Just last weekend I went to Metamorphose, a rather experimental summer outdoor music festival focussing on electronic music. Today I just realized that it’s September already, meaning that the hot summer nights won’t last much longer… This year’s Metamo was held at the Jitensha No Kuni Cycle Sports Centre near Mishima, meaning: in the middle of nowhere. That was the idea! Lots of space (actually a little too much, so it was quite a walk from one stage to the other), nature and due to the venue, lots of fun stuff standing around such as roller coasters, a game centre and a very hilly mountain bike course used for camping. PingMag met Mayuri (also resident DJ at Maniac Love in Tokyo), who created Metamorphose a few years ago and still remains the main organizer.
Why is this festival so important for you?
There are many rock festivals and trance raves, but there aren’t many festivals based on Electronic music. Metamorphose is the only one of its kind.
What is your main concept for the festival?
A lot of different kinds of good music assigned in 3 stages in unusual venues like this year: an amusement park. We want to create a new style of festival.
How many people work for Metamorphose?
700 at the festival and about 5 staff and 2 main organizers for the rest of the year.
How long does it take to set everything up?
3 to 5 days.
When does Metamorphose start for YOU and when does it end?
It has no start or end, I think about it all year long.
How do you select your artists? Concept?
Key words are: quality, uniqueness, cutting-edge, new besides going well with
outdoor environment.
How do you see your role as a strong, female DJ in Japan?
I’m doing this because I like doing it… I want to encourage women to go for
whatever they want to, not to fear any challenge.
Metamorphose allows underground and up-and-coming musicians such as Hifana to play at a big scale event next to veterans such as DJ Krush, Goldie or Galaxy to Galaxy. Besides the 3 stages (solar stage=main stage, planet stage=a hilly outdoor space with a big teepee, lunar stage=a propper tent with dancefloor inside) there were loads of food stands (overall very yummy), little extra stages with very underground musicians playing and companies such as Roland exhibited some new music and VJ equipment to try out.
Chatting to Ben from DaDaKingz, who made the visuals at the Planet Stage, projecting onto the teepee (that looked niiiice) I noticed some people dancing around with a huge wheel, which had many little mirrors attached to it. This is what it looked like- that pretty much reflects the mood at the Planet Stage = very relaxing!
My and many other people’s personal heros were definitely Tortoise, music from the Chicago Underground. I’ve listened to their music for severals years now and then seeing them live was just amazing. The first thing that strikes you is how unusual their stage set-up is:
no lead singer, guitar and bass left and right and drums in the back, but two drums in the front, all kinds of instruments standing around and after every song the musicians swapped positions, so the drummer becomes the guitarist, the guitarist takes over the keyboard etc. Just amazing, this musical talent. To top the whole thing off they had visuals by Shea Ako, being the best suitable visuals I ever experienced. Seriously! On the whole he used rather simple elements, but the whole feeling and timing was just so tailor made for Tortoise, one can really say, that was music transformed into a huge projected painting. Congratulations! After the concert and fan signing, we had the chance to ask a few questions to Tortoise:
What is your motto of playing together? How do you create your music?
Playing together is like streching out small fragments into something bigger. Once we record something, we learn what we recorded and over the years we work with parts of these compositions. Although there is some kind of improvisation, Tortoise is more composition based. It is like learning how to make sky scrapers and then we try to make the same sky scraper again, but change the windows and the carpets.
Where does your inspiration and influence come from?
Everything you have listened to and loved or hated. A lot of inspiration comes from spending time with your instrument and practicing.
Digital versus analog - any comments?
I feel that whatever you work with is a tool and it doesn’t really matter what it is specifically. There are things you can do with computers that are extremely difficult to do otherwise and you can just embrace that, but it is a matter of taste at the end of the day, so you have to chose what sounds best to you.
I love the technology of a sampler! being able to sample a sound and use it in some kind of musical sense. That is an amazing thing… preferably an sampling an instrumental sound ;-)
What are your most recent projects and what is about to come?
We started working on a new album, just barely though, which we hope to work on during the winter.
Then we have an album coming out with Will Oldham, in November or January … so plenty of time to download it until then (everyone laughing) That will all be cover songs!
Thank you very much!
After endless music, dancing and relaxing in the nature, we went home tired the next morning, discovering DJ Yo or our way out. He actually vitalized the last bit of energy in me to dance, until the taxi came to go back to the station, leaving behinds thousands of people partying on. What an amazing long and lovely weekend and…oops! a very long DailyCandy, too!
at the Jitensha No Kuni Cycle Sports Centre
DJ Mayuri, the organizer
finishing the last bits of decoration
roller-coaster and other nice toys around
sunset
Roland's visual mixer and various VJ toys
a girl trying out electronic drums
grilled fish - very Japanesey
lovely decorations walking from one stage to the other
DJ Krush at the Lunar Stage
DaDaKingz visuals at the Planet Stage
projections lighting the way through a tunnel
Tortoise Live
Tortoise autogram corner
Tortoise interview (very left: the sound man, very right: Shea Ako,visuals)
at night time, the area looked like a little village
people sleeping and camping everywhere
a tired party-boy
when leaving around 7am, the crowds were all up again to keep partying
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thanks for subject. it is very intersting post
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For the anime illeterate this means his first design is taken from nausicaa
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