Hello there -
My bro and his girlfriend are coming to visit next weekend, and we want to do some karaoke. We’re looking for a KTV-style place, where we can have a room to ourselves, with beer and food service etc.
Where is the best one in Taipei? We’re looking for the one with the best selection of English-lang songs. Good stuff too, preferably. A nice selection of modern rock would be good. Not just The Carpenters.
We live in Banqiao, but will travel.
Cheers
If you’re in Banqiao, there’s a huge KTV there with everything you could want, including an eat all you want buffet downstairs (fill a tray and have the staff help you bring it up to your room via the elevator), English songs dating later than the 19th century, private rooms with large wall mounted TVs, very clean, well soundproofed, good furniture, lighting, and whatever else. I only wish I could remember where it was. I was taken there once by some friends one evening, and the only landmark I can recall is Fuzhong MRT, which is within walking distance. Sorry I can’t be of more help.
Is this the place?
http://www.newcbparty.com/branches3.html
Yes, that’s the one. Well done.
Great. Thanks people. I’ll check it out and report back.
Any on the Taipei side of the river(s) with a good variety of English songs?
I checked out this place on Saturday night and it had loads of plus points. It was decent value. We paid about 400NT a head for 3.5hours in a private room. The ticket included a free meal from a buffet style restaurant - pile up your plates then have them whisked upstairs to your floor in a service lift. The drinks were really cheap. You could by beer by the can from giant fridges at 7-11 prices (25NT to 50NT a can).
The only downside was the selection of English language songs. The control console for selecting tunes was all in Chinese, so pretty hard to work out (that’s my fault for not speaking the language), but once we did find the English language songs we were pretty underwhelmed. I’d say there were about 90 in total, and most of them were pretty slushy ballads. Not all - we did find some Lynyrd Skynyrd and Steppenwolf in there - but most. And the backing tracks usually consisted of recorded house bands knocking out licks on plinky plonky synthesizers.
I’ve been to KTVs in Japan which had insanely extensive English language catalogues (as well as similarly large Japanese ones) with every kind of genre from early blues, through to grunge rock, hip hop and modern pop. Guns ‘n’ Roses, The Hives, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Oasis, Nirvana, Springsteen, Dylan, Stones, and on and on and on. And you were always singing over the original track.
Does such a place exist in Taipei?
There are “Party World” KTVs all over. They seem to be the biggest chain. There is a big one in ximen. Also, there is a new “NewCBParty” KTV near the Breeze Center in Taipei.
English selections at both PartyWorld and NewCB are dismal. Japanese and Korean selections are also much worse than what you would find in the US. Any alternative with a better selection of English and non-Chinese songs?
Also, NewCB (Ximen and Breeze locations) has really gone downhill since I was first there. Most buffet items now cost $10 or so. Not expensive, but a big change from the “all you can eat” style when it first opened.