Ninjas Invade Japan

As their Japan tour approaches, Ninja Tune founders Matt Black and John More — collectively known as Coldcut — sit down and have a chat with Kansai Scene’s Euan McKirdy.

The pair have always held a special spot in their hearts for Japan. Although they played the Fuji festival in 2000, they haven’t stopped by Kansai since 1998, and it is a visit that is long overdue.

They will also take in Tokyo and Nagoya on this whistle-stop tour, but Osaka is particularly appealing, due in part to the “mad fashion sense” of Osakans.
The Ninja label has its roots in Japan, and the music world owes a great deal to the inspiration that arose to their first trip here. After a slew of commercial success during the late eighties, Matt and John took a well-deserved break and took in the phenomenally different culture and ethos of Japan.

It was a trip that was to change their lives, and offer the world a new way of looking at music, both metaphorically and, more recently, literally. Inspired by the “minimalism and attention to form” that Japan represented, the duo quit their day jobs making hit records, and embarked on an odyssey that has gone on to be one of the most influential, and radical, musical experiments of recent years.

During their time here, they made an important discovery — "We found a book about cut-out-and-keep Ninjas. They build these amazing houses where they have special traps so they can disappear and reappear somewhere else. They were all about artifice and hidden identity." This philosophy was to become the foundation of the label.

To have a label where “artists can put out their material uncompromised and get it sold” is the culmination of over 14 years of progression and innovation, combined with a collective approach to A&R and visionary thinking. Strictly Kev, Ninja Tune’s main designer, was also acutely influenced by his time in Japan, and incorporates elements of the Japanese esthetic into his artwork.
The concept of Zen is one that is more than just a theme. Matt Black professes to a deep and abiding interest in Eastern philosophy and believes the nature of Zen can be summed up in two words — “I accept”. This has influenced the way they have both made music and expanded their horizons in terms of the label.

The Ninja stable is as eclectic as it is astounding — ranging from hip-hop (and hip hop inspired) DJs such as Kid Koala and DJ Vadim to predominantly visual artists — including Matt Black and Japan Tour VJs Lucky Cat and Juxta — the list goes on and on. This latest tour is a chance to “promote the new with the old”, and introduce the Japanese fans to the next generation of Ninja artists. A fair few of these will be showcased at the Osaka event.

“We love Japan”, states Black. “It’s the home of technology”,
and they’ve put this technology to good use over the years. Since
their groundbreaking debut single 'Say Kids, What Time is it?' — the first sample-built record in the UK, Coldcut have been pushing the boundaries of sound and vision consistently over the years, and continue to do so — they are currently in the studio working on a
new Coldcut album.

Matt has been experimenting and developing visual arts for some time now, and employs a myriad of tools, including new technology such as Pioneer’s next-generation DVD-based improvement on the CDJ, and the new Kaos Pad Entrancer to create a visual evolution on the traditional DJ set. “Electronic music companies are beginning to wake up to the evolution of the DJ style”, and Coldcut are always willing to experiment with new toys. Black spends his free time filming, and has a library of Japan footage, which he plans on incorporating into the Japan tour set.

John and Matt are looking forward to performing once again for their Japanese fans. Japanese audiences “have a lot of respect.
They can be quiet [but] show their appreciation at the end of the set.” Crowds like this have been likened to jazz aficionados, who have a quiet awe and respect for the technical complexities as well as the end result. There are a lot of trainspotters in Japanese crowds — guys who stand at the front and are transfixed by the DJ’s hands, picking up new tricks. John sums it up — “I love the intensity of the mad Ninja trainspotter.”

4/3 (Sat) 22:00 - ZEN TV @ Mother Hall
DOOR: ¥6000
• Coldcut (Live) Hexstatic (Live AV Set)
• Bonobo (DJ Set) Kid Koala (DJ Set) Jon Swinscoe (DJ Set)
• Lucky Cat & Juxta (Visuals)

Text: Euan McKirdy

MIJK VAN DIJK JAPAN TOUR 2004

Great news for all the techno girls: the techno prince from Germany, Mijk is coming to Kansai to play for you. Instead of a white horse though, he'll be riding the turntables (which, frankly, is a much more useful thing for a boy to be able to do) with the assistance of some very cool tunes of course. After first visiting the country in 1995 he's worked with the likes of local legends Denki Groove, Ken Ishii, Toby Izui and more and has accumulated more Narita airport stamps than a backpacking English teacher scamming tourist visas. He'll be playing both Osaka and Kyoto during Golden Week too so you've no excuse to miss him.

5/2(Sun) 20:00 @ CLUB JOULE.
DOOR: ¥3000(1D)/ADV: ¥2500(1D).
DJs: Mijk van Dijk, Kagami, Toby, Ippei, Koujirou + more

5/3(Mon) 21:00 @ WORLD.
DOOR: ¥3000(1D)/ADV: ¥2500(1D).
DJs: Mijk van Dijk, Ippei, Enomoto, Shin, DJ Sho.

INSPIRATION DUB presents
DOC MARTIN JAPAN TOUR 2004

Doc Martin is not only the first West Coast DJ to have a New York residency at the famous clubs including The Tunnel and Twilo, he is also one of the few DJs from the States who’s popular enough to have a London residency too. His unbelievable music sense from old school hip hop and underground Chicago house to NY garage always makes the dance floor happy. But not only is he good, he’s playing at our favorite cozy club Nudic too, with the wicked “Flower of Life” providing the visuals. A fine musical adventure indeed.

4/24(Sat) 22:00 @ NUDIC
DOOR: ¥3500(2D)/ADV: ¥3000(2D)
GUEST DJ: Doc Martin (from LA)
DJs: Kenji Shimazaki, Kakimoto Daisuke, LUKE

SUN FLOWER
meets BIG CHILL

Famous as the man who took mellow to the masses with the legendary Big Chill ambient/downbeat/generally stress-free parties that began in Britain a decade ago, Pete Lawrence will be appearing at the new club UNTED UNDERGROUND “TSURU NO MA” in the famous MISONO building. Organized by uber-undergournd label Sound Channel and eccentric organizers Flower of Life the event is basically a meeting of Big Chill (UK) and Osaka chill-out party Sun-Flower. Whatever the rising thermometer says outside, it will be very cool inside. Chill, even.

4/23 (Fri) 23:59 @ UNTED UNDERGROUND “TSURU NO MA”.
DOOR: ¥500(1D), W/F: ¥3000(1D), W/KS: ¥2500(1D)
DJs: Pete Lawrence, TAIYO, MAMEZUKA + more

Club Listings April

2 Fri

SOLSTICE MUSIC presents MAXIMUM VELOCITY @ MOTHER HALL. Psy-trance. LIVE: Crunchy Punchy, Alien Project. DJs: Ali Linker, Jeaan Borelli, Takashi. Open 22:00. ¥5500(adv.¥4500).
HAUS II HAUS @ GRAND CAFE.
All mix. DJs: 2 SHAN, Ken, Jumpee, Nakk, Ryouta Takahashi. Open 20:00. ¥2000/1D.
SURE SHOT vol.6 @ JOULE. Hip hop. GUEST DJ: Hasebe. DJs: Benkei, Nan-jyo, Bata, Koda, Haru. Open 20:00. ¥2500/1D.
PHENOMANA OSAKA 1st ANNIVER-SARY @ ROCKETS. Techno. GUEST LIVE: Overrocket. DJs: Shin Nishimura, F.Gotoh. Open 23:00. ¥2500/1D(WF ¥2000/1D).
MESH LOVE @ TRIANGLE. Hip hop. DJs: Hiyoco, Ko-taro, Swing. Open 21:00. ¥2000/1D(WF ¥1500/1D).
NUDIC IMPRESSIONS @ NUDIC. House. DJs: Kurachi, Hug, Kitagawa. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.

3 Sat

NINJA TUNE LIVE in JAPAN 04 @ MOTHER HALL. Break beats/Hip hop. LIVE: Coldcut, Hexsatic, Kid Koala, Bonobo, Dominic Smith.
Open 22:00. ADV.¥6000.
REFLEX @ UNDER LOUNGE. Techo. GUEST DJ: John Tejada. DJs: Y. Mat-suoka, Astro. Open 21:00.¥3000/1D.
EMMA HOUSE IN KYOTO @ WORLD. House. GUEST DJ: Emma. DJs: Mamezuka, K-ji. Open 22:00. ¥2500/1D(adv.¥2500/2D).
B+ @ CRUST. Progressive house. DJs: Shogi, Sachico, Luke, Bebe. Open 23:00. ¥2000/1D (W/F ¥1500/ 1D).
SATURDAY CLASSIC GROOVE FOR STYLISH GIRL @ GRAND CAFE. Classic groove. DJs:Groovy workshop, Jun. Open 20:00. ¥2000/1D.
WORLD LOVE VS HEAT UK @ JOULE. Hard house. GUEST DJ: Spencer Freeland. DJs: Energy-Dai, Ken-gee, Tetsuji, Ninami. Open 20:00. ¥2500/1D(foreigners ¥1000/1D!!).
SMOKE @ NUDIC. House. DJs; Luke, Joules, Dimitri, Yoku, Keiji Shimazaki. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.
STAFF NIGHT @ SAM&DAVE NAGAHORIBASHI. All the party music. After hours party open till 8 am! Open 20:00. Men ¥2000/2D,Women ¥1000/1D.

4 Sun

ONE LOVE @ GRAND CAFE. Reggae. Weekly event. MUSIC: Iire a.k.a Hiroto, Takuo. Open 20:00. ¥1000/1D.
SOULFREE @ UNDER LOUNGE.
Hip hop. Weekly event. DJs: Minami, Benkei, Kaz001. MC: Moggy. Open 22:00. ¥2500/2D.

6 Tue

LEGEND @ GRAND CAFE. House/ Garage. Weekly event. DJs: Yoku, Daisuke, Asahara, Gokusaburou. Open 20:00. ¥1000/1D.

8 Thu

INSPIRATION DUB @ NUDIC. House. Weekly event. DJs: Keiji Shimazaki + more. Open 22:00. No cover charge!!

9 Fri

OSAKA SAFARI @ GRAND CAFE. R&B/Hip hop. DJs: George, Getaku, Hondy, Force, Brocken. Open 20:00. ¥2000/1D.
DA REAL DANCEHALL PLAYERS @ JOULE. Reggae. SOUND: Indipendent, Red Speider, Yellow Choice, Oasis Rizing Sound + more. Open 20:00. ¥2500/1D.
HANA @ UNDER LOUNGE. Dance music. DJs: Ogawa Junzou.com, Hario! Open 21:00. ¥2500/2D.
CROSS OVER @ MOTHER HALL. UK Hard house. DJs: Shinkawa, Monobe, Doi. Open 22:00.¥3500(adv.¥3000).
NUDIC RENDEZVOUS @ NUDIC. House. DJs: Riki, Sachiko, Inaba. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.

10 Sat

DR.SHINGO 2nd ALBUM RELEASE TOUR @ TRIANGLE. Techno. LIVE: Thomas Brinkmann(from Germany). DJs: Dr. Shingo, Ascii Disko, Maral Salmassi. Open 22:00. ¥3000/1D (adv.¥2500/1D, WF ¥2800/1D).
ZERO CONTACT @ NANKO RINKOU RYOKUCHIKOEN. Techo. Open air party. DJs; Take, Hero, Kurose Yu, Boo, Nishito, Atsuji, Que. Open 22:00. ¥1000. info: mixmax.main.jp.
CHAOS @ ROCKETS. Techno. DJs: Fumiya Tanaka, DJ Zip. Open 23:00. ¥3500/1D(adv.¥3000/1D). www.fumiyatanaka.com.
TOP FUEL @ UNDER LOUNGE. Progressive house. DJs: Ko-Kimura, Ko-Matsushima, Hamanaka. Open 21:00. ¥2500/1D.
NUDIC DIMENSIONS @ NUDIC. House. DJs: Ageishi, Mamezuka, Handa. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.
FOR PARADISE @ GRAND CAFE. House/Garage. DJs: Tokusaburo, Kenichi-Kotani, Megumi, Massan. Open 20:00. ¥2000/1D.
LITTLE BITCH @ KARMA. Rock.
DJs: Ichiro Rider, Ryo, Tetsu, Kazuya. Open 23:00. ¥2500/1D (adv. ¥1700/1D, WF ¥2000/1D).
MONOGRAM @ WORLD. Techno/ House. DJs: Y.Matsuoka, Shimazaki, Kitaura, Mie Kashiwagi. Open 21:00. ¥2500/1D(WF ¥2000/1D).

11 Sun

GROOVE CAFE 2nd ANNIVERSARY @ JOULE. House. DJs: Tomoki Tamura + more. Open 21:00. ¥2000/1D.

16 Fri

FOUND@THRIST-LIFE @ TRIANGLE. Techno. DJ contest. GUEST DJ: Q-Hey. DJs: Idejun, Yumi. Open 19:00. ¥2500/1D(adv.¥2000/1D).
MASTER PIECE @ ZING. Psy-trance. LIVE: KOQ. DJs: Asuka, Ryoma, Tatsuya, Teona Hoshino, Tazura. Open 22:00. ¥1500/1D.
COOL TO KOOL @ METRO. Future jazz. GUEST LIVE: Jazztronik. DJs: DJs: Yohei Okino(from Kyoto Jazz Massive), Kenji Sakajiri. Open 22:00. ¥3000/1D.
ELECTRIC FREET @ MOTHER HALL. Techno. DJs: Tasaka, Kagami, Marai. Open 22:00. ¥3000 (adv.¥2500).
NUDIC IMPRESSIONS @ NUDIC. House. DJs: Kazuma, Lovegod, Tan Ikeda. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.
WICKED! @ UNDER LOUNGE. House. DJs: RDM, Sugata, Mari. Open 21:00. ¥2500/1D.
BRAIN @ CRUST. Techno. DJs:Tacky, Take. Open 23:30. ¥1000/1D.
GROOVE LINE OSAKA @ SAM&DAVE NAGAHORIBASHI. Party music. DJs: Takuhiko Fuji, Ryuji. Open 20:00. Men ¥2000/2D, Women ¥1000/1D.
SAYANSE @ WORLD. Reggae. GUEST DJ: H-Man. HOST SOUND: Chill Drive Disco. SOUND: Bass Green, Jam Field. Open 21:00. ¥2500/1D.

17 Sat

FREAK STYLE @ MACAO. Tech-trance. LIVE: Mistumoto. GUEST DJ: Ryo. DJs: Full Moon Mondo, Bunlin, Tez, Kai. Open 23:00. ¥3500.
CLUB MOTOWN @ TRIANGLE. Hip hop. GUEST DJs: Dev Large, Shinco. DJs: Hobby:tech, Jerry Adachi. Open 22:00. ¥2500/1D(adv.¥2000/1D).
FREAKS OSAKA with NEO CLASS6 @ FLATT. Hip hop. GUEST DJs: Takeshi Kubo, Dev Large. DJs: Masao Miyamoto, Yoshiaki Tsutsumi. Open 21:00. ¥3000/1D (adv.¥2000/1D).
SEXY TRAX @ UNDER LOUNGE. Hard house. DJs; Ise, Mokoto, Uda. Open 21:00. ¥2500/1D.
GOLD @ NUDIC. House. DJs: Y. Matsuoka, Sagami, Will Robinson + more. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.
FLUID @ ZING. House. DJs: Kentaro Iwaki(Dub Archanoid Trim), Daisuke Kakimoto, Keiichi Mizoguchi, Mitsuki Nakamura, Satoshi. Open 22:00. ¥2500(adv.¥2000, WF ¥2200).
ROCK DO @ ROCKETS. Rock/Pop. DJs: Rockdo DJs, Groovers DJs, Little Bitch DJs, Time to the Smiths DJs, Remixx DJs. Open 23:00. ¥2500/1D(adv.¥1500/1D).
SUPER SOULD SHOW @ WORLD. Soul/Disco. DJs: Otsuki Atsushi, Hisada, Matsui, Enoki, Show5. Open 21:00. Men ¥2500/2D, Women ¥2000/1D.

18 Sun

SYNC @ ZING. House.LIVE PAINTING: Tomokazu Matsyuya(from NY). DJs: 2 Shan, Bav, LUKE, Kenichi. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D (WF ¥2000/2D).

23 Fri

BLACK BEATZ BOZ @ TRIANGLE. Drum'n'bass. SPECIAL GUEST: DJ Hype&MC Rage DJs: Toyo, Kenzi feat King Hisato, Global Spin. Open 22:00. ¥3500/1D (adv.¥3000/1D).
NUDIC RENDEZVOUS @ NUDIC. House. DJs: Riki, Sachiko. Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.
LADIES NIGHT @ SAM&DAVE UMEDA. All the party music. A glass of bubbly, a red rose and a free drink ticket for all the ladies. Free nail artists, too. DJ: Akira. Open 19:00. Men ¥2000/2D, Women ¥1000/1D
ESSENTIAL @ WORLD. Hip hop. REGULARs: Sancon, Yohei, Meg, DJ Frisk. GUEST DJ: Hazime. Open 21:00. ¥3000/1D(adv.¥2500/1D
+ DJ Hazime Mix CD).

24 Sat

WEST @ ZING. Progressive house. DJs: Yashima, Shogi, Yukinari, Tomoa. Open 21:00. ¥TBA.
WARP DA DISCO @ UNDER LOUNGE. UK Hard house/Trance. DJs: Shinkawa, F.Gotoh, Co-hey. Open 21:00. ¥2500/1D.
DENDOTSUKEMATSUGE @ KARMA. Hard house/Drag queen show. DJ: Ibi. DIVAs: Diana Extravaganza, MDX, Michel, Simone Fukayuki, Rui:z. Open 23:00. ¥2500/1D(adv.¥2000/1D).
MOTIVATION @ WORLD. House. MAIN DJ: Towa Tei. DJs: Musashi + more. Open 22:00. ¥3500/1D (adv.¥3000/1D).
MICRO MARCH @ ROCKETS. Techno. GUEST DJ: Tuttle. DJs: Yoshiki, Ko-Jax, Ono. Open 23:00. ¥2500/1D(adv.¥2000/1D).
QUEEN-FASRER NIGHT- @ JOULE. Trance/Hard house. DJs: Energy-Dai, masaki, Sho, Faster, Togi, Yoge. Open 20:00. ¥2500/1D.
MOVER'S DELIGHT @ BECAK. 1st Anniversary. Open 22:00, ¥1000/D.

28 Wed

ULTRA PUMPIN' @ MOTHER HALL. Hard dance/Progressive house. GUEST DJ: Dan Diablo. DJs; Yoji Biomehanika, Sawa. Open 23:00. ¥3500(adv.¥3000).
ARCHIVES @ TRIANGLE. Electro clash. DJs: Yoshimura, Nishimura. Open 21:00. ¥2500/1D (adv.¥2000/1D).
EMMA HOUSE 10 RELEASE PARTY @ JOULE. House. GUEST DJ: Emma. DJs: Naoki, zerozero, Kurachi, Isohama. Open 20:00. ¥3000/1D.
LES PLUS @ METRO. House. DJs: Tomoyuki Tanak(Fantastic Plasticc Machine), Shoichi Kazino, Fukami Madoka, Second Royal Crew. Open 22:00. ¥3000/1D.
H2DP SPECIAL @ UNDER LOUNGE. Disco. DJs: *Groovy workshop & featuring DJs. Open 21:00. Men ¥2500/2D, Women Free!!

30 Fri

HOUSE FUSION-HI TECK SOUL JAPAN TOUR 2004 @ GRAND CAFE. House/Classics. GUEST DJ: Derrick May. DJs: Ackin', Tomoki Tamura. Open 20:00. ¥3000/1D.
ADAM BAYER J-TOUR @TRIANGLE Techno. DJ: Adam Bayer. Open 21:00. ¥3000/1D (adv.¥2500/1D).
DISCO FRESH!! @ UNDER LOUNGE. Disco. DJs: *Groovy workshop., Ban-chan. Open 21:00. ¥2500/2D.
DEEP SOUTH RECORDS presents BRILLIANT-3rd Anniversary Vol.2 @ ROCKETS. LIVE; Sutekh (from Germany). DJ: Kunio Asai. Open 23:30. ¥3500/1D(adv.¥2500/1D + Mix CD, WF ¥3000/1D).
LIGHTS @ NUDIC. House. DJs: R(erre)del Mond, Ge-hi Mania.
Open 22:00. ¥2000/1D.
STREET DREAM @ I TO I. Hip hop. GUEST LIVE: AI from Def Jam Japan. LIVE: NOB for Magma MC., Doberman Inc. DJs: Minami, George, Shiots, Bigai. Open 21:00. ¥3000/1D (adv.¥2500/1D).
GOLD NIGHT @ SAM&DAVE UMEDA. Party music. Tequila shots ¥300 all nite. DJ: Testuya. Open 19:00. Men ¥2000/2D, Women ¥1000/1D.
JAZ'TSUKION @ METRO. Urban jazz nite. SPECIAL LIVE: The Baker Brothers(from US). LIVE: Fu-ten. DJs: Munehiro Nakata, Akio Okuda, Kazuhiro Inoue, Makoto Nakatani, Takeo Araki. Open 22:00. ¥3000/1D(adv.¥2500/1D).
STYLUS @ WORLD. House. MAIN DJ: Ageishi. DJs, Ban, Kee-bo. Open 21:00. ¥2000/1D(WF ¥1500/1D).

KS club section compiled by Terumi Tsuji