I started DJ’ing as an extension of my passion for house dance, which emerged alongside house music in the 1980s, particularly in the clubs of Chicago and New York. I have been dancing all my life with everything from disco, locking, popping to house, which hugely affects me in the way I play and my track selection. The intimate connection between house music and dance is a fundamental aspect of the genre’s culture, and it is really where my love for house music and DJing stems from.
I started playing in the clubs and DJ selection bars of Tokyo, when I was living in Shibuya, which is a total hub for underground music. Tokyo’s house music scene is heavily influenced by the early house music scenes in Chicago and New York, and it is fueled by imported records and musical styles from the US – it is really a true vinyl heaven! This old-school music scene has shaped my identity as a DJ, with much of my knowledge, techniques and music selection originating from my time in Japan and especially learning from my DJ Senpais. The characteristics of the Tokyo scene, such as its reverence for vinyl, rotary mixers, selections bars, personalized sound systems and emphasis on selection and flow, have definitely influenced my approach to DJing for example through my obsession for rotaries, mixing style, selection-oriented sets, emphasis on sound quality and how I structure my DJ sets.
For me, it is important to bring quirkiness to my sets and I love to include some weird-ass psychedelic disco in the middle of a fast house set – I love when other DJs surprises me with their unique and personal selection instead of playing what others are playing and I want to “return the favor”! I’m a house DJ at heart, but really genre doesn’t matter as long as the tracks are siiiick!!!!
