. Hit maker Lil Jon, as well as NWA’s DJ Yella, were the other big name hip-hop personalities to grace the shores.
Looking into the crystal ball for “peak Taiwan” this year, the first few happenings point to an even better year coming up. On Jan. 16, the best hip-hop DJ in the world, Jazzy Jeff, will be blowing people’s minds at Myst. On Feb. 4 and 6, the Queen of Pop, Madonna, starts her Asian tour with a bang at the Taipei Arena.
While a lot of people blew their wads last night, the party can’t stop just because New Year’s Eve was on a Thursday. Tomorrow night, James Ho, @llenblow and Cross Cutz play glitch-hop, bass music, and dub at the RE:ACTION party at Korner. Expect a smaller crowd, but one that will really be there for the music.
■ RE:ACTION is tomorrow from 11:59pm to 5am at Korner, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Admission is NT$200 at the door and includes a drink.
May 11 to May 17 Traversing the southern slopes of the Yushan Range in 1931, Japanese naturalist Tadao Kano knew he was approaching the last swath of Taiwan still beyond colonial control. The “vast, unknown territory,” protected by the “fierce” Bunun headman Dahu Ali, was “filled with an utterly endless jungle that choked the mountains and valleys,” Kano wrote. He noted how the group had “refused to submit to the measures of our authorities and entrenched themselves deep in these mountains … living a free existence spent chasing deer in the morning and seeking serow in the evening,” even describing them as
As a different column was being written, the big news dropped that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) announced that negotiations within his caucus, with legislative speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) of the KMT, party Chair Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文), Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) had produced a compromise special military budget proposal. On Thursday morning, prior to meeting with Cheng over a lunch of beef noodles, Lu reiterated her support for a budget of NT$800 or NT$900 billion — but refused to comment after the meeting. Right after Fu’s
Yesterday, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) nominated legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋) as their Taipei mayoral candidate, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) put their stamp of approval on Wei Ping-cheng (魏平政) as their candidate for Changhua County commissioner and former legislator Tsai Pi-ru (蔡壁如) of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) has begun the process to also run in Changhua, though she has not yet been formally nominated. All three news items are bizarre. The DPP has struggled with settling on a Taipei nominee. The only candidate who declared interest was Enoch Wu (吳怡農), but the party seemed determined to nominate anyone
What government project has expropriated the most land in Taiwan? According to local media reports, it is the Taoyuan Aerotropolis, eating 2,500 hectares of land in its first phase, with more to come. Forty thousand people are expected to be displaced by the project. Naturally that enormous land grab is generating powerful pushback. Last week Chen Chien-ho (陳健和), a local resident of Jhuwei Borough (竹圍) in Taoyuan City’s Dayuan District (大園) filed a petition for constitutional review of the project after losing his case at the Taipei Administrative Court. The Administrative Court found in favor of nine other local landowners, but
RSS