- Japan's techno hero celebrates 20 years of his Future Terror party with a gorgeous mix.
- As part of RA2122, our ongoing celebration of 21 years of club culture, we'll be featuring some of our favourite DJs from around the world, highlighting the parties or clubs most important to their lives in dance music.
The first time we featured DJ Nobu on the RA Podcast, over ten years ago, we called him "one of Japan's best DJs." In hindsight, i think we can all agree that the country qualifier is no longer necessary: he's one of the world's best DJs, bar none. An absolute master at curating and mixing techno, Nobu has helped to inspire a Japanese school of techno that is psychedelic, hypnotic and often very pretty, without losing the genre's oomph or edge. And he's more popular than ever around the world, playing some of the best parties and clubs in pretty much any country or city you could name.
But DJ Nobu's roots and heart are close to home. Frustrated with techno in the Japanese capital, he created his own party in his neighbouring hometown, Chiba, where nightlife was less pretentious and the vibe was a little looser. Future Terror quickly became known as one of Japan's premiere techno parties, and paved the way not only for Nobu himself, but many other Japanese DJs who Nobu and his later partner Haruka gave the chance to shine. The party also recently celebrated its landmark 20th anniversary with its first-ever party in London.
This mix is a direct tribute and encapsulation of Future Terror, what Nobu calls a "condensed story" of the series focusing on the more outré elements at the fore—an "awareness of techno" with plenty of more leftfield tracks thrown in. What follows might be a little gentler than you'd expect from Nobu, but it's all top-tier techno mixed with an expert hand.
How, why and where did you start Future Terror, and what were the first few parties like?
Around the year 1999 and 2000, I found the dance music scene in Tokyo really boring and snobbish, so I stopped going to Tokyo to dance. Instead, my friends and I decided to put on a DIY party in our hometown of Chiba city that was more carefree and accessible. For the first two years, we brought in a sound system to a park and an abandoned wedding hall and started to hold parties once a month. There was no social media at the time, but people started travelling from nearby areas such as Tokyo and Kanagawa to attend our parties, all by word of mouth, and that's how our initial parties were built.
What role has Future Terror played in your career as a DJ?
I didn't have a "career" as a DJ before I started Future Terror, but as I answered in the first question, crowds that gathered from outside Chiba spread the word about my DJ sets, which led to opportunities for an anonymous DJ like me to play in Tokyo and all over Japan. If it wasn't for Future Terror, I would have quit DJing and be living an ordinary life by now—which of course is hard to imagine!
What, to you, sets Future Terror apart from other parties, or makes it unique? What vibe or style are you trying to establish?
Although we've mainly been playing techno in recent years, we were always blessed with a receptive crowd that are open to any interesting music regardless of genres, and even live bands. The energy that the dancers who travelled to Chiba City from elsewhere were special, and set us apart from other parties. From around 2008 onwards, our sound focused more towards strictly techno, while we started inviting more experimental acts as well. We are also proud of the fact that we have introduced many anonymous DJs we discovered in various parts of Japan to our crowd, and as a result inspired a lot of emerging DJs based in smaller towns across the country.
After hosting a few events during and post-pandemic, I'm feeling great potential for something new to develop. Our focus for forthcoming parties is to further improve the acoustics, and I think that will change the atmosphere as well. We feel like we are entering a new phase, and we're exploring the direction we want to take.
You recently held Future Terror in London. Does the party feel the same in other places?
Because Haruka and I were the only DJs, the programming was similar to when we held the party in Japan, but the atmosphere was somehow different. We're not sure how we are going to develop our parties abroad in the future, but it will anyway require more time and effort. Some people were confused by the opening with an ambient live set, but others seemed to be impressed by the beautifully surprising beginning of Jo Johnson's concert. I think some of the crowd understood the story we were trying to create for the night, so I felt there was potential! I only have gratitude for Jo.
How and where was the mix recorded, and how does it pay tribute to Future Terror?
This mix was recorded after I climbed the lush mountains of Yakushima twice, an almost psychedelic experiences that really blew my mind, but in terrible pain because I strained my lower back right after… so I was in my studio reflecting on my special experiences in Yakushima and battling with this physical pain at the same time to create this mix!
In order to pay an homage to Future Terror, I tried to present a condensed story with alternative elements at the fore. I put together a wide range of tracks with an awareness of techno but the fun of hybrid dance music. I hope you enjoy it.
What are you up to next?
We are now taking Future Terror to Bassiani, Tbilisi next month (Friday, November) 4th, one of our most favourite clubs in the world, and the longest supporters of both Haruka and myself as well as many DJs from Japan. I'm looking forward to bring the sound of Future Terror together with Haruka and DJ Yazi.
I've also worked on a couple of remixes for two electronic music artists I admire recently, and I'm very happy with the result, so I look forward to the release.
As part of RA2122, we're also publishing a book of essays and letters (including from DJ Nobu), as well as hosting events in New York and Manchester.