Cocoon Morphs Tokyo
The techno empire highjacks Tokyo

Courtesy of Womb

Jetting in from Frankfurt to stamp a sizeable “Party!” sign across Tokyo’s posterior is the techno powerhouse Cocoon, which takes the wheel at Womb for three dates in April. Founded by veteran DJ and partier extraordinaire Sven Väth, the German club is a tastemaker for, and synonymous with, European dance music. The success of the venue has spawned a renowned record label of the same name, which has featured talents such as Loco Dice, Martin Buttrich and Dominik Eulberg. And, perhaps more infamously, Cocoon’s now legendary Ibiza party defines the “sounds of the season” for many a European clubber.

The lineup at Womb is a selection of movers and shakers of dance music. Get your proverbial skates on if you want to catch Chilean Ricardo Villalobos, who controls proceedings Friday, April 11; the talismanic DJ’s meticulous, intelligently structured percussive productions helped lay the foundations for minimal techno’s current boom. Villalobos’ tracks on his recent Fabric CD were, interestingly, purpose-made for the release, and featured a collaboration with Japan stalwart Fumiya Tanaka, who also adds to the evening’s shenanigans in Dogenzaka.

Pig & Dan and Andre Galluzzi take over the decks for the second installment of Cocoon Morphs Tokyo on Friday, April 18. Duo Pig & Dan have created quite a stir of late with their uplifting brand of minimal tech/electro-house, even if their emergence has been slow-brewed, with the pair working for years in electronic production studios. P&D tracks of note presented under the Cocoon label include the hypnotic, brooding “Deliverance,” and the explosive, bass-led “Oh Yeah.”

Andre Galluzzi is a veteran DJ of the German techno scene whose residencies have included the much-respected institution Tresor. Recently more prolific on production duties, Galluzzi teamed up with Guido Schneider on label Cadenza to produce the hyperkinetic, percussion-heavy “Albertino.” And “Baccara,” with its intricacy and haunting Indian vocal loop, provides a hint of the surprises the DJ has in store for his session at Womb.

The last episode of Cocoon Morphs Tokyo is set to be massive, with none other than Sven Väth himself set to play Yebisu the Garden Hall under the Cocoon/Womb Club Phazon imprint on Monday, April 28. Väth tends to have as much fun behind the wheels of steel as punters do on the dance floor—this, combined with his unrivalled standing as Ibiza and European techno’s ringleader (as well as a set from minimal house brothers Tiefschwarz), will make for a riotous conclusion to the series and a rather splendid start to the week.

Cocoon Morphs Tokyo@Womb, Apr 11 & 18. Club Phazon@Yebisu the Garden Hall, Apr 28. See club listings for details.

Got something to say about this article? Send a letter to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp.

Listen to the Metropolis Podcast, the coolest guide to what goes on this week in Tokyo.

Looking for international friends? Check Japan, Inc. Friends now - it's 100% free!