French Kiwi Juice (real name Vincent Fenton) has blown audiences away in Taiwan three times over the past three years, and he will be headlining Ultra Dance Society’s four-year anniversary party tonight in Tainan with Chloe Martini and Disk0kids. Unlike other DJs that pass through Taiwan, French Kiwi Juice is a groove maker, multi-instrumentalist and crowd pleaser all wrapped up in one dreadlocked performer.
Last year when French Kiwi Juice preformed at The Wall, the crowd really had its groove on. Usually, DJs that play at The Wall and Korner are dark, techno DJs with a monotonous sound heavy with Berlin influence. French Kiwi Juice is the antithesis of that. He plays colorful chords on his keyboard to groovy hip-hop rhythms and funky basslines. His music is from the heart, and tonight, he will be bringing some much-needed soul to Tainan city.
■ Ultra Dance Society 4 Years Anniversary featuring French Kiwi Juice, Chloe Martini and Disk0kids is tonight from 8pm to midnight at U11 (拾壹庫), 30 Beiman Rd, Sec 2, Tainan City, (台南市北門路二段30號). Admission is NT$1,000 at the door and includes one drink.
Photo courtesy of Ultra Dance Society
MADONNA MADNESS
The legendary Madonna will be in Taiwan to celebrate the beginning of the Lunar New Year. After her second show tomorrow, the boys from the Werk party are taking over The River venue for the Madonna Ball where party-goers are encouraged to wear anything Madonna related. The Madonna concert is a twice-in-a-lifetime event for Taiwan, so expect the crowd to be going full boy toys with many people who look like virgins, a lot of La Isla Bonitas and a few blonde ambitions expressing themselves.
■ Werk presents The Madonna Ball tomorrow from 11pm to 4am at Pipe, 1 Siyuan St, Taipei City (台北市思源街1號). Admission is NT$500 for men and NT$600 for women and includes a drink.
FREAKS AND FIRE MONKEYS
The year of the fire monkey is supposed to be bonkers. That is a good sign for next weekend’s FreakFest 2016, which will have a psytrance party on Feb. 12 and a band and DJ jam Feb. 13. Tainan legend Rock Starkey has relocated his family and his business to Dulan (都蘭), a little outside of Taidong, and with him moves the FreakFest. With a nod to Burning Man, FreakFest has always been about being comfortable doing whatever you like.
The first time I saw Starkey was on a stage at Spring Scream many moons ago wearing about 10 rolls of toilet paper and not much else. He’s had FreakFest in Kenting and Tainan over the last few Lunar New Year breaks, but he says that now he has the perfect place for it, right at the foot of the aptly-named Monkey Ass Mountain.
■ Dulan FreakFest 2016 is Feb. 12 and Feb. 13 from noon till midnight in a field five minutes from Roadhouse Dulan (都蘭 都好食), 112 Dulan, Dulan Village (都蘭村都蘭112號). Admission is NT$500 per day. For more information call Terra at (0910) 377-663.
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