RAN: Where are you originally from?
HALCYON: I’m from Christchurch in New Zealand.
RAN: How long have you been in Nagoya?
HALCYON: I came to Japan about 6 and a half years ago, but I was living in Chita city for the first 5. I moved into Nagoya in August 2010.
RAN: What type of music do you spin?
HALCYON:Drum & Bass, primarily. D&B comes from England originally, coming out of Hardcore in the late 80s, early 90s. It’s characterised by a frenetic beat at 170 BPM and a ton of bass to give it an extra push. Hence the self-explanatory name.
The type of D&B I play varies depending on the crowd, but usually they are all rolling tunes, beats to get people moving.
RAN: Why did you choose this music to rep as a DJ?
HALCYON: It was a time-and-place thing. D&B was blowing up in NZ when I first started listening to it in ‘97 and something about the music’s energy clicked with me. It wasn’t a conscious decision, it just worked out like that, although I’m sure it helped that all my friends were into it.
But it doesn’t mean I don’t have love for other genres, it’s just that this is the one my time has gone into! Roughly 13 years at this point.
RAN: What do you think makes a GREAT dj different than a GOOD DJ?
HALCYON: Tune selection, knowing when to play a tune, being able to read a crowd’s mood. I like a dj that can surprise me.
RAN: What do you think is the HARDEST thing about being a DJ? Easiest?
HALCYON: The hardest thing is the beating that your ears take, mine aren’t so good anymore!
The easiest thing is beat-matching. Anyone can be taught how to do reasonably quickly.
RAN: What, if any, are misconceptions that exist about DJs?
HALCYON: That DJs are glorified jukeboxes. To some degree it is true, but the good Djs put a lot of thought into their sets, and invest time and money in finding the right tunes to play.
RAN: What, if anything, do you notice is SPECIAL about the Nagoya scene?
HALCYON: I like the ability of Nagoya people to accept new types of music, they are open to whatever makes them dance regardless of genre.
I also appreciate the promoters who mix up the genres at parties so people have a wide range of music to get down to!
RAN: Why did you choose the name ‘HALCYON’, what is the meaning behind this name TO YOU?
HALCYON: Halcyon came from when I was studying ancient Greek at university. It means ‘happy’ or ‘peaceful’. It seemed cool, and although it doesn’t describe the music i play very well, it fits me I think.
RAN: If there is such a thing as reincarnation, what were you in a previous life? What would you like to be in your next life?
HALCYON: In a previous life? Maybe a drum. In the next life it would be cool to be a huge sound system, as long as the music played on it is good.
RAN: Where in Nagoya can we see you do your thing?
HALCYON: I play regularly at Cafe Domina with the W-Double D&B crew, Tahara, Ayumi, DJ Smoker, & Zig-Nine.
I’m playing as Mofonix with Zig-nine on the 26th of November at Lea Lea with the Stereophonic crew for their anniversary party.
Next month there is the Axiom magazine party at .. on the 10th, and Breakbeat Dela at Cafe Domina on the 29th to round off the year.
Next year there are a couple of things lined up, but it’s a little early to talk about them..
