1.5 In the Mix
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The sun is setting, over Yokohama. From Yuji and Fox's apartment, the view, over the harbour, and the modern skyscrapers, on one side, Mount Fuji, silhouetted by the dusk sky on the other, is astonishing. Yokohama looks lively, below us: izakaya (japanese pubs), hostess bars, karaoke boxes, and the baseball stadium are all opening their doors, and welcoming their patrons. From the tv, the sound of last summer's Rock4four Enoshima beach party is picking up tempo.
I return to the leather sofa, in the beautifully decorated lounge, of Yuji and Fox's flat, and continue to watch the dvd. Fox hands me another can of kirin lager. "The tracks that are playing now, are often used in mash-up sets", fox explains. "Hard to explain, by the Strokes, Guns n' Roses, Taper jean girl, by Kings of Leon. That sort of thing. We've sampled sets of beats from each one, though, to extend the tracks, so we can work the floor, and mix them into each other". The dvd also, shows a setting sun, over Enoshima, and here too, the majestic Mount Fuji can be seen in the distance. Darkness brings a breeze onshore, a respite from the murderous daytime heat, and the Thai fire dancers appear, to entertain an increasingly genki crowd.
And in the DJ box, Fox and his posse are picking up the tempo still further. A mashed up, looping, building reworking of U2's one tree hill, and Larry Mullen's terrific precision drumming, and Brian Eno's soaring string arrangements have been sampled and looped, and work terrifically in the mix. By now, the crowd is large, happy, and dancing hard. Some of them wearing Kamikaze headbands (mainly tryhard foreigners), while a few of the Japanese kids prefer to clack, with those wooden fire alarm sticks, that old people bang, at dusk, in potentially flammable neighborhoods. Impressively, the kids clack perfectly to the beat, and add a certain shiranai mono, to the proceedings.
At the beach bar, Yuji, is shaking cocktails, to the beat. Beautiful waitresses, in bikini tops, and sarongs, bring the freshly shaken drinks to a group of young, happily intoxicated American servicemen. One of them shouts into the camera "this place rocks, man! The chicks are amazing, and the DJ is slick. I never thought I'd get into the moozik, but this place has a hell of a vibe!"
Yuji tells me that the cameraman is his brother, one of Japan's top adult video film makers. Judging by the way he effortlessly focuses the camera on the best looking girls on the dancefloor, I can easily believe it. The cameraman weaves through the crowd, and some of the girls dance extra seductively for the benefit of the lens. Young guys of all nationalities whoop and holler, in a sincere, but cliched way, to show that they're having a great time, too.
The crowd shrieks, as one, as the "ooh ooh ah aah" of Blondie's Heart of glass works its way into Fox's seamless mix. the wooddecking, the makeshift dancefloor is packed, now, with scores more revellers dancing on the sand. The camera pans around, and shows the party people dancing, all the way to the water's edge. The sheer euphoria, and energy is incredible, and tangible, even as I sit watching it, here,on dvd, months later.
Next: I interview some of the Rock4four party goers.
Featured tracks:
The Strokes - Hard to Explain:
Guns N Roses - Sweet Child o' mine:
Kings of Leon - Taper Jean Girl:
U2 - One Tree Hill
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