PUBLISHED October 19th, 2018 06:00 am | UPDATED August 19th, 2024 02:38 am
With roots in Taiwan and Japan, Yoshi Nori first cut his teeth as a DJ in Chicago at the age of 20. Since moving back to Taipei, he has become one of the leading figures in the city’s electronic music scene, holding his own resident night ‘Lost & Found’ at underground club Korner and organising his signature Bass Kitchen Taipei parties, setting the benchmark for the edgiest nights in town.
Hi Yoshi, tell us more about yourself.
I was born in Taipei, and I have roots in Taiwan and Japan!
When did your interest in electronic and dance music start? Was it when you moved to Chicago?
My oldest brother is six years older, and he’s been a big time music digger for as long as I can remember. He was listening to loads of Prince, New Order, The Prodigy, Denki Groove, YMO kind of stuff since I started elementary school in Taipei. I think I got interested since then and was just hooked.
What was the Chicago house sound like back in the early 2000s?
The early 2000s was an interesting period of time for Chicago house because it actually went through a bit of evolution then. The minimal movement was on full-steam at that time, while Chicago had this micro-click house thing going on at the forefront of this period. At the same time, it was also the beginning of raw-electro, which basically evolved into the electro-house and EDM that we know these days. Basically, sound in general was trending in two ways: one going more toward the basics and stripped down to the core, and the other direction towards adding more elements on top – noisier and fuller.
You organise ‘Bass Kitchen Taipei’ with several others. How is the party series different from the others out there?
In Taiwan, we are probably the only crew that do parties surrounding the house vibe that are not necessarily about the house sound. We love any music as long as they are good and fresh. We just like to express them in our own house-y way, and I think this kind of freedom yet consistent value is what’s unique about us.
If you had to choose your favourite track/record at the moment, which is it?
That’s always a tough question. My favourite changes almost every day, sometimes every three to four hours, hah. If i had to choose something from the top of my head now, it’d be DJ Ground’s new LP ‘Sunizm‘ on ESP Insitute. It’s a killer slow-mo bomb –the whole thing.
What are some other parties visitors to Taiwan can check out?
Smoke Machine’s parties are always worth checking out.
Share with us some of your favourite things to do in Taipei.
Eat amazing xiao long bao, drink local tea, hang with friends, chat about music, then hop to bars and parties with the city’s public biking system (UBIKE). Basically, just chill and ride.
Describe your mix for us!
This one’s a bit slower than my usual mixes. It’s something that’s good for listening while driving, or heading to nature on a bright day. The first half is maybe more disco-ish, which later becomes ‘dubbier’.
Keep up with Yoshi Nori on SoundCloud and Resident Advisor.