DJ shabushabu in Rotterdam, the Netherlands

In September the DJ's shabushabu and DJ MAHO THAIDISCO traveled to the Netherlands. On the 20th they appeared in Tilburg at the ZXZW festival and on the 22nd they were in Rotterdam; JaME attended shabushabu's performance in Rotterdam.

At 9 PM the doors of WORM opened. Before the DJ's performance started, dance music was playing in the background. Every now and then Japanese lyrics could be heard and together with the sake and Japanese snacks that were served, the mood for the evening was already set. It was still pretty quiet when a little after 10, DJ shabushabu took his place behind the tables. The music changed to a bit more of an electronic sound and shabushabu had started his performance. The audience gathered around the turntables but they kept their distance, leaving part of the dance floor free.

shabushabu recorded different sounds, which he then repeated and mixed. Every once in a while he also sang some parts and mixed this with the sound effects. During the first song, birds singing could be heard and this created an unique atmosphere. The DJ also did some beat boxing and his favourite instrument appeared to be a small high pitched flute which gave the songs a slightly Japanese sound.

Later the DJ also picked up a set of maracas and a pan flute. Next to the turntables was a table covered in instruments and various objects. The most special "instruments" of the evening must have been the vacuum cleaner and the toy hammer that made a peeping sound. shabushabu held the vacuum cleaner up to his microphone while he rapped, creating an intriguing hollow sound.

DJ shabushabu is definitely talented when it comes to instruments and he is also capable of doing multiple things simultaneously. For example, while playing the harmonica with one hand, he would mix or play keyboard with his other hand.

Halfway through his performance the DJ grabbed his flute again and this time he walked around the tables, towards the audience. He danced while playing and tried to draw the audience into his show by standing right in front of them and beat boxing. Some of the crowd moved along to the music, but they still left space open in front of the tables. By that time more people had arrived and WORM was filled with people and a good atmosphere.

shabushabu announced his next song and in English he explained that it was about his sister's toys. He had some trouble with English, but he tried hard and the audience responded enthusiastically. He then picked up the toy hammer again and hit his head with it. This DJ's music is definitely not mainstream, but every song does have a pop-like sound and it brought smiles to the faces of the crowd. He certainly knew how to put on a show.

After about 40 minutes he mentioned that this was going to be his last song. But there was still time left and encouraged by the enthusiasm of the fans, shabushabu spun his records a while longer. He also used wooden sticks, which he hit against each other to create the desired sound. At the end he threw them towards someone in the audience, who then started to play them as well. During the last songs it seemed like the DJ wanted to use all the instruments he had brought; At one point he was playing flute, tambourine and also hit his keyboard with the tambourine stick.

All of DJ shabushabu's music is cheerful and catchy, but it's rather difficult to define his style. During the show multiple genres were played, from techno sounds to hip-hop beats. Maybe his music could be best described as cheerful dance music, mixed with elements from other genres and toy hammer peep sounds. His music is certainly unique, but unfortunately the vocals don't always suit the sounds.

JaME would like to thank WORM for making this report possible.