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Quasar in Tokyo...review
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spliffnik
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
663
Posted : Feb 18, 2004 10:36
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Hi SF freeks and party ppl!
Long overdue is the review of Quasar playing last week at Studio Cube in Tokyo, Tuesday february 10th.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear from Quasar he was playing in Tokyo, with an org called Jyou-Jyou (Jyou means higher or to rise). I had never heard of them, and was really perplexed when Quasar presented me with a collective name I had never heard of...
here in Tokyo there are three big orgs, Solstice, Vision Quest, and Arcadia. But these are so big and so commercial, it is more a rock concert than a party, the vibe is completely different. they are great in terms of production quality and the lineups (every weekend is like GMS/Earthling/Deedrah, or Talamasca/Absolum, etc etc) but it is packed with really trendy types that go to the parties because it is 'In'. And it costs like 60 bucks a party. It is kind of a joke, you guys would not believe how big trance is here.
Then there are the smaller collectives which do great parties, not about the money, and they have the greatest vibes. I had thought I knew all the collectives here, but man it is so big here there are orgs I had never even heard of, and when I went to this party it was all new faces... seemed like I had been going to one high school in a big city and was at a completely different high school this time.... wow this place is SO BIG!
So mostly every weekend the parties are packed with top 40 artists like ones I said above. So I was really amazed when this group brought out Quasar, was really impressed with their musical taste which is very close to mine. They really like the crazy shit, which is hard to find in Tokyo. I was amazed to find a collective which focuses entirely on the dark psy!
They were really nice guys, but couldnt speak any english, and were very concerned about lack of communication with Quasar so they were happy I came in to translate. They were very considerate and took great care of him.
So we get to the party, not that many ppl at first. Only like 40! I was worrying a bit. We enjoyed the opening set by Masao, started his set with a Penta track. It started slowly filling up, then we went upstairs to the 'VIP' room to boom some spliffs, and when we came back, there were a bunch more ppl and our friend Nisshy was rocking the place! He was playing very psychedlic, very ful on music and the crowd was loving it. he set the stage perfectly for Quasar, who came on around 330 for his live set. this is about the prime timeslot here- the city doesnt even wake up until about 2. Then he came on and just laid down the most crazy, wacky, dark yet smile-inducing cowboy trance I have heard on a long time. It was such a blast! You could tell the Japanese dancers had never heard anything like it before. The first few minutes they were flummoxed and didnt know how to react to the crazy sounds spewing out of the speakers. (the sound was great, btw) But then they kind of started to get it, and within a few minutes everyone was smiling, really digging the tunes. PPl were going crazy! And I was going crazy, spreading psychedlic vibes thru the place. And Quasar, man he was going nuts, stirring up the crowd like it was a large pot of soup, pumping us up with one psychedlic buildup which would just fly into a completely different direction, totally outwitting the anticipation of the dancers who are used to the predictable tracks that flows thru Tokyo. It was great, there was a vibe of mass confusion/didnt know what to do/but fck it Im gonna have fun anyway/turning into 'this is the greatest shit ever'!!! Quasar instantly converted the crowd to a mob of dark crazy psy fiends! They were all loving him, and when he was done he was just showered with praises like Saiko! (which means great, you are the best! and also sounds like Psycho, hehe) and kawaii! ( you are cute!) even tho he wasnt understanding much of it, he understood the fellings and it must have felt great. At the end of his set the crowd went crazy, going into a full applause. They were all like, what the fuck just happened?? And me and him were the only two non japanese guys at the party of about 200-250, we stood out so much. Especially Quasar, who was wearing this psychedlic blacklight luminescent shirt that was just shining under the lights. I was on the second floor watching the dancefloor, which was filled with white and black shirts, and there was Quasar with his bright shining pink shirt just blinding me!!
He got so much love and respect from all the dancers and organizers there, it was great to see ppl in Tokyo loving the SF-style trance. And for me it was a great experience to see one of my favorite artists play in the opposite side of the world.
The organizers were in love, and they want to continue the Tokyo-SF connection and make it grow! And from what I saw in the crowd, they will (and already do) love it too! They are doing another party in April, and then an outdoor in the summer. I am going to help out organizing, we have become good friends. The organizers are really nice ppl, and together we are going to throw great parties! I am so happy! Gonna bring out artists from the SF scene, the hidden gem of the trance world! It is going to get really big here.... hold on for further news in the future! And the freeks, gotta come out to Tokyo for that outdoor in the summer! They are planning on bringing out Quasar again for sure, plus a few more artists.
See you guys this summer, then at Black Rock City, when I bring these guys out for the time of their lives!
Love and Light,
Spliffnik |
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IndiAlien
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
28
Posts :
1224
Posted : Feb 19, 2004 00:34
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This makes me happyyyyyyyyyyy (^_^)
Quasar played here in Austin, TX @ a free slapstick party put together by me and another freakkk.... he and Ghreg on Earth came together 2tunesvs2tunes and ripped the place to shreds !!!!! Quasar was magnificent; reminding us to smile after every 15 minutes of ghreg- psycheliciously raping the space. The duo laid down a set the would have moved any crowd/anywhere/anytime !!!!! and they did it all for free !
He was so excited abt going to Japan and his DVD release etc... I felt like my energy recharging while we talked together ----- nothing but possitivivity eminating from him.
My stay here in texas is quick coming to an end, soon i go back to India and my connextion to SF darkness will be weakened... unless is can get my act together and prepare the scene for a SF explosion in the mother country  )) lets see...
Spliffnik- i'm sure you'll bring SF to Japan the right way.... good luck & power to U !!!
Quasar - u're king... someday i hope to see u or both the Fractal Cowboys killing in India... in memory of Fractal_on_Earth
Boom darkness freakkks
q(@ _ @)p
 there is a light that
flashes |
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offthenutboom
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
55
Posts :
928
Posted : Feb 19, 2004 16:30
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I have seen Fractal Cowboys @ Burning Man and I know Quasar can rip anyone's thinking hardware to shreds  It is awesome to hear he inspired all in Japan. I wish i would have been there!!!!
BOM! |
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~OZRA~
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
154
Posted : Feb 19, 2004 18:11
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Awesome.... nice to hear about this collaboration. SF & Japan seems like an unbeatable combo.
Having seen Quasar in action at Burning Man and then again with Ghreg at the "Fractal On Earth" party IndiAlien put together in Austin, i totally understand what you're saying.... It's all dark, twisted confusion at first, and i think it's intentional, he first muddles your brain completely, and then when you're not looking he'll just rope you in and slam you around for a couple hours.... insaaaaaane madness.
Great review btw, and thanks for the interesting tidbits about the Japan scene, that place has been on top of my "gotta party there sometime" list for a while now. Hopefully it'll come off the list soon. |
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spliffnik
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
663
Posted : Feb 28, 2004 17:19
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Hey Ozra- if you want to come to Tokyo then make sure you give me a call! You can stay at my place mate.
Summer is great, the outdoors here are pure magic. I heard Gil is playing this summer in Japan... keep in touch friend! |
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Nik©
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
37
Posts :
455
Posted : Feb 29, 2004 07:45
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How was teh Bug Funk's performance i think he played live there too ? |
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spliffnik
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
53
Posts :
663
Posted : Feb 29, 2004 14:05
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To tell you the truth Bug Funk's music I felt lacked production quality... I don't know how to really explain it, but after Quasar's set they came on suddenly with hysterical music, like a tantrum... they would have very fluffy sounding breaks, then all of a sudden just break out with hysterical music, very chaotic, but not in a psychedlic way.. just the breaks didnt connect at all with what followed, it was like suddenly they changed songs. They did not try to connnect with the vibe that Quasar had built- they really had a great opportunity to rock the crowd, but it reaaly turned me off... and the dancefloor cleared very fast.. also they played last, when ppl were very tired, and didnt connect with the energy of the crowd... It kind of dissappointed me a bit. Some of it was good, but to me there was not offort to connect with the vibe or the crowd. Maybe it was organizers mistake to put on the live act in the end, I think at that particular party it would have been better to have a DJ play a more soothing set.
ALthough it wasn't necessarily the style of music I disliked, I felt they made no effort at all to connect with the crowd. It put me off, and I left to go boom some spliffs, and I think most of the dancers probably did the same thing, cuz there were about half as many dancers during the Bugfunk set.
After hearing much about them, I am sad to say they did ot do it for me at all.....
Sorry for the bad news mate, but I felt you asked for my opinion so I should answer honestly.. Maybe Quasar's set was so good anything after that was a comedown...
-bOOm-
Nik |
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