OUTTAKES
Mouthing off
President Chen Shui-bian isn't the only Taiwanese personality whose big mouth is getting him in trouble. Hip-hop artist Jeff Huang Li-cheng is facing a possible two-year jail term over lyrics about lawmakers he says are soft on music file-sharing.
Huang, a former rapper in Los Angeles with LA Boyz, was last week hit with an aggravated libel action over the lyrics in the song Karma that name eight Taiwanese legislators, including Chiu Yi-ying and Chang Hsueh-shun. The lyrics say they'll 'pay for what they did' and that they might 'die an unexpected death'.
Huang has a beef with the lawmakers because they supported a bill that boosts the business of two local websites he says distribute his music without permission. Legislators changed the island's laws in 2003 to make internet music transactions easier.
'[The websites] are right here in Taiwan, and the government isn't doing anything about it,' the 33-year-old rapper says. 'I've worked hard on my lyrics not to make them sound overboard. I could have cussed. I took it down a lot of notches.'
Taiwanese media reports quoted Huang as saying he wants to defend Taiwan's music industry, which was worth NT$12 billion (HK$2.85 billion) in 1997 but less than half that five years later - reportedly because of internet file-sharing.
Attracting the best
Magnetic Soul, the hardest-working people in the local drum'n'bass business, have built a rock-solid reputation in less than a year with a steady stream of international guests. Last Saturday, they raised the roof at JC65 Basement in Central with Lenzman and MC Dan Stezo from the Netherlands, and tomorrow night they'll be showcasing two of the global movement's hottest up-and-coming names.
During the past four years, TC1 (above) and Stress Level have released tracks on imprints such as Advanced, Commercial Suicide, Liquid V and Renegade Recordings.
At tomorrow night's show at Club Magazine (3/F Cosmos Building, 8-11 Lan Kwai Fong), the British DJs will be supported by Magnetic Soul residents Kay C and J-P Lui, along with Red Label's Fat Demon. Doors open at 11pm and tickets are HK$170, with one drink.
Coming to Hong Kong
He says he can communicate with aliens through his turntables. He has released mixes titled Invasion of the Octopus People and Demolition Pumpkin Squeeze Muzik. He's a three-time world scratch champion and revered almost as a god by some in the turntablist community. His name is Qbert, and he's appearing in Hong Kong on September 1.
The venue and ticket prices have yet to be confirmed, but look for our exclusive interview with
the Filipino-American, otherwise known as Richard Quitevis, on August 31.
