●Playing at a festival in South Korea.

--Which cities have you played so far? And what are your thoughts on the current music scene in Asia?

☆Taku: I’ve been to Taiwan, China and South Korea. South Koreans know how to have a good time; I like playing there. The situation in China is still developing but getting bigger all the time. I think we’ll start to see more of a change in the Chinese scene from now on as well. And in Taiwan, thanks to the efforts of DJ Mykal and DJ Noodles, bass music (aka “Miami Bass” or “Booty Bass”) is quite prominent there now.

--How is it Japan went from being a leading club nation to being overtaken by all these other countries in Asia?

☆Taku: Well, first of all, there was the economic decline. The price of commodities in Japan went up while salaries went down. Students can’t afford the 3500 Yen cover charge at clubs – that’s the same price as a CD. It’s become so much harder to get patrons to come to events. On top of this you also have the media who only seem to be concerned with portraying clubs in a negative light. There’s also the fact that the rest of the world is thinking globally and while all these other countries are getting ready to make their move on the world stage, Japan is still only thinking about domestic strategies. This applies to more than just the club scene too by the way. Modern day Japan is just like Edo period (1860s) Japan – closed to information from the outside world. We now have this useful tool, the Internet, that allows us to connect with the rest of the world, but the number of people who actually try to connect with the rest of the world are few and far between.

--South Korean artists seem to have the edge on song quality and branding and they’re having a big impact on the global scene. Why can’t Japan match this? What does Japan have to do to bring dance music and the entertainment industry as a whole up to par with the rest of the world?

☆Taku: Cultivate vocalists from elementary school age. Forget the way things are done now; you have to raise prospective singers early and anticipate their foray into the world 10 years down the track. South Korea started doing this 15 years ago. Japan is full of talented DJs and creators. The problem is there are too few vocalists who have what it takes to sing over the top of their tracks. But with the right training I believe that Japan too can put up a fight.
Also, when top DJs from Europe come to Japan they’re often surprised at just how good our resident DJs are. I’m always asked, “If Japan has all these talented dance music creators and artists why isn’t there more of a scene like Korea or China?” Even if Japanese DJs or creators put their work out there, there are just too few places in Japan where it will be accepted.

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