![]() ![]() It is, he says, a deliberate attempt to capture the feelings of an era. Thirty years on, this spell of discovery, excitement and melancholy underpins the entire mood on Asakusa Light. It’s impossible to listen to the buoyant Saturday Love Sunday (which samples Cherelle’s Saturday Love) or the euphoric Sunshower, featuring vocals by Nami Shimada, without breaking into a grin. By taking the deep house blueprint and adding a distinct touch of his own, he created a recognisable identity: soulful, polished and joyful. These early strides into house music resulted in a slew of cuts now deemed classics. ![]() In 1989, he launched Far East Recordings. Inspired by these experiences on the dancefloor and encouraged by his close friend, producer Shinichiro Yokota – who introduced him to synthesisers – he began to experiment with production. It was like, ‘We are OK.’ You’re just spending time with the people there.” “Some events that I took part in were holding me,” he remembers affectionately. But,” he concedes, “I had so much time.” He found a special kind of comfort in going to clubs like Tokyo’s legendary Space Lab Yellow, where he felt kinship without the pressure to appear happy. “Our band lost their contract, so I actually lost my job,” he explains. When Polydor dropped Tax Flee from the label in the late 80s, the band imploded, and he fell into a deep depression. There’s a sense of adventure that defines much of Terada’s life story going to London alone as a 22-yearold graduate, busking with his melodica in tube stations, releasing an album with his band in 1987. This period was pivotal for shaping his love and appreciation for house music, sparking the first embers of light that would continue to burn brightly as he developed his own house-inspired productions. During that month-long solo stay, he heard a few early electronic crossover hits, citing Pump Up the Volume by M|A|R|R|S and Beat Dis by Bomb the Bass as formative standouts. Lifted by the palpable sense of community and shared euphoria, he was totally hooked.Īfter graduating in 1988 from Tokyo’s University of Electro-Communications, where he studied Computer Science and the electronic organ, Terada made a beeline for London, fascinated by its underground music and culture. Back home in Tokyo, he discovered that same atmosphere at Gold, the city’s first super club, which was modelled on the vibrant gay club scene of mid-80s New York. The three-piece ended up at a club called Choice, founded after the demise of Paradise Garage, and heard the intoxicating rhythms of early house and disco on a big sound system for the first time. In particular, a visit to NYC in 1986 while on tour with his rock band Tax Flee left a profound mark on him. His first brushes with electronic music were coloured by trips to New York and London. It’s an upturn he could only have dreamed of back when he first began experimenting with deep house back in the early 90s. It was a liberating moment for me,” he exhales. “I was able to perform live frequently and many people were recognising my old tracks. ![]() Sounds from the Far East rejuvenated Terada’s music career and catapulted him onto the global circuit at the age of 50 (he’s 56 now, but has a youthful enthusiasm that belies his years). A fortuitous turn of events for which he’s still thankful. The late-period purple patch was set in motion by a 2015 compilation of music from his label Far East Recordings, masterminded by Hunee and released by influential Dutch label Rush Hour. His first LP of new material in over 25 years, the album is a culmination of a successful five-year run – pandemic aside – that has seen the DJ, producer and computer game music composer discovered by a new school of clubgoers, placing him at the receiving end of long-overdue recognition beyond the borders of Japan. Terada is in Europe to reveal his new live set, which knits together crisp variations on deep house from his cherished back catalogue with brand new material from his forthcoming album Asakusa Light. Even so, Terada is in excellent spirits, his warm smile a balm for the soul. You’d forgive him for feeling a bit dazed the gigs, he says, have been busy, in stark contrast to Tokyo, where there’s still restrictions on nightlife. He arrived in Europe a week ago from his hometown of Meguro City in Tokyo, and was thrown straight into a bracing touring schedule that so far has taken in Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Amsterdam – where he’s calling from. Soichi Terada is just about coming through the other side of a bout of “hard jet lag” when he logs onto Zoom. ![]()
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