November 30, 2017
Japanese EDM’s Hikarie Takeover
The second annual Tokyo Dance Music Event
Tokyo boasts an impressive collection of clubs, with enough DJs and electronic music producers to fill them every night of the week. Now, Tokyo is also home to a yearly conference that offers deeper insight into the dance music industry.
The Tokyo Dance Music Event (TDME) runs from November 30 to December 2 in Shibuya’s Hikarie building, featuring a series of panels and discussions focused on dance music and a handful of other industry topics, including streaming services and music promotion in Japan. It also features talks centered on developing music scenes in Asia and workshops geared towards artists. Oh, and since this is a dance music event, expect some live events going down at night.
This is the second year of TDME. A ticket to the conference itself goes for ¥20,000 (though for students and artists, tickets can be bought for as little as ¥5,000). Paying ¥40,000 gets you a VIP pass. Tickets for live events are sold separately.
Modeled after the long-running Amsterdam Dance Event, TDME’s 2017 edition focuses primarily on issues affecting the Tokyo dance music scene. Conference talks range from “The future of brands and dance music” to “Festivals and their relationships with dance music culture in Japan,” the latter presented by Resident Advisor Japan. A few notable Japanese presenters at TDME include Towa Tei (“Japanese brands meet dance music culture”) and rapper Zeebra (“How night mayors give value to nightlife in Europe: The road to a Night Mayor Summit in Tokyo”), both on December 1st. Producer starRo will be interviewed on the second day about his status as the first Japanese electronic artist to be nominated for a Grammy Award.
Simultaneous sessions will be held in a separate hall in Hikarie focusing on the more technical aspects of dance music. These range from how VJs can be used in live performances to workshops focused on the software Ableton.
This year’s marquee-offering at Hikarie comes in the form of a sound installation. “Jeff Mills Presents Planets the Celestial Body Installation” debuts at TDME, and finds songs from pioneering Detroit electronic artist Jeff Mills’ latest album Planets played out in a series of speakers, each one highlighting a different instrument.
It wouldn’t be a dance music event without some club nights, too. Friday and Saturday night, events wil go down at famous Tokyo clubs such as Womb and Sound Museum Vision. Click here for more information and ticket info.
