“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.
Sept.16 to Sept. 22 The “anti-communist train” with then-president Chiang Kai-shek’s (蔣介石) face plastered on the engine puffed along the “sugar railway” (糖業鐵路) in May 1955, drawing enthusiastic crowds at 103 stops covering nearly 1,200km. An estimated 1.58 million spectators were treated to propaganda films, plays and received free sugar products. By this time, the state-run Taiwan Sugar Corporation (台糖, Taisugar) had managed to connect the previously separate east-west lines established by Japanese-era sugar factories, allowing the anti-communist train to travel easily from Taichung to Pingtung’s Donggang Township (東港). Last Sunday’s feature (Taiwan in Time: The sugar express) covered the inauguration of the
The corruption cases surrounding former Taipei Mayor and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) head Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) are just one item in the endless cycle of noise and fuss obscuring Taiwan’s deep and urgent structural and social problems. Even the case itself, as James Baron observed in an excellent piece at the Diplomat last week, is only one manifestation of the greater problem of deep-rooted corruption in land development. Last week the government announced a program to permit 25,000 foreign university students, primarily from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia, to work in Taiwan after graduation for 2-4 years. That number is a
This year’s Michelin Gourmand Bib sported 16 new entries in the 126-strong Taiwan directory. The fight for the best braised pork rice and the crispiest scallion pancake painstakingly continued, but what stood out in the lineup this year? Pang Taqueria (胖塔可利亞); Taiwan’s first Michelin-recommended Mexican restaurant. Chef Charles Chen (陳治宇) is a self-confessed Americophile, earning his chef whites at a fine-dining Latin-American fusion restaurant. But what makes this Xinyi (信義) spot stand head and shoulders above Taipei’s existing Mexican offerings? The authenticity. The produce. The care. AUTHENTIC EATS In my time on the island, I have caved too many times to
In a stark demonstration of how award-winning breakthroughs can come from the most unlikely directions, researchers have won an Ig Nobel prize for discovering that mammals can breathe through their anuses. After a series of tests on mice, rats and pigs, Japanese scientists found the animals absorb oxygen delivered through the rectum, work that underpins a clinical trial to see whether the procedure can treat respiratory failure. The team is among 10 recognized in this year’s Ig Nobel awards (see below for more), the irreverent accolades given for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think.” They are not
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