Tokyo's DJ Sodeyama headlines Hong Kong handover anniversary parties

The eve of the Hong Kong handover anniversary holiday on July 1 is fast catching on as a favorite night for a dance-celebration in Hong Kong. This year, the line-up of parties heralds a messy beginning of July and is headed up by a visit from Japanese techno tyrant DJ Sodeyama.

Local underground dance music promoters Intermix have partnered with Hong Kong tech-house crew Push to continue their cross-cultural club experiment with Tokyo. Sodeyama will be the fourth rising DJ to come across from the Japanese capital, as part of an active effort to develop an Asian take on electronic dance music.

Sodeyama comes across as a determined but modest man, at odds with his noisier behind-the-decks persona. As well as running Beatport-distributed label No More: Rec, which he launched in 2008, Sodeyama also hosts a notoriously aggressive club night called Aria in Tokyo. Though charged by his following in Hong Kong as being one of the biggest names on the Japanese capital's techno circuit, he laughs at the suggestion that he has had any influence on the scene at all: "I could never say something so outrageous."

The DJ, who will play in Hong Kong for the first time on June 30, is equally restrained about the future of a recognizable Asian techno sound. He is indifferent towards the Japanese influence on the genre as a whole -- there is, he claims, "hardly any." The roots of dance music's success, Sodeyama explains, still lie very much in the West.

"We can name all these [techno] artists from Europe and America," he observes, "but ask anyone if there are DJs they know from Asia, and they couldn't even name ten. For Asian techno to become world-class, we need a lot of time and a lot more people. We need to work harder to export ourselves worldwide."

Sodeyama has supported some of techno's major players as they've come through Japan, including Radio Slave, Adam Beyer, John Tejada and Jay Haze. Now, says the Tokyo resident, he aims not only to play with them but also alongside them, as an equal. 

The promoters have spared little on the event, enlisting the help of Push's lighting man Luke Hall, who will overhaul the atmosphere at Wan Chai venue Rock School. Reams of white spandex will be twisted throughout the club, after a design by Sheung Wan-based studio Salon de Pigeon, to mimic Europe’s techno heavens. A sound system will be brought in to ramp up the competition with the night's other big parties. 

June 30, 10pm, HK$220. Rockschool, 2/F The Phoenix, 21-25 Luard Road, Wanchai (above Joe Banana's), tel +852 6258 8857 Rockschool Facebook page

Other parties for June 30:

Evil Nine at Armani/Bar

The death metal-identified duo from Brighton, England, brings their punchy, minimal breakbeat to Armani/Bar. "Ultimo," the new single from Evil Nine's recently launched label For Lovers, can be downloaded here: www.evilnine.net. There will be live support from Flow Playaz, and from Hong Kong DJs Tynee, FincentC, Mill H, and ChrisF.
Armani/Bar, 2/F Chater House, Chater Road, Central, tel +852 2805 0028

DJ Juicy at M1NT

Japanese she-jay Juicy hits M1NT for a night of hip-hop electro mash-up alongside Volar resident Yeodie and New York-based DJ Bravo. The party is presented by Absolut Vodka, and features live dancers Shiori and Yoshino.
M1NT, 10pm-5am. 108 Hollywood Road, Sheung Wan www.m1nt.com.hk

The Royal Magenta Ball at Volume.

The gay club's annual all-purple party returns for a third year with an outer-space theme: Starship Ultra-Violet. Guest DJ Thomas Ou (one half of Malaysian DJ duo the Superbimbos) spins a house set that ranges from funky to euphoric. Free entry all night for those in purple outfits.
Free before 10pm, HK$80 after (including one standard drink). 10pm-late. Volume, 83-85 Hollywood Road. See more gay bars in Hong Kong.

Summer Lover party at Dada

The surreal lounge at the Luxe Manor hotel hosts a summer-themed party for the gay community, with a performance by Queen Collection, the troupe helmed by legendary Hong Kong drag queen Coco Pop. Male models take the runway in a fashion show for Private Structure. Dress code is "animal prints, floral, and jungle."
HK$200 (including two standard drinks). 7pm-1am. Luxe Manor, 39 Kimberly Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, read more about Dada Lounge.