Hi guys,
I am taking a new job in Taipei in two weeks and just wanted to know what the music scene was like there?
Do bands on world tours end up there? Who?
What is the local talent like?
Any homegrown Taiwanese rock / hip hop / pop / house that I can wow my friends with back home?
Rock on, pilgrims.
j5
Sorry this is slightly OT. I don’t know who’s on tour in Taiwan, but I just flew in to Atlanta last night and Courtney Love was on the plane with an entourage of unhealthy young ladies with scraggly hair and eccentric outfits.
As I checked in to my hotel, the band members were sprawled on couches in the lobby as her manager paid for the rooms, and I considered approaching and asking if she’d be interested in doing an Asian tour, figuring I could BS and tell her how popular she is in Taiwan. But then I realized I know virtually nothing about her, I don’t know a single song of hers, and I think she’d be unknown and would have trouble selling tickets in Taiwan. So I didn’t invite her to Taiwan. Sorry.
I’ll ask her next time I see her!
Are there any big bands that do concerts in Taipei that you have been too, or for that matter DJs?
j5
Speaking of Ms Love… wasnt she a stripper in TaiChong years ago…? Or is this another Taiwan urban myth?
I don’t know about that.
Nor do I know an answer to jonnyfive’s question. The biggest musical act I’ve seen in Taipei was Diana Krall, but I suspect that’s not what he had in mind for impressing his friends back home.
dj’s is where it’s at now…every week we got da big names…this fri. its pete tong and dave seamen at luxy…we’ve had PVD and tiesto in recent times, plus tall paul, big beat boutique, ltj bukem, oakenfold etc etc…i think because of this actual bands are just not cost effective to bring in; used to be a few but haven’t seen any for a while…
No, Courtney Love really used to strip here. It’s true. I think she was 19 at the time. The club closed down and she was deported. She was also apparently deported after stripping in Japan at 16. Don’t know if that one is true, though.
That’s totally fascinating. Seeing LTJ Bukem over here would be a trip. What about Hip Hop? I am pretty much a live music junky - blues and folk to techno and hip hop, so any tips at all are amazing.
What are the clubs that Big Beat Boutique and LTJ would play at?
No majorly big venues unless you’re into theatrical arts.
lot’s of hiphop as the locals love it…but most of it’s not so good to my ears (but then i’m not really a hiphop fan)
the club i frequent is luxy which has a main room for hiphop and a smaller room for all the rest
the luxy website is as follows: luxy-taipei.com/
of course we now have min. of sound but i aint got there yet
They experimented with REM and other bands, but they could never sell enough tickets. Sometimes has beens or pop bands would play at Kiss or Hard Rock, especially in the days when you didn’t need a work permit. DJ acts can fly under the radar as far as work permit laws are concerned.
Hi, want to know about music and art?.. check out Dragonfly Jamboree - the most up to date and extensive source of information about music and art in Taiwan. Also home of Taichng’s Dragonfly Jamboree Drum Circle which has performed at Spring Scream and the Tainan may Jam and will be appearing at this year’s Formoz Festival.
www.grandz.net/dragonfly/
email: dragonfly@grandz.net
Main features:
Profiles section - info on musiciand, bands, pubs, clubs, artistss, art exhibitions, festivals and more
Calendar: The most up to date and extensive calendar of events on the net for Taiwan. Updated daily unlike compass or any other site.
Contact Ben for details (use email address above).
Please check out the site and feel free to send us information about events you know are happening - it’s a big community we’re creating. If everyone does a little then the result is a lot.
Thanks
Ben 
For Taiwanese people, use www.grandz.net/dragonfly/tw/