In Chorareii’s ‘DJ ID’ series, both established and emerging DJs from the Japanese clubbing & raving universe share some information about themselves, for us to know the vision behind the bangers.
Chorareii: First of all, introduce yourself!
Mt. Chori: My name is Ryo Tokuyama (@ mt.chori), I’m 25 years old, I’m Taurus and I was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa. I currently live in Tokyo.
What kind of music do you play when you DJ?
Mainly (Goa / Dark-Psy / Hi-Tech) Trance
In what venues do you often DJ?
In Forestlimit. It’s my favorite place.
What made you start DJing and what is the meaning of your DJ name?
I made my debut as a DJ at Speed’s Pure2000 rave last year.
My name comes from an old nickname, my last name is the name of a mountain. Mt. Chori was my name on Instagram, I decided to use the same one as my DJ name. In addition, I also have the desire to upgrade and become a great mountain!
What do you feel when you’re DJing? And what do you want the audience to feel?
I still can’t afford all the technology I would like, because I’m poor, I mean … my DJ skills aren’t enough yet! However, it makes me very happy that people are dancing to my favorite songs at full volume.
I play melodies and sounds that have made me feel things. I hope that others can feel them too when they hear them.
What do you think makes you different as a DJ? How do you try to make a difference?
My way of purely enjoying sound and my feeling of love are second to none!
You seem like a very spiritual person, I always see you posting spiritual symbols on social media, visiting religious places … What do you believe in, Mt. Chori?
Mysteriously, many gods come to me, so I believe in various religions and ideas. However, I don’t fully believe in one particular religion. In my opinion, it’s all about understanding from the present what happened in history. I’m learning useful lessons that help me to be better.
I’m aware that I’m alive now, and that this is a momentary event in history. That is why I’m always thankful for being alive. If you forced me to choose, I would tell you that I believe in the stars and in the Mayan calendar.
What musicians, DJs, artists, places … inspire you as a DJ?
I am inspired by different types of trance music, spiritual art, YouTube videos of fractals that flow for hours …
The friends around me are also a source of inspiration, and also the places where you can feel the Earth, such as mountains, rivers and the sea.
I’m sure this inspiration is also reflected in your visual works. They are very psychedelic! How would you define your visual universe?
The information we get from our sense of sight is so great that it empowers us to enter the world. I personally love combining music and video. When I make my videos, I want to reproduce what I have seen as it is and share it.
You are part of RSC, tell me about the project!
RSC was a clothing brand when AS2 (@ as2.analoguesukebe2) and I created it in 2017. In 2020, we decided to start making music to share our vision of the world.
We are two members: AS2 who is my best friend, and me. AS2 writes the songs, he’s the one who does the composition. I review it and we create the videos between the two of us.
Is there a particular track that you would like to play in all your sessions if you could?
I’d choose Highrise’s “Hope For Peace,” but I haven’t played it yet!
One party where you DJ that you’ll never forget.
All the times have been awesome, but my first time as a DJ was at Pure2000. It didn’t go well at all, but it was the day it all started.
As we have already mentioned, the Pure2000 rave was organized by the Speed collective, of which you are a part. What is your contribution to this collective?
Speed was started by Ken Truths and the band Waater. We were all friends of the same generation, so when I found out they had created it, I joined them. At Speed I make videos, artworks and direction.
Seeing you DJing, I remember that your tattoos surprised me. What does this type of art represent to you?
I tattoo things that I don’t want to forget, things that have great meaning to me. I feel that tattooing designs on the body makes great sense and marks your existence. Without knowing the face, you can determine who the person is by their tattoos. They also have a tribal meaning.
At what party, place, festival, rave, venue… would you love to play as a DJ?
I’d like to DJ in a serious rave in Japan. The club is fine, but I would still like to play outdoors, like I did in Pure2000.
What is the role of the DJ in our generation?
The DJ must find a very good sound and give us the possibility of being saved by it. The DJ makes us all listen to the same sound in the same place so that we become one. The DJ shows us the way.
Follow Mt. Chori on SoundCloud.
Follow Mt. Chori on Instagram (@mt.chori) and Twitter (@youreyescream).
(∩ᄑ_ᄑ)⊃━☆ﾟ･｡･:≡( ε:)
