WHITE NIGHT WEEK SHIBUYA
DAY 1 – SESSION 1
"The living legend of the night scene talks about the past, the future"
Date and time: Tuesday, November 5th, 19: 00-19: 45
Speaker:
Toshihiro Sato (Representative Director of Table Beat Co., Ltd. Representative Director of Sato Product Development Co., Ltd.)
Usuki Ankiko (TEAL Inc.)
Moderator: Kana Yoshioka
Toshihiro Sato, who worked on legendary discos and clubs such as Shinjuku "TSUBAKI HOUSE" and Shibaura "GOLD", and Usuki Ankiko of TEAL Inc., who worked on press and planning at Shibaura "GOLD". Two living legends who greatly contributed to the development of the night scene in Tokyo held a talk session on the theme of "the past and present of the night scene, the future".
Mr. Sato and Mr. Usuki first looked back on TSUBAKI HOUSE and GOLD, which are the common points of their experiences. Regarding the 70's and 80's when the two stores were booming, Mr. Sato said, "In a sense, it was very lively and interesting. The background was the anti-war movement in the 1960s, and young people used music as one of their expressions. I tried to assert my personality in fashion and art. It started to take shape in the 70's and matured in the 80's. "
Regarding the music at that time, "I was longing for America, but YMO in the latter half of the 70's gave birth to my own music. It was a time when music, fashion, and art were mixed, and it was lively at that time. The reason for this was also the way it was mixed. " Usuki added, "It was an era when fashion and music were very much connected, for example, the place where fashion lovers such as" techno cut "go to play is TSUBAKI HOUSE."
Also, about TSUBAKI HOUSE at that time, "In an era when various people were playing together, not only visiting celebrities from Japan and overseas, but also mixing with the gay scene in Shinjuku 2-chome, a unique culture at that time was born. I went there, "says Mr. Sato. In terms of fashion, innovative attempts are being made, such as changing disco work clothes to T-shirts and jeans for the first time. He showed his philosophy, "Because fashion changes, even if it takes time, we have to grow the next one." There is also a scene where Mr. Sato's quote, "It changes when people are on the floor," is introduced.
When the talk went on and the topic of GOLD, which opened in 1989, which is the "prototype of the current club," came up, Mr. Sato first explained the changes in the music scene that occurred in the 1980s.
"I thought that club house music would be better than disco dance music from now on. GOLD was a nightclub for that."
It is said that he thought so because of doubts about disco music, which was popular at that time.
Like TSUBAKI HOUSE, Mr. Sato says, "Because I thought it was important to have a mixture of diverse people, I set up floors with various configurations in GOLD," but it is the musicality that GOLD advocated. Regarding house music, Mr. Usuki said, "I went to Paradise Garage every week (a legendary disco in New York) and was absorbed in being brainwashed by Larry Levan. With the rise of black culture, Paradise Garage became popular. , I felt that the elements of fashion came into it and the culture was changing, "he recalled the local scene he experienced in New York at that time.
Mr. Sato said, "GOLD at that time was considered bad by the world, and many young people gathered in search of self-expression in the night world. However, that is also one of the individuality, and at that time it was social. It was an era when it was difficult to make the most of individuality. ”Continued,“ Culture is born only at night. Night is a time when social circumstances are temporarily excluded, and it is a time when individuality is active. Things will come off and you will be able to show your true self. " Usuki agrees that "I have seen such things many times, so I have to believe it."
Next, in response to the question, "How do you feel about the club scene in Shibuya now?", Mr. Sato said, "As always, it is important to create a community. The community formed by the people living in the city creates various cultures. I will make it. "
"Shibuya is not a city where you can create culture in the daytime. It's a city where you can create culture at night, so you have to take more care of it. It's difficult because the city is changing now, but forming a community in the night world. If you have the localism that you can do, you can create a new culture. That's why nightclubs are important. "
Mr. Usuki said, "In Europe, DJ culture has become huge, and there are DJs who make a lot of money, and I feel a difference from Japan. However, even if I try to make the same thing as Europe in Japan, it does not hold. It is necessary for the development of culture to have interesting people who can play freely with more confidence. ”As for women's advancement into the nightlife scene,“ I want to close the gender gap so that women can play more active roles. I want more people to become owners and develop business. If we can do that, we should be able to create a different charm of the city. "
Finally, Mr. Sato made a proposal for solving future problems.
"The culture of the scene centered around nightclubs is born at night. It's fine that it's a place where people from outside Shibuya gather, but it's important to have a community rooted in it in order to liven up it. "
Since we have seen the nightlife scene in Tokyo for a long time, each of the words spoken from the perspective of the two of us has a lot of weight, and it was an impressive session to see everyone nodding and listening to the story.
