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Welcome to Taipei¡¦s techno nightlife By Yahan Wu

     Eyes shut, body swaying without command. Piercing, swimming, hypnotizing tunes rise and fall in your mind. Paralyzing flashes of light graze your eyelids and dissolve into your skin.

     Welcome to the other side of night, the other end of reality, the other half of pleasure. Welcome to Taipei¡¦s techno nightlife.

At 2nd Floor (2F, 15, Hoping W. Rd.), six DJs play hard, lounge and tribal house, trance, progressive and techno music throughout the week. Well-known international DJs make guest appearances from time to time; Canadian Sander Kleinenberg mixed here two weeks ago. The place is packed during these events, laser beams and spotlights hard at work. Entrance fees vary from NT$400 to NT$800.

    The dance floor at recently re-opened TeXound is half the size of 2nd Floor¡¦s, but is more frequently visited by music-lovers. The place is bursting with dancers on Fridays and Saturdays, the only days it is open. There is a lounge area by the basement¡¦s entrance where exhausted dancers rest their feet on tables before heading back for another workout.

TeXound has a rich supply of old and budding DJ¡¦s; favorites include Eric Huang, Victor Chen, Stone and Tiger. Entrance fees are NT$300 to NT$600.      Evan Lee, a 27-year-old techno club and outdoor rave party follower for three years, says that when the clubbing scene first arrived, people went for the love of music. ¡§Now, I find that most go for a different feeling and experience.¡¨      He divides Taipei¡¦s techno clubs into two categories--one catering to those who seek elevation, the other to music appreciators from earlier days.

    Other places to check out are Ya Yen, and The Face. And as the weather gets warmer, be on the lookout for outdoor rave parties.