Back To Chill: An Introduction to Tokyo’s Premier Dubstep Event
Hayato Takahashi outlines the key players in one of Tokyo’s most consistent events.
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In 2005, the track “Back to Chill” was unleashed from Tokyo to the world. The man behind the tune was Goth-Trad, a globe-trotting DJ/producer and founder of a Tokyo underground party that shared the same name. Goth-Trad did not start his career in dubstep – his 2003 self-titled debut album clearly illustrates his origins in abstract hip-hop and industrial noise.
\n\nBack then, he spent days on end experimenting with sound, with a soldering iron in one hand and a circuitry plan in the other, crafting his own self-built sound machines. Armed with a line of mixers and effects, his live sets became his “experimental laboratory.” The sounds he conjured for the floor started to attract the attention of like-minded underground explorers, resulting in a collaboration with DJ Baku as well as his work as Rebel Familia with Takeshi Akimoto of Dry & Heavy fame.
\n\nIt wasn’t until dubstep hit that the sound of Goth-Trad travelled far and wide, with his third album, 2005’s Mad Raver’s Dance Floor, gaining support from the UK. At the time, dubstep wasn’t a singular, definable style, and many of the producers involved were finding their ground. It made sense that Goth-Trad resonated in a scene with an experimental ethos and sound.
\n\nIn 2006, Goth-Trad met Mala, one of the dubstep originators and founder of DMZ and Deep Medi Musik. A few simple words (“I’m going to take you to Japan”) were all it took to blow the doors between Tokyo and London wide open. The following year, Mala made his journey to Japan, and Goth-Trad released his Cut End/Flags EP on Deep Medi Musik.
2006 was a turning point for Goth-Trad for another reason: it’s the year he and partner 1000mado established the club night Back To Chill at SALOON in Daikanyama. “Although small, there was an air of excitement,” says 100mado. “I think the players and crowd shared the feeling that this was something ‘special.’ If you look at the releases up to 2008, they were all brimming with originality, and even under the bracket of dubstep, everybody’s rhythms and ideas were totally different. It was such an amazing time.”
\n\n100mado also carved himself a unique career path. He’s not only a DJ in nightclubs, but also a member of the improvisational turntable performance group Busratch. Setting his sights on UK garage and grime early on, he started out as a dubstep DJ in 2004. His big international break came when Mary Anne Hobbs played one of his tracks on her BBC radio show, which eventually resulted in the releasing of a collaborative album with Spanish producer Pacheko in 2009. His DJ and production skills are built around a steadfast groove and an air of the mystical.
\n\nThe sound dimension of the party was further enhanced with a move to clubasia in 2008. clubasia was already famous for its acoustics, but Back To Chill brought their own gear to add to the intensity. Not content to simply let the low-end rumble, each member of the crew is present at every sound check. In 2013, they made further upgrades with the introduction of the Broad Axe Sound System, made by a fanatical Goth-Trad supporter.
There are no shortage of characters that understand and support the Back To Chill spirit. Resident DJ Dubtro’s relationship with Goth-Trad grew out of the two exchanging demos. In 2011, he debuted on UK dubstep label Mindstep Music with his Forgot Past Storage EP, demonstrating a fondness for both low-end floorshaking and ambient atmospherics.
\n\nENA is another Back to Chill resident, who made his international debut on the French label 7even Recordings in 2011, and eventually contributed an abstract dubstep mix to the Resident Advisor podcast series. He’s toured consistently throughout the world, and is currently preparing the release of his newest album for the Berlin-based Samurai Horo label later this year. ENA’s productions, which follow the “never copy” philosophy , may seem like a departure from the Back to Chill sound, but that’s precisely the wide range the party embodies.
This year marks the eighth anniversary of Back To Chill, and things continue to progress. Later this year, Goth-Trad will launch a Back To Chill label, which will kick off with a compilation of tracks from the resident DJs and connected talents.
\n\nSo what is the appeal of this party after so many years? 100mado says that it’s consistency. “At the turn of 2010, when the scene was increasingly expanding, Back To Chill simply maintained its course as usual, continuing to seek out the sounds we find fascinating. This, of course, is a reflection of Goth-Trad’s ethos. He holds closely to music. Even for somebody like me, who has followed its course throughout, has sometimes thought, ‘Aren’t we too stubborn?’ But I always remember what he frequently repeats, ‘There is no point in following what others are doing.’ I think we have managed to build a night that isn’t swung or compromised by the short-lived trends of the day.”
\n\nBack To Chill photo: Masanori Naruse