TOKYO OVERDRIVE

At 10 p.m., there is more energy running through the streets of this metropolis than in any other city in the world. The inhabitants are out in full force, finishing their weekly shopping or just beginning their night of pre-planned activities. It is so unbelievably crowded that walking just a few steps, it’s literally impossible not to bump into someone, or to crash into an illegally parked bicycle, as if the city is one big mosh pit under control only to the thousands of traffic lights occupying it. This city is Tokyo, Japan.

Modern Tokyo on one hand is known for its temples, cherry blossoms, technology and sushi; on the other hand famous for the ever-changing restaurants, bars, clothing shops, fashion and music. If something is new in Japan, it started in Tokyo. Kids from all over the country save their money for months for the chance to experience (and pay for) a single weekend night of live audio and visual exhilaration in a mind-blowing Tokyo club. Every step offers more than a lifetime of eye-candy. You will see anything and everything here: from underage over-stylized go-go girls sitting on a street corner chatting away on cell phones, to the elite sipping away at luxurious crystal glasses of Champagne in the most posh restaurants the world has to offer.

Tokyo has an eclectic collection of exciting sub-cities offering endless activities, but for now, we are going to concentrate on its two main club locations: Shibuya and Roppongi. Shibuya is a city that is mainly known for its youthful fashion, restaurants, shopping and night life. It holds many of Tokyo’s most famous clubs, such as Womb, Club Asia, Shibuya Nuts, Harlem, Module, etc. Most Tokyoites think of Shibuya as the place to go when they consider a raging night out on the town. Roppongi is equally as exciting but it caters more to the international population of Tokyo, mainly due to the city’s dark past. From all the events to choose from on a hot and humid Saturday night, I decided to go to Switch at club Code in Roppongi. The mastermind behind Switch is Isindensin Charliesheen, or “Charlie.” Within the last four years, Charlie has consistently been promoting parties which host a dynamic environment of music, style and design that has been changing the way other promoters have been organizing their parties. The way he creates his events is similar to a child who sneaks into the family kitchen and who puts all its favourite foods into a blender and flips the switch on HIGH. Unlike the troublesome child, Charlie’s recipes have been extremely successful. It was roughly 11 p.m. when I arrived at Switch. The first thing that I saw when I walked to the bar was two women hovering over somebody who was spread out on an operating table. To fulfill my curiosity I walked past a few booths, which sold jewelry, hardcore stiletto boots and traditional Japanese food, a variety to say the least.

As I approached the table, I saw a woman who was in the process of having new eyebrows tattooed onto her forehead; hey if that isn’t a night out, what is? At that moment, the music in the main room switched from hard house to digital hardcore. Then the crowd from the bar moved quickly to the main room. Squeezing my way in, I was able to witness a battle between a man (who was wearing a primitive Dr. Octopus suit) and his nemesis, a robot the size of a garbage can on wheels that was using a battle hammer as a weapon. This war of man vs. machine was much more intense than I had expected it to be. The robot charged and attacked at alarming speeds and the man defended and counterattacked with great accuracy. After witnessing the defeat of the good doctor, I went back to the bar only to find that another booth had sprouted up, offering full body painting. In only a few minutes it attracted a crowd that blocked the way to the bar. Damn.

I decided to move to the VIP lounge to get a breath of fresh air. As I was let in, I heard the all-too-familiar sounds of The Clash blasting from the speakers; I took an available seat and relaxed. I was happy to chill for a moment, but not even two minutes later a woman in a pink dress was announcing that the S&M show was about to start. It began with the usual: whips, chains, ropes and the sort; and it continuously got more and more hardcore. I asked a guy sitting next to me if this was really the VIP lounge and he replied in perfect English that the main VIP is on the B2 floor, and that this was the S&M VIP lounge. My bad.

Moving threw a crowd that was rocking out to a fire-breathing punk rock performance, I caught up with the world-famous psytrance god, DJ/promoter DJ Tsuyoushi, who was the main player that night. It was interesting to hear about the new projects that the multi-talented artist had in the works. Currently, he is promoting his new CD (entitled God Is Back) on a world tour, and in his free time, he is working on a project to help Japanese DJs get international exposure. Very talented Japanese DJs just don’t have the resources to get their names out there, it seems, which is a pity, since there are so many good ones, like DJ Tsuyoshi. Not too long after our discussion, DJ Tsuyoshi jumped on the decks to perform an amazing and influential set. Most of the club packed onto the dance floor to experience his new tunes and to witness 10 professional belly dancers on the stage adjacent to the DJ booth.

The crowd was divided between the two shows and united with the music. I could not help but to put my camera and note pad down and enjoy the atmosphere that was unfolding.