Rosie Romero

Rosie Romero

The Manchester DJ saves her Japan debut for a brand-new club

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Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2010

Manchester native Rosie Romero didn’t waste any time getting involved in the local club scene. At 14, she writes from the UK, “it was like a light came on in my head—everything felt right.”

Honing her craft at the fabled Sankeys, Romero then made the logical step from DJ booth to recording studio, gaining support for her productions from the likes of Carl Cox. She calls the sound of tracks such as new outing “Guru”—on which she also sings—“Grooving Jackin’ Techno.”

“The style I play now has resulted from the music that inspires me but is accessible to the different crowds that I play for around the world,” she says. “Sankeys was my bedrock, but the techno of Sankeys has morphed into the style of music I make now. I love real deep basslines—I am a sucker for a good 303. I like to play tracks with great drums with quirky patterns. I look for unique, fresh-sounding, vibrant tunes that make me want to dance.”

As for being termed a “female DJ,” Romero admits to having mixed feelings. “It doesn’t sit that well with me, to be truthful, but hey-ho, that is the way of the world. I am just a DJ at the end of the day, but if promoters/magazines want to class me as a ‘female DJ,’ I don’t mind as long as I am successful.”

For her Japan debut at Roppongi’s capacious new Paradis Tokyo, Romero says she’ll be demoing new tracks on CD decks. “I loved vinyl, but the advantages of playing CDJs overwhelm vinyl,” she says. “The weight, for one, and the ability to re-burn a track if it gets damaged. I still enjoy the mechanics of physically putting a track on and mixing with the platters and the pitch control—that feels natural to me.”

Romero says she’s looking forward to seeing how a Japanese crowd reacts to her new tracks, and she’s planning “an amazing set that will allow me to come to this exciting country again and again.”

How does she chill out after a gig? “Well, I put that much into playing, I am absolutely whacked,” she writes. “It is usually straight back to the hotel, and more often than not I am woken in a couple of hours’ time to catch a flight. Or if I’m in a naughty Romero mood, I may just stay out and enjoy the remains of the party I have helped create.”

Paradis Tokyo
Funkaliscious. Techno, house: DJs Rosie Romero, Antomattei of Tokyo. Oct 9, from 11pm, men ¥3,000 w/1d, women ¥2,500 w/1d. Roppongi. Tel: 03-5770-1313. http://para-t.com