If I don’t have music, I don’t have anything

September 21 the Closer club held a third party Groove Operator, created by DJs Koloah and Pahatam. The invited DJ and producer was Japanese Yoshitaca. We caught him after the set in BURSA Hotel and asked a few questions.

- How was the party at Closer last night?

- It was super nice, super good atmosphere, because of the nature and kind of people also, so it’s a special place already.

- Do you have any rituals before or after DJing?

- Before the set I want to feel the environment of the club, so I’m dancing before I play. I wanna feel people’s vibes.

- So you play your set depending on people’s vibes?

- Yeah, I’m playing for one hour and then I catch something and enjoy the vibes.

- What is music for you?

- Music is my life. If I don’t have music, I don’t have anything. Because of music I moved to Berlin.

- Isn’t there a good music scene in Japan?

- It’s not too bad, but it’s smaller than in Europe. And it’s difficult to play in Europe if you live so far, because of flight fee. I played overseas for the first time at Studio 80 in Amsterdam in 2010. And when I played I felt it’s different than playing in Japan. I understood that I want to play here more, so I stopped all the jobs in Japan.

- Did you have a job not related to music before?

- When I was in Japan, I was a fashion designer for 15 years.

- Why did you decide to change your profession?

- Because I wanted to do music more than this. It was a difficult decision to quit, but I saved a bit money and moved here. It was difficult to find a flat in Berlin because I didn’t know German language and English too. But I studied them fast, in one year.

- Do you like any other kinds of music except electronic?

- I was listening to UK bands like Radiohead and Massive Attack. They were my favorite bands when I was 15 years old, junior high school student. And I started to play the guitar when I was 14 years old. As a dj I started from hip-hop, because I like to scratch. I started to buy hip-hop records. When I was 23 years old I changed the style from hip-hop to house music.

- You have two house labels, Fasten musique and Phonik. What’s the difference between them?

- I’m not a founder of Fasten musique, my friend founded it. Fasten musique was founded in London and it’s a party also. And the guy, he is japanese, came back to Japan and asked me to make a residence. It was almost 10 years ago. And Phonik is my own label based in Berlin.

- How do you imagine your old age life, how does it look like?

- I think I’m going to make music till 50 or 60 years. Maybe I will make and produce not only house, but something other. And then cozy life.

- What’s your favorite place in Japan and in Berlin?

- My hometown Takarazuka, it’s in Western Japan. I like Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto, because I was there when I was a child. I like Tokyo also, because I have a lot of friends there. I also like a beachside one hour from Tokyo, Kamakura. I like it because of nature. I lived in Tokyo for 13 years and then moved to Kamakura for 2 years.

In Berlin, I like Kreuzberg, it’s very nice place because I can go shopping there. And I’m living in Neukölln, I like it too.

- What’s your favourite club?

- I like Club der Visionaere, Hoppetosse, Heideglühen and more in Berlin.

- What’s your favorite kind of food?

- I like sushi.

- What’s your perfect day looks like?

- I just do nothing. No thinking is perfect.

- Do you have any transportation?

- I don’t have a transportation now, but I had a car when I lived in Japan, I had to drive sometimes. I had Volkswagen Golf.

- Do you have any hobbies?

- Sometimes I go to museums. My favorite artists are Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol.

- What’s the best thing about being a dj?

- The people enjoying it. That’s my passion.