DJ Nobu and Haruka celebrate 20 years of Future Terror with debut London party
- PublishedWed, Sep 7, 2022, 09:10
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- The Japanese techno DJs discuss their event's history in a newly translated interview below.
- DJ Nobu and Haruka are celebrating 20 years of their Future Terror party by bringing it to London for the first time. The anniversary event will take place at Village Underground on Friday, September 16th, as part of the Shoreditch club's 15th birthday programme. UK composer Jo Johnson will perform live to open the night, before Nobu and Haruka DJ. Nobu started Future Terror back in 2001 as a way to book his friends in Chiba. ("If London were Tokyo, then Bristol would be like Chiba," Nobu said.) He was later joined by Haruka. The brand has since become an important force for international techno in Japan, eventually relocating to Tokyo and booking artists like Marcel Dettmann, who Nobu and Haruka cite as one of the most important DJs to play in the first decade of Future Terror. "The main focus was on creating exchange between local scenes," Nobu recently told Higher-Frequency. (Resident Advisor has translated the interview into English.) "When we started in Chiba, we kind of ignored Tokyo, and created places to party in each region, so people would get together from all across the country, and you'd discover really cool DJs coming from different areas." He added: "Our focus was to essentially raise the level in Japan by inviting the skilled DJs we encountered there. In fact, in doing this, we even had people attending all the way from Okinawa and Hokkaido." This plan was bolstered by cheaper regional travel costs, as well as the ability to drive between cities instead of flying in DJs from overseas. Future Terror featured plenty of DJs from Chiba and other other dance music hubs that were often ignored outside of the usual hot spots, helping to create a mini-circuit of clubs and parties around the country. Chiba was known for having a scrappier vibe than Tokyo, which allowed Nobu (and eventually Haruka) to take more chances with the Future Terror events. It was this loose, communal vibe that led to Haruka joining in the first place. "I remember there was this atmosphere and closeness that I'd never experienced anywhere else," Haruka said. "The sensibility of the crowd was good. There's a unique manner with Future Terror, where all the attendees understand it, and it feels like they've all come with the goal of experiencing that unique atmosphere and music. Creating that kind of atmosphere is difficult, I think [...] It probably had to do with how Nobu had spent many years doing parties with an emphasis on local regions. When I joined, Future Terror had already achieved that status." Now, Future Terror has set its sights on London. The party still retains the spirit of those original events, particularly when it comes to supporting local artists, such as Jo Johnson at Village Underground. "Sometimes I feel like people are motivated to do parties so they can get bookings, but I'd rather there were more people doing parties simply because they want to create something interesting," Haruka said. "When I'm booked to play in the countryside, I'm often really impressed by the performances of the hardworking local DJs, and I want to share that excitement with everyone."Interview: Hiromi Matsubara, AKA Romy Mats Translation: Erik Luebs Photo: Craig Stennett
- Fri, Sep 16, 2022
VU15 x 20 Years Future Terror with DJ Nobu, Haruka, Jo Johnson live
DJ Nobu, Haruka, Jo Johnson