A world-first virtual nightlife experience is bringing Tokyo to London

We speak to DJ Nobu and Kerri Chandler about what it was like creating Discover Tokyo...

What inspired you when composing music for Discover Tokyo?
DJ Nobu (pictured above): The streets of Tokyo are wide and narrow, and sometimes when I drive from the east side to the west side, the scenery changes rapidly depending on the time and season. It almost feels as if I am dancing in a giant organism. I wanted to capture the sometimes beautiful and sometimes ugly restless expressions of the city, so I recorded some parts live in one go. 

Kerri Chandler: The concept inspired me. I’m all for virtual environments and it’s something I really feel is the future. I’m looking forward to doing it more. The track I created for Discover Tokyo is inspired by all the times I’ve gone to Tokyo.

Has the fact that people will be experiencing this virtually, and not in the same physical space, impacted the choices you've made with your compositions?
DJ Nobu: This is the first time that I have participated in a project like this, so it was a trial and error process. I consciously controlled the subtle details in the sound of each part more than usual in order to keep the attention of the audience through to the end. I think this really helped me improve my production skills too.

Kerri Chandler: Yes, in fact it helped me expand ideas. It wasn’t so much creating just for dance floors and those environments instead you get to really experience sound and textures in a virtual environment rather than the physical club environment.

Image: Kerri Chandler

The pandemic has been an incredibly tough time for the music and nightlife industry – but it’s also accelerated new developments in how we experience nightlife. How do you feel the ‘Discover Tokyo’ experience reflects this?
Kerri Chandler: I feel it’s going to be the first wave of many amazing things to come. The next level, I believe, is going to be augmented reality and AI. This is only the beginning. I'm happy to be a part of this new emerging technology.

DJ Nobu: Before the pandemic, I valued the collective experience in physical spaces so much that I was always hesitant to even share the recordings of my live DJ sets. I also hated live video streaming. However, under the current circumstances, I decided to start residency at NTS Radio, and earlier last year, Rainbow Disco Club held one of the first festivals to hold a streaming in Japan. Because of its high quality production, I was able to experience the sense of unity through the screen, and the excitement of a party. It made me open up to the potential of virtual experiences. Not all of them are that great, but I have changed my mind about the possibility of having fun in the virtual world, and just like in the physical world, we could choose what we engage in based on our taste and values. I trust that Discover Tokyo will be something unique and further pushes the possibilities of virtual music experience. 

I have been cautiously resuming my activities in clubs in Japan since last fall, and although the number of people is limited, the enthusiasm of those who want to enjoy the nightlife is very encouraging and gives me hope for the future. I think the excitement we’ll share on the other side of the tunnel eventually will be explosive and emotional.

Register for Discover Tokyo for free now.

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