Shuya Okino x DJ KAWASAKI: A Mentor-Protégé Conversation! (2) The Room's 18th Anniversary Event "GAMBLE" Held

EVENT | THE ROOM 18th Anniversary Party "GAMBLE" Held!

Shuya Okino (Kyoto Jazz Massive) x DJ KAWASAKI: A Master-Disciple Dialogue (2)

Photos by Mizuho Takada

I Just Call Myself His Disciple (Laughs) -- KAWASAKI

— Do you remember how you first met DJ KAWASAKI?

OkinoI don't really remember (laughs). But he came to listen so often, I figured he must love music, and I thought, if you're going to come this much, why not work here? (laughs). You're paying to come in every day, so if you like it this much, you could work here and get paid (laughs).

KAWASAKIIt was a huge expense back then... (laughs). But thanks to that, I got to know the staff well, and I think that's why I'm here today.

— Did you become Okino-san's disciple right away?

KAWASAKII just call myself his disciple (laughs).

OkinoI don't take disciples, so he's a self-proclaimed one (laughs).

Shuya Okino x DJ KAWASAKI Master-Disciple Dialogue

— Why don't you take disciples?

OkinoI never had a master myself, so I don't want to have disciples. I don't like being under anyone, and I don't like having someone under me. I always want to be on equal footing, as fellow music lovers. I don't want to lose touch with the scene by becoming too important; I always want to be on the dance floor. At THE ROOM, I'm often the one dancing at the very front (laughs).

KAWASAKIThat's true (laughs).

OkinoI love clubs, whether they're popular or not. That's why I want to connect with younger generations as a fellow music lover. Rather than being praised or having people offer to carry my bags, I want to talk with them on the same level about what's been good lately. I dislike the hierarchical relationships that can form due to age or master-disciple dynamics.

— Is it more about picking up skills, so to speak?

OkinoExactly, it's something you steal, not something you're taught.

KAWASAKIRecords can be taught, and he does teach me, though that's because I pester him relentlessly (laughs). But he won't tell me which tracks from those records are suitable for playing at a club (laughs).

— Is that intentional?

OkinoI wasn't taught either, and I feel like being taught would imprint my style onto someone. People would say, 'KAWASAKI-san, you're Okino-san's disciple, aren't you?' Even though I haven't taught him, people assume that (laughs). I'm not saying the master-disciple system is bad, though.

THE ROOM is a Place for Challenges -- Okino

KAWASAKI…Actually, I'm happy about that. But he often explains the flow of the music after a set is over. Why he played that track after another. I remember on New Year's Eve, about two years after it opened, Okino-san wrote down the entire tracklist in sumi ink on Japanese paper.

OkinoJapanese paper!?

KAWASAKIWhat time, what minute, what he played, and what came next – for every track. I still have that paper.

— Was that written beforehand?

KAWASAKIIt was written afterwards, as he recalled.

OkinoI have no memory of that at all...

DJ KAWASAKI

— Is keeping records something you often do?

OkinoBasically, I don't remember the tracks I play the next day at all. I once played for 24 hours non-stop at THE ROOM. That time, I wrote down every track I played over the 24 hours afterwards. It was 222 tracks in 24 hours. And I was even updating my blog while DJing (laughs).

KAWASAKIYou really did that (laughs).

OkinoThe access count was huge then, and I even reached number one on Ameba Blog's celebrity ranking. Temporarily, of course (laughs).

KAWASAKIFrom inside the club, I'd post comments like, 'Are you okay?' and somehow I'd get a reply saying, 'I'm fine,' even though you were right there DJing in front of me (laughs).

OkinoTHE ROOM is a place for that kind of challenge. Like 24-hour sets, or gathering about 70 Tokyo DJs to play one track each. We were also pioneers in starting musician jam sessions at clubs, which has led to the current Tokyo Cross Over Jazz Festival. I always want to propose things that go beyond the usual club norms.

— Do you two plan events together?

OkinoWe planned one together last year, an event called "Complete Back-to-Back."

KAWASAKII was so nervous... I thought, 'Back-to-back with Okino-san? That's a million years too early' (laughs).

— During an event?

OkinoWe made the event itself about that. Shuya Okino on the right turntable, DJ KAWASAKI on the left. In back-to-back, you have to select tracks that don't disrupt the flow of the previous song. At the same time, you also have to throw in something unexpected, a track you wouldn't expect to be played next (laughs). It's like a game of Shogi, cornering your opponent (laughs).

— Not like throwing a piece that's easy for the opponent to counter (laughs)?

OkinoExactly (laughs).

Shuya Okino VS DJ KAWASAKI Back-to-Back Battle Round 2! Scheduled for Saturday, April 17th!

The second round of the back-to-back battle between the two is set for Saturday, April 17th!

KAWASAKIAnd you have to make the floor dance. The back-and-forth was so intense, my stomach hurt... (laughs).

— Do you both feel like, 'I lost this round,' at any point?

OkinoYes, 'They played that!' (laughs). I sometimes put pressure on him beforehand through my blog (laughs).

KAWASAKIHe writes things like 'I'm going to crush you' (laughs). When I went to other regions, people would ask me, 'KAWASAKI-san, are you going to be okay...?' (laughs). But thanks to that, an incredible number of people came that day.

OkinoIt was amazing (laughs). The female attendees were practically clinging to the booth with teary eyes, saying, 'KAWASAKI-san, do your best!' (laughs). There were screams whenever he seemed to be cornered (laughs).

KAWASAKIThey seemed to think, 'He might be defeated! We have to go support him, we have to protect him!' There was that kind of atmosphere (laughs).

OkinoRight, it was going in a strange direction (laughs). But by promoting it that way, people who hadn't come before showed up, and we were able to create an unusual level of excitement. I think that's the power of good planning.