A Cocktail with Chida
Moon Roq’s Harry first discovered Chida at Alfresco Festival last year. He was playing in the woods as the sun was setting and he had the crowd under a magical spell. As the light running through the trees started to disappear, and darkness began to creep around the woodland setting, he played Metro Area’s ‘Proton Candy’, which never sounded so good. It turns out Chida has had quite a fascinating career prior to this first woodland encounter, from playing dazzling 12-hour sets in Tokyo, to recently playing the last ever set at the much-loved Cocktail d’Amore parties at Griessmuehle in Berlin aswell as being the brains behind legendary label ene. Harry caught up with him about his experience at the last Cocktail, his early influences and the DJ craft. Enjoy our selected listenings along the way, or head over to his Soundcloud profile below. Take your pick of any Cocktail set from him to find out what underrated really sounds like:
So, let’s start where you left off in the music world. Tell me about the last Cocktail Party at Griessmuehle, what made it so special?
There was so much energy on the dance floor, the crowd was incredible and the super heavy amazing sound system did the records total justice. Griessmuehle was a wonderful venue. There were three rooms inside and quite a big open air stage, by the river outside. The layout of the club helped create a great party atmosphere. I’m so sad that they closed in February just after “The Last Cocktail”. It was an honour to close out the main room.
Is it up there with the best parties you’ve been involved with as a DJ? What else compares to the feeling of closing that party?
The best moment is always updated. There are many gigs in amazing spaces like Panorama Bar, which are always fun; but for the last decade, Cocktail d’Amore has always topped everything else for me. Playing Bob Holroyd’s ‘African Drug’ towards the end was one of the best moments I have had. People were dancing with closed eyes, there was an overwhelming sense of togetherness.
What’s the story with you and Cocktail? When did you first get involved with the parties and Discodromo?
I met them at Soju Bar Berlin in 2012. Then, we became music friends and they first asked me to play at Cocktail in Summer 2013.
The rest is history… the last Cocktail party was a stand-out moment in your DJ career. I want to know, where did it all begin for you? How did you get into music/DJing?
I started my DJ career in Tokyo, 1992 after I graduated high school. The house music scene in Tokyo started expanding in 1990, so, every tune was fresh for me and I couldn’t stop hanging out at the clubs every night!
Which clubs were you going to and what DJs inspired you at this time?
My homes were Cave, Gold, Yellow and Mix in the 90's, but unfortunately they are all closed now. My heros were house music legends like Larry Heard, Lil’ Louis, Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Masters At Work etc... I was really into the US house music scene.
Any favourite record shops in Japan where you used to go digging for US house music?
In the 90's, I was always digging new stuff at Cisco, Dance Music Records Diskunion and Manhattan Records in Shibuya. But they are all closed now. My favorite record store is Lighthouse Records since they opened in 2008.
At what stage did you start playing your famous 12-hour sets in Tokyo?
I started playing long sets of six hours or more in Tokyo at LOOP club since around 2002 every other month. I did open to close for thirteen hours there in 2011 for the first time. Since then, I play open to close at club Zero one or two times every year and four to eight hours at CockTail D’Amore about two or three times every year.
So when did you become recognised outside of Japan?
When I started DJing, it was tough to get recognised, there weren't many DJs coming out of Japan. Soichi Terada and Yukihiro Fukutomi were well recognised for producing house music in around 1990-1992, so when I started thinking about going to other countries as a DJ, I started to learn Ableton Live and released my first track on Lovefingers’ label ESP institute in 2010. After Andrew Weatherall picked that song ‘Danca’ on his mix CD “Masterpiece” (Ministry of Sound 2011) then, I got my first DJ offer from outside Japan.
In your opinion, what constitutes an ideal DJ?
Knowledge about all kinds of music and possessing amazing skills of mixing, blending, and collaging different sounds are important. But the main thing is to catch the vibe from the crowd. DJ Harvey said that being a good DJ is like being a sushi chef. I think so too.
It’s a clever analogy, he said “You present one piece of sushi, and the way you react to that will help you decide what the next piece is...” How do you manage your record collection? What do you need to consider when preparing music for a party where you are constantly adapting the vibe to the needs of the crowd?
I have been buying records for almost 30 years and have sold many but still I have around 8000 copies. I collected all kinds of music but mostly house, techno and disco stuff. I wanted to organize my records neatly like a record store’s library, but my shelf is actually like an unorganized second hand store! So, I always enjoy digging through my records and picking out a selection I think will work for each DJ gig.
Do you always have fun when you DJ?
Yes, I do. I could enjoy even only a few people dancing on the floor. I always enjoy the music I play.
Big question but, is the DJ an artist?
Yes, I think so. The DJ created the dancefloor and most DJs create new music nowadays. But the DJ is not always an artist. Being a good producer is not equal to being a good DJ. Some DJs are not artists, not everyone gets it right.
Finally, what are your plans for the near future? Have you got any new releases forthcoming on your label Ene? Any tracks on the way from yourself?
All gigs overseas have been cancelled by COVID-19 but I’ll keep playing in Japan until the end of the Corona emergency. Ene is preparing to release fresh artists from Asia and International this year. I’ve finished doing remixes for some Japanese and international artists. All 12”/digital will release on Not An Animal, Lurid and Ene. Also, I’m waiting to release Mascaras’ [Chida and 5ive] debut 12” EP on CockTail d’Amore.
Photographs kindly provided by Victor Luque. If you have any questions or would like to discuss this article or any other with us - don't hesitate to get in touch.