I’ve updated the “photos”-section with pics from yesterdays two gigs in Taichung (Fongyuen and ChungYo). ChungYo is my favorite department store, so I got a real kick out of performing there. Thanks to all my friends who came to the gigs yesterday: Mark and Kevin, Patrick (again!), Marlize, Echo, XiaoKe and Zoey (Gold FM).

(L to R, Emily, me and Big Bear)

I did the first two of 8 Eslite performances in Taipei last weekend. Em. and I were really stressed out about these earlier, since she has to communicate on my behalf and her knowledge of technical sound requirements rivals my knowledge of Mandarin (ie. not too darn good!). We left without knowing quite what to expect. We were put right at ease by the warm welcome we received at Eslite, Sanchong on Saturday, though. What a pleasure to arrive 2 hours early to find Chill Dynasty playing on the in-store sound system. Store manager, Big Bear, and his staff really went to trouble to assist us in every way. My thanks also to Melissa who introduced me in Chinese. My second performance on Sunday in Ximen also went rather smoothly, thanks to the efforts of Miss Lin and the Chinese introduction by AnChen. Nice to see some familiar faces – Andre and Lolita, and Patrick (MySpace friend, Wei DeWen). With the first performances completed successfully, I’m really looking forward to the coming shows – next are two in my hometown of Taichung. There are some pictures of the Taipei performances here.

My broadband woes continue, however. I’ve not been able to perform live in Second Life since a strong earthquake we experienced here on Boxing Day damaged a number of undersea fiber-optic cables off the coast of Taiwan. These should have been repaired by now, but apparently bad weather has been delaying things… To be honest though, I don’t even want to know what’s involved in repairing cables at a depth of 4000 meters. And since real life is pretty exciting right now, I’m waiting patiently.

I did an interview with GOLD FM in Taichung yesterday. Thanks to the efforts of Silent Agreement, interest in my music is really starting to pick up. Our friend, Echo, phoned excitedly on Wednesday to tell us that a famous DJ was playing a track from Chill Dynasty on a national radio station and that he had good things to say about it.

…which reminds me that I probably need to add a gig guide section to moshang.net…

Happy New Year!

Got a small mention in today’s Taipei Times (one of a handful of English newspapers in Taiwan). Just in time for tomorrow night’s gig with Viba at The Source…

” Innovation has been, thankfully, in abundance over the last twelve months, and this is to be praised because it is the injection of the new that stops the old getting, well, old. Collaborations between musicians and DJs have produced some interesting results, with live electronica starting to gain a toe-hold, particularly in the capital, with Viba, Moshang, and Kay and Kollette just four of an up-and-coming crowd of experimental electronic musicians.” Gareth Price, The Vinyl Word, Taipei Times.

I said it was small ;^)

Emily and I made the trip through to Taipei last Saturday for the gig at DV8 – damn, I should have listened to the GPS when it told me to get off the highway (twice!). Instead, we got stuck in Taipei’s notorious traffic and arrived at the venue much later than anticipated; stressed way out! Finally met Viba (whom it feels like I’ve known for years) as well as Fyodor and Vladimir of KusoJ T. Club. My friend Andre who now lives in Taipei arrived soon after – I’m in the process of contributing some sax tracks for an experimental music project Andre is working on.

Finished my setup and soundcheck with 30mins to spare before my set. At that stage there was nobody there and I left the the venue with Em. and Andre feeling pretty sure that I wouldn’t have much of an audience. Was very happy to meet FanChiang of Kou Chou Ching outside when we returned 15 minutes later and was very surprised to find that the place had filled while I was gone. Taipei audiences are punctual! Amongst them fishLIN (Kou Chou Ching’s other rapper), Yiching (whose company Silent Agreement will be distributing Chill Dynasty in Taiwan) and Sunieda de Beer (another South African friend whom I’ve recently played sax for on her solo album).

My 45 minute set went over really nicely, I’m happy to say. The crowd was really appreciative and I think I gave a pretty good accounting of myself. Good to know that I have a set that works, especially with the prospect of a number of promotional gigs coming up over the following two months. Viba and KusoJ’s sets were equally well received – Viba and I’ll definitely be playing together in the future, since our sets complement each other rather well. Kudos to Viba and Fyodor for organizing and promoting this event – it was a real pleasure!