Delving into the origins of Taiwan's underground dance culture

==============================================================================

In the summer of 1995, Taiwan witnessed its first ever rave, a groundbreaking event that marked the beginning of a vibrant electronic music scene in the island nation. The man behind this historic moment was Allen Chen, a pioneering figure in Taiwan's music industry, affectionately known as the "godfather of electronic music."

Chen's introduction to the world of techno and avant-garde music came during a visit to London in 1993. Immersed in the city's techno clubs and warehouse raves, Chen's musical preferences were forever altered, setting the stage for his future endeavours.

Upon his return to Taiwan, Chen brought back a suitcase full of techno records by artists such as Richie Hawtin and Aphex Twin. He was eager to share his newfound passion with the Taiwanese audience, but initially faced challenges in finding the right platform.

Chen's big break came when he was approached by the editor of POTS tabloid, who told him about a floodplain in Taipei County that had hosted the Broken Life Festival the previous year. With this opportunity in hand, Chen organised Taiwan's first rave on July 29, 1995.

The first rave was a modest affair, with Chen bringing his own DJ mixer and turntables, and lighting consisting of black lights and a spinning pole from a Taipei barber shop. Around a hundred people attended the event, dancing till dawn. The organisers set up a generator, two speakers, two turntables, and a mixer for the occasion.

The rave culture in Taiwan and related electronic music events started gaining visibility post-1995, but specific records or sources naming DJs from the first rave are scarce. Therefore, it is not possible to identify DJs who were not yet born during that event based on the available data.

Chen's first 1,000 person rave took place in 2000 at the Mingde Amusement Park. His career took off when Benjamin Huang invited him as his first resident DJ at Taiwan's first dedicated electronic music club, Twilight Zone, which was later renamed Underground.

The years following 1995 are considered by Chen to be the most memorable and luminous period of Taiwan's underground dance scene. The party drug MDMA, known as yaotouwan in Taiwan, started flooding into new clubs around the island in the late 1990s.

The beach rave during Taiwan's spring holiday in 2002 led to a media scandal and the shutdown of many warehouse clubs. From then on, the raves started selling tickets to rent sites or pay for bigger sound systems.

Chen's journey began at a small bar called Top in Taipei, where he started DJing in the late 1980s. He later worked at the original Roxy and Spin, a dance club in Taipei. At Spin, Chen played a variety of music, including industrial dance music, EBM, and some acid house.

Despite the challenges and setbacks, Chen's unwavering passion for music and his relentless pursuit of bringing electronic music to Taiwan has left an indelible mark on the island's cultural landscape. Today, Taiwan's electronic music scene continues to thrive, a testament to the legacy left by its "godfather."