Dj Tomoya from Japan builds a quality Dancefloor

Dj Tomoya will be on Koh Phangan along with singer Alpaca Sumertree and four other Japanese Dj's in December, we caught up with him to find out a bit more...

Hey Tomoya, tell us a bit about yourself...
I was born in Japan, spent my childhood in London, UK. I've been to most of the western countries in Europe.

This is where I got a big inspiration from all of the historical architecture and culture that consists in the atmosphere there.

I started working on music after I came back to Tokyo at the age of thirteen and began DJing from sixteen. Since then I had most of my DJing opportunities from Dancer productions and organisations.

What made you interested in Djing and how did you learn?
Me and my friend used to sneak into his big brothers room and play around with the decks.

That was aged ten or eleven. My techniques and DJ styles are basically self-taught plus DVDs and youtube.

What kind of music do you play and what is your style?
Funk & Soul, Breakbeats, Hiphop, House and Techno mixed. My DJ playing is focused on the sound aspects and elements rather than a genre when building the dance floor.

What is the Japanese Music scene like?
Japanese DJs are definitely good at digging down the quality and culture of music, but lack creating an original groove with their mind outside the box.

I personally don’t like the show business industry in Japan for its all about branding rather than music quality like in many other countries.

What do you think about Koh Phangan?
I’ve been to Koh Phangan, Thailand on the new years eve back in 2014 and for sure it was quite a fresh experience for me. Unlike Tokyo, the infrastructure as a city is still under construction (or maybe it’s done, I don’t know) so you can just simply drink, eat or dance at night.

Me and my crew DJ’d at a gig at Fubar which was very good to chill out from the big parties along the coast. The Bar itself was amazing and I loved the community there, the people were peace and happy.

What is your project with Alpaca Sumertree and the other five djs about?
Alpaca (we call her Alba) and ourselves hang out in Tokyo and arrange some night parties with the name ‘Full Moon party’ sometimes Black Moon. She has many connections and friends in Tokyo and is spreading Phangan culture here in Tokyo.

Tell us about any other current or future projects....
My Current project is the christmas party on the best Cruise called Jicoo which guides you right in the middle of Tokyo bay area.

In the future I will be taking the Tokyo style party in rural areas to different prefectures in Japan to spread the music diversity in my country.

Where do you see yourself as a dj in five years?
In five years, I will be quitting being a party DJ and shifting my career more into atmosphere and designing as a sound producer (visually as a DJ with turntables).

What would you say to young aspiring dj's?
Just believe in yourself and be creative. It’s easy to ‘look’ like a DJ, but you must be ‘heard’ as the DJ designing the atmosphere.

Sum up your sound in one sentence...
My DJ style is nothing about genres but always answers to what I see live in front of me.