Andy Highcock O'yafko Real #003

FRIDAY NIGHT HAS COME

Lover of House, Soul and Funk, and devotee of club culture, Manchester (UK) born event producer and DJ, Andy Highcock arrived in Fukuoka six years ago, put his “ear to the ground”, and has been an active part of the local music scene ever since.
Impressed with the talent of local DJs, but distraught with the lack of “weekend club culture”, Andy set about creating a little piece of home over here. His first event, PURE, delivered the first two floor, mixed genre, concept to Fukuoka and ran non-stop for four years. “From day one we had over 70 customers who were really up for it, just going for it... and we just built and built on it.” After a one-year hiatus Andy is back with a bi-monthly event at Sjora called “RUMPY PUMPY”. “It’s a collective event and we are doing it just for fun. I'm not interested in making money from it, I just want to hear good music and have a good dance. That's it.”

"Fukuoka has some top-notch DJs... they could literally play anywhere in the world if they just had that confidence to get out there"

Reaching Underground O'yafko Real #002

By its very nature the underground music scene is difficult to embrace, especially for those of us relatively new to the city. It has been said before that mainstream comes to you, but you have to go to the underground, and nowhere is that more true than here in Japan, where the scene lacks the crowds pulled by similar-sized European and American cities. While the local scene is low on hype, the artists here in Fukuoka more than make up for it with their passion. The dedication with which some nights are produced is astounding. And while the crowds are relatively small, there is a sense that there is a real underground movement churning beneath our feet. If you are interested in music and can forgo expectations built back home, now may be a good time for you to get your toes wet. Over the next couple of pages we introduce a few events worth checking out.