 Kittyhawk catches up with one of Sydney’s most successful alternative DJ’s… NeoTokyo…
“Give me something dark and twisted, polish it til it gleams, give it a stage under the hot lights, add the gypsy violins, accordions and kettle drums and watch it dance... throw in some monkeys for good measure… You can't go wrong with monkeys.” - NeoTokyo
This coming August at The Factory, The Bloodlust Carnival, comes a devilish circus poised to unleash your darkest fantasies, stealing you away to a twisted carousel of hedonistic music, rapturous dance and decadent performance. This event is the twisted brain-child of DJ Neo Tokyo and promises to be an experience not to miss.
Q. What's your non-DJing name?
A. Stephen
Q. How did you come up with your DJing name?
A. Akira is one of my favourite anime movies and I have a mad passion for Japanese culture, NeoTokyo just kinda fitted right in with me, now it's hard to tell NeoTokyo and Stephen apart at times :)
Q. Do you have a day job and if so, what do you do?
A. I'm a graphic designer by trade, I've been one for seventeen years, I've also been a night club manager, promoter, uni lecturer, you name it, I've probably done it.
Q. Where did you grow up?
A. Grew up in Glasgow as a baby and then Sydney, I've lived in or around Newtown for the last six years... I love it here.
Q. Do you play any other musical instruments?
A. I play guitar, I've been in a number of bands, rockabilly, swing, learnt jazz and flamenco for a while...
Q. Do you think this has influenced your music in any way?
A. Yes, definitely, I love guitars in most music, especially dance music... I love that cross over of rock and dance music.
Q. What made you want to be a DJ?
A. I used to manage Phoenix Bar on Oxford St a few years ago, we had some of the best DJ's in Australia play there, Mandy Rollins, Stephen Allkins (LoveTattoo), Sveta, Ben Drayton, Mark Murphy... and I heard and saw them just lift a whole room with the way they played, these guys are real artists.
Q. Are those things still important to you or do you have a new perspective on the industry now that you have been in it for a while?
A. The music is always important but I've come to realise that the overall presentation of an event it premium, whether it be the DJ's or the music or the way the room is dressed or the design of the flyers, the crew involved and how they present themselves, it's all equally important to a successful night.
Q. Did you have any goals when you entered the business, and if so, do you believe you have achieved any of those initial goals?
A. I didn't have any direct goals, I just wanted to put on professional, enjoyable events, Bloodlust has certainly achieved that from the feedback I've received over the past year or so.
Q. Who are/were the biggest influences on your DJing?
A. Sveta, Mandy Rollins and Ben Drayton definitely... they are DJing Gods.
Q. What was your first gig and how did you feel the first time you stood behind the decks and saw the audience dance to your music?
A. My first gig was at Phoenix with a friend of mine, Soni, she only had an hours worth of music so I had to play for five hours, I ended up repeating most of the tracks played earlier... having people dance to the music you've selected and seeing the recognition on their faces when they know what coming on next is priceless :)
Q. Was it what you expected?
A. Yes and no, it wasn't packed but the people who were there seemed to enjoy themselves.
Q. Have you seen the scene change much over the time you have been involved in it, both as a raver yourself and as a DJ?
A. I've seen many scenes change over the years, being involved with the goth scene for so long and watching it develope over nearly a decade, it's been interesting to see the different genres of music affecting various groups within the various scenes, like the rave, goth, fetish and rockabilly scenes, the cross over has been quite impressive... as long as it's dark, hard and nasty they'll love it.
Q. If you had the power to do so, is there anything you would change about raves and clubs as they are at the moment?
A. More venues, or at least more choice of quality venues... most venues steer clear of alternative events as the crowd are either too weird or they don't put enough over the bar to justify them being there.
Q. What do you feel have been your biggest achievements over the time you have been DJing?
A. Bloodlust has been a huge achievement; it started out a small dark electro club and has now turned into a full carnival event with a live band, burlesque and circus performances, cage dancers and some wicked music.
Q. What style of music do you enjoy DJing to and why?
A. I started out playing hard trance but I found dark electro to be much more fun to play, the dynamics of the music are more interesting to me.
Q. How would you describe your style?
A. Hard, dark and nasty.
Q. What makes you an exceptional DJ?
A. I wouldn't go so far as saying I'm exceptional but I can read a dance floor very well... if I can get dirtier with the music I will.
Q. What other genres of music do you listen to?
A. Electro, rock, j rock, old school hip hop, breaks... anything but country and western, that stuff just gives me a headache.
Q. Do you think these other styles of music have had any influence on your music and if so, what kind of influence do you think they have had?
A. Rock definitely, big hooks and guitars will always have me...
Q. Who is an artist you admire that your audience wouldn't expect?
A. Static-X maybe, I just love the way those guys write songs and the music is so fucking heavy.
Q. What do you see in your future in this business?
A. More events, more DJing, hopefully more different and quirky circus type things going on... and monkeys, definitely more monkeys.
Q. What's the strangest thing that has happened to you at one of your gigs?
A. I had the rock n' roll moment that every DJ dreams of and no one believes when you tell them ;)
Q. Do you have a favourite album or piece of music that you listen to for inspiration?
A. It's constantly changing, I'm really into Justice and Teenage Bad Girl at the moment, really fucked up electro...
Q. Do you have any advice for someone wanting to enter the industry?
A. Learn your trade before you do anything, whether it be music, design, DJing, producing, whatever... get the skills happening first, it'll server you better in the long run.
Q. Do you have any parting words for your audience?
A. Never stop creating.
For more information on, “The Bloodlust Carnival”, go to our events section of the website. For tickets go to www.moshtix.com.au .
www.myspace.com/neon_bomb
http://neotokyo.livejournal.com Posted by: kittyhawk, 15 Jun 07, 03:48
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