DIMENSION K presents 2300 A.D. @ ageHa@studio coast

DATE : 17th July, 2005 (Sun)
DJ : Derrick May, Desyn Masiello, Stacey Pullen, Osamu M, Mike Mckenna, Norman Jay
PHOTOGRAPHER : Masanori Naruse, Mark Oxley / Official Site
TEXT : Nick Lawrence

There is nothing quite like meeting up with four thousand of your closest friends and dancing the night away to music blasting out of speakers several decibels above what your doctor would no doubt recommend. So of course the opportunity to head to ageHa for 2300 A.D. presented by Dimension K was one not to be missed. ageHa is definitely one of Tokyo's premier clubs with certainly only its remote location holding it back from being the undisputed champion of the superclub world. What other club in Tokyo, nay the world, can boast a giant main room equipped with speakers straight from the set of a 1970's b-grade sci-fi movie, a tent dancefloor with retractable roof, a beach area with ocean views and a pool area kitted out with a nearby DJ booth and a conveniently located bar. From the night's opening Stacey Pullen was warming up the main room with some house music that definitely careered towards the tougher end of the spectrum. While quite empty at first the floor soon filled as eager listeners made their way to the end of the Yurakucho line in droves. When not distracted by the impressive visuals placed discourteously directly in front of the DJ the majority of the crowd was moving, shaking, gyrating and even at times palpitating to the techy groove filling their aural cavities. For much of Stacey's set this groove remained and the dancefloor never looked like stopping. It almost seemed as if he might be able to make for a somewhat lack luster offering in the form of his Fabric 14 compilation. This was the type of house music that those at ageHa were obviously after. House music infused almost perfectly with techno resulting in an uplifting party atmosphere that was well anchored by a tough beat and driving bassline. However, the anchor was raised all too soon and the ship, with captain Pullen at the helm, ignored the lighthouse's warnings and headed towards the jagged rocks. Those lucky enough to secure a lifeboat made their way to the tent area with plenty of time for Desyn Masiello's set while many stayed with the captain and went down with the sinking ship.
Before it was time for Desyn to get behind the decks local DJ Osamu was having a go at readying the floor for the main attraction. He did his best playing a remix of the classic Kings of Tomorrow tune 'Finally' which saw much of the crowd enter into karaoke mode. Soon however it was time for the tent arena's real star and Masiello wasted no time in making his intentions clear. Ethan's party starting 'In My Heart' announced to the world that the set would be filled with much party music. Confirmation of this came the second 'Drop the Pressure' by man of the hour Mylo was audible from the surrounding speakers. It was obvious at this point that there would be little chance for rest as our bodies would be coerced into dancing continuously throughout Desyn's set. Not even the soap bubbles occasionally landing in one's eye were enough to break us from our eternal trance. Bouncing away to party tune after party tune with no concern for what was happening in the outside world. Osamu would occasionally get behind the decks to help out the visiting DJ, the party vibe still surprisingly managing to continue. Even the predictable inclusion of Underworld's 'Two months off' was embarrassingly enjoyable. The buzz word to describe Desyn's set could only be said to be fun. While nothing especially academic it can be nice to occasionally let go and dance away the night. Back inside the main arena Derrick May was dispensing hard hitting techno to all those who asked (and a few that didn't). They were dancing everywhere. They were dancing on the floor. They were dancing on the podiums. They were dancing on the stairs. Blissfully unaware that a DJs set should involve some sort of variation or progression. For his entire set May played techno designed to force the dancefloor into moving their bodies. It could only be described as driving, and that's exactly what it was doing. Driving the majority of bodies in the room to dance in ways they'd never thought possible while successfully driving a small percentage of us increasingly insane. However, the majority rules and pleasing the largest percentage of the crowd was one of a DJ's main objectives that May managed to achieve. On this long weekend ageHa was once again host to a memorable party. The house music of Desyn Masiello combined pleasantly with a crowd that was definitely in the mood for a party. 2300 A.D. presented by Dimension K definitely came out of leftfield to become a heavyweight in the summer party division. Perhaps low expectations played a part in this, but whatever the reason 2300 A.D. was a most pleasing way to welcome a new summer day to the land of the rising sun.

Relates Article

Interview : Desyn Masiello Video Interview in Tokyo (05/03/2005)

Related Link

Derrick May Official Site
Desyn Masiello Official Site
ageHa Official Site