Panic in the disco: Gas Panic raided

[matsuki]

I'd get lynched if I tried to open up a club in the US called "Falling tower terror."

That's still an improvement on lynching you just for being black...

Funny how that one drop rule works but I don' think they'd believe me if I said I was black.

[Screwed-down Hairdo]

I'd get lynched if I tried to open up a club in the US called "Falling tower terror."

That's still an improvement on lynching you just for being black...

Funny how that one drop rule works but I don' think they'd believe me if I said I was black.

Obama's doing a great impersonation of a black man...

[Taro Toporific]

lesbo-dancing.jpg

Why is Tokyo trying to stamp out dancing?
No. 1 Shimbun--FCCJ (Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan), October 2013 issue
...Tokyo Metropolitan Police have begun cracking down on establishments in Roppongi, Shibuya and, particularly, Shinjuku-ni-chome, the hub of Tokyo’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) communities. And no one seems to understand why, especially now.
In late August, ni-chome visitors were shocked to find that practically every dancing venue had suddenly posted “no dancing” signs on their doors and bar counters. Dance floors were eerily empty, following warnings from the police...
...a regular at Annex – another popular ni-chome dance spot – asked, “Why is the country interfering with adult fun at a time when it has so many other pressing issues on its hands? It’s not like there are children running around at late hours in these bars. Only mature adults come here. If TV stations are allowed to air questionable programing 24 hours a day, why should other forms of adult entertainment be so regulated? Is Japan Iraq? Why ni-chome?”
Why, indeed? The current enforcement campaign has come without any public explanation from the police as to what they hope to achieve. Is the aim to oppress LGBT people? Or do they simply hate dancing? If this is about winning Tokyo’s Olympic bid, how will a ban on dancing serve to impress IOC delegates?
More likely, efforts to stamp out dancing will make Tokyo a global laughingstock. At a time when tourism authorities are promoting the city’s Michelin-starred restaurants and vibrant nightlife around the world, the dance ban is a farce.
m0Ar!...

Cavin and Me Dancing at Arty Farty in Shinjuku by Cloganese, on Flickr
足立雲平 by Sgkh, on Flickr

[Coligny]

More likely, efforts to stamp out dancing will make Tokyo a global laughingstock.

I think Fukushima already did a great job in that direction...

[Wage Slave]

Now if they were to focus their crack down on House Music and the people who dance to it I could see the point. It's the police's job to rid society of that kind of scourge.

[gaijinpunch]

Now if they were to focus their crack down on House Music and the people who dance to it I could see the point. It's the police's job to rid society of that kind of scourge.

Agreed. House just doesn't match up to Techno.

[Coligny]

Now if they were to focus their crack down on House Music and the people who dance to it I could see the point. It's the police's job to rid society of that kind of scourge.

Agreed. House just doesn't match up to Techno.

Dear god... You guys have not stepped into a record store since what ? 1989 ?

[yanpa]

Is "dubstep" now passe enough for us old(ish) farts to talk about when we wish to give the impression we are "hip" and "groovy" and "down where it's at"?

[Coligny]

Don't know, still fresh, meanwhile Technotronic is a sure bet...

[gaijinpunch]

Dubstep never was or will be groovy.

[yanpa]

So maybe more "hip", or even "funky"?

[wagyl]

I still have a pulse, just, but I don't have my finger on the pulse. I do think we can say that dubstep is passe if the guys who did the Fox thing a couple of weeks back have also done this:

Yes, I have now spoiled the joke.

[Coligny]

Totally overdone... (bass drop at 1:18)

[wuchan]

in my experience, teh gayz in dat spot got teh good shiz....

The gay community here is very hard for the the locals to penetrate (pardon the unintentional pun). On the other hand they have no problems with straight round eyes visiting and paying. Maybe the keystones are looking for something.



EDIT: based on my upbringing, my professional opinion is we shouldn't be wondering why they are in that area. We should be asking, "who told them to look there?". Back home snitches get stitches.....

[legion]

I think they are really clamping down on drug taking without having to admit there is a lot of it going on.

[gaijinpunch]

I think they are really clamping down on drug taking without having to admit there is a lot of it going on.

To the uninitiated, it would seem that way. My only thought is there is only two reasons why the porice might be doing this:

1) The so-called cut of the ties w/ the Yaks
2) validating their existence
3) Just being dicks to people they don't like... eg, enforcing noise complaints, etc.

The first should be somewhat transparent to us. The second.. well... it seems they are selectively enforcing their rules, however, the largest discos in town have never even had an infraction, and they are the most clear cut offenders of this bullshit law. I have heard through the grapevine that the large places have stated they will be out for blood if anyone fucks with them. And let's not be stupid... a shit load of money goes through those places. I'm sure someone is getting a kick back. The third is the most likely, and I'm convinced until recently it was only used when someone got pissed off. A friends joint was raided. Coincidentally, he had a lot of the blacks as customers.

I've got a bet with myself though to see which retarded phenomenon will be fixed first

1) Illegal dancing in Japan
2) Population crisis in Japan
3) Excuse for a health care system in the US

[IparryU]

I've got a bet with myself though to see which retarded phenome
1) Illegal dancing in Japan
2) Population crisis in Japan
3) Excuse for a health care system in the US

man if you can guess that you should play the stock market...

Sent from my SC-03E using Tapatalk 2

[IparryU]

Totally overdone... (bass drop at 1:18)

I remember when dieselboy was nothing but jungle dnb... bit he bitch changed for the money and went dubstep... so.. nit trippy and shit.

Sent from my SC-03E using Tapatalk 2

[Samurai_Jerk]

I think they are really clamping down on drug taking without having to admit there is a lot of it going on.

Exactly.

the largest discos in town have never even had an infraction, and they are the most clear cut offenders of this bullshit law. I have heard through the grapevine that the large places have stated they will be out for blood if anyone fucks with them. And let's not be stupid... a shit load of money goes through those places. I'm sure someone is getting a kick back. The third is the most likely, and I'm convinced until recently it was only used when someone got pissed off. A friends joint was raided. Coincidentally, he had a lot of the blacks as customers.

Remember Velfarre in Roppongi? They used to close at midnight and then reopen again in the early morning for after hours parties. I had a friend who was a bouncer at several of the major clubs in Tokyo and Yokohama and knew the scene really well. He said it was because they were owned by Avex Trax so they wanted to comply with the law.

I wonder if Ageha has ever been fucked with. Of course given their location they don't have to worry much about complaints from neighbors.

[IparryU]

I think they are really clamping down on drug taking without having to admit there is a lot of it going on.

Exactly.

the largest discos in town have never even had an infraction, and they are the most clear cut offenders of this bullshit law. I have heard through the grapevine that the large places have stated they will be out for blood if anyone fucks with them. And let's not be stupid... a shit load of money goes through those places. I'm sure someone is getting a kick back. The third is the most likely, and I'm convinced until recently it was only used when someone got pissed off. A friends joint was raided. Coincidentally, he had a lot of the blacks as customers.

Remember Velfarre in Roppongi? They used to close at midnight and then reopen again in the early morning for after hours parties. I had a friend who was a bouncer at several of the major clubs in Tokyo and Yokohama and knew the scene really well. He said it was because they were owned by Avex Trax so they wanted to comply with the law.

I wonder if Ageha has ever been fucked with. Of course given their location they don't have to worry much about complaints from neighbors.

Velfarre and Flower had the same setup... they were event spaces (on paper), not clubs or bars and they were Yak owned. Technically, all the nigerian bars in Roppongi are Yak owed except for about 4, but they pay out more every month.

If they are event spaces... for some reason they dont need a dance permit. Sorta like during matsuri where an organization rents an "event space" and people can do that weird walk in circles and clap dance thing. But they do need food/alcohol licence to distribute food and booze... what make it different? No clue...

[Samurai_Jerk]

I think they are really clamping down on drug taking without having to admit there is a lot of it going on.

Exactly.

the largest discos in town have never even had an infraction, and they are the most clear cut offenders of this bullshit law. I have heard through the grapevine that the large places have stated they will be out for blood if anyone fucks with them. And let's not be stupid... a shit load of money goes through those places. I'm sure someone is getting a kick back. The third is the most likely, and I'm convinced until recently it was only used when someone got pissed off. A friends joint was raided. Coincidentally, he had a lot of the blacks as customers.

Remember Velfarre in Roppongi? They used to close at midnight and then reopen again in the early morning for after hours parties. I had a friend who was a bouncer at several of the major clubs in Tokyo and Yokohama and knew the scene really well. He said it was because they were owned by Avex Trax so they wanted to comply with the law.

I wonder if Ageha has ever been fucked with. Of course given their location they don't have to worry much about complaints from neighbors.

Velfarre and Flower had the same setup... they were event spaces (on paper), not clubs or bars and they were Yak owned. Technically, all the nigerian bars in Roppongi are Yak owed except for about 4, but they pay out more every month.

If they are event spaces... for some reason they dont need a dance permit. Sorta like during matsuri where an organization rents an "event space" and people can do that weird walk in circles and clap dance thing. But they do need food/alcohol licence to distribute food and booze... what make it different? No clue...

Are you saying that a large corporation in the entertainment industry like Avex Trax has mob connections? I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!

I guess most of the bigger clubs are technically categorized as event spaces then. It kind of makes sense at places like Ageha and Yokohama Bay Hall since they do technically rent the space out to different organizations that are putting on shows.

[gaijinpunch]

Remember Velfarre in Roppongi? They used to close at midnight and then reopen again in the early morning for after hours parties. I had a friend who was a bouncer at several of the major clubs in Tokyo and Yokohama and knew the scene really well. He said it was because they were owned by Avex Trax so they wanted to comply with the law.

Maniac Love as well, which was the prototype of Velfarre. It got to be a question of risk versus reward... and we know the outcome. Nothing has replaced Maniac Love. A moment lost in time.

I wonder if Ageha has ever been fucked with. Of course given their location they don't have to worry much about complaints from neighbors.

They are who I was referring to above.

If they are event spaces... for some reason they dont need a dance permit.

Did Flower not just get shut down, regardless of how it was licensed? Obviously the drama surrounding it had a big part in it, but still. I don't think the licensing will save you once they have picked you out. There have been a few "event spaces" that have opted out of large parties (Halloween, New Years) organized by 3rd parties b/c they didn't like the heat... only to come back years later.

[legion]

Maniac Love as well, which was the prototype of Velfarre. It got to be a question of risk versus reward... and we know the outcome. Nothing has replaced Maniac Love. A moment lost in time.

As I vaguely recall Maniac Love just used to keep going all night thru to the after hours. Was never a pretty sight in the morning, although apparently sweeping up the dance floor used to yield a fair supply of Auntie Ethel.

Worst of all was leaving the old Liquid Room in the early morning and having to make your way thru' Kabukicho, I guess if I was a copper in the koban I'd want to shut down every club in town, the detritus could be pretty grim.

Maniac Love went bust by the way, never really made any money, even when it was packed.

[gaijinpunch]

As I vaguely recall Maniac Love just used to keep going all night thru to the after hours. Was never a pretty sight in the morning, although apparently sweeping up the dance floor used to yield a fair supply of Auntie Ethel.

The last couple of years they were closed from midnight (or 1AM) until 5AM. The After Hours party went from start to finish ('93 to '05) and they even started doing them every Saturday morning as well to make up for the gap in times to comply w/ the shitty laws.

Worst of all was leaving the old Liquid Room in the early morning and having to make your way thru' Kabukicho, I guess if I was a copper in the koban I'd want to shut down every club in town, the detritus could be pretty grim.

Fucking brutal, and that wasn't even the underbelly. There was a somewhat short-lived after hours party in the bowels of Kabukicho. Hard to imagine it getting worse, but it does, and only a few blocks away.

Maniac Love went bust by the way, never really made any money, even when it was packed.

The last few years when they complied w/ the laws, maybe. You don't run a club for 12 years in a competitive market at a loss though. The only thing like it that ran longer was Yellow, although I assume Womb will make to the 20 year mark before it's done. ML had high rent but overhead other than that was low (they paid DJs substantially lower than other venues). They also had no Yak payment as they were not in an entertainment district. The official reason they shut was not due to funds, although I assume that had something to do w/ it. The owner "didn't want to do a club anymore" although I suspect the building owner had a lot to do with that. That was what was said over beers mind you, not in some public statement. The people that ran it are more or less still doing the same thing... although at much less fun places.

[Samurai_Jerk]

Documentary trashes legal restrictions on dancing

A recently completed documentary allows viewers to join the ridicule of what critics say is one of the most absurd laws in Japan.

“Save the Club Noon,” directed by Moriro Miyamoto, 32, and produced by Shinryo Saeki, 34, features two dozen artists and musicians protesting legal restrictions on dancing at night clubs.

“It is simply ludicrous to say that one should not dance,” rapper Seiko Ito said in the film.

Production started after a police crackdown in April 2012 against the Noon night club in Osaka’s Kita Ward. The owner has been charged with operating a club without permission.

Provisions of the Adult Entertainment Business Regulation Law state that clubs that allow customers to wine, dine and dance on their premises must obtain permission from the prefectural public safety commission.

However, clubs that receive permission are only allowed to operate until 1 a.m. Many dance clubs do not seek permission so that they can keep their doors open until much later.

[yanpa]

I remember my first trip to Japan... Juliana Tokyo... just as things were looking like they might be fun, it was 1am, lights on, queue for taxi.

(:shock: particularly because I was coming from Berlin, where 1am is the time things start getting moving)

[wagyl]

Juliana's... Your Japan history goes back further than I thought.
There is an obscure hot spring out this way which still has Juliana's related promotional material on the door. I still haven't found out the connection.


But I mostly posted to say...
Time for SDH to chime in on what a Berlin movement looks like.

[yanpa]

Juliana's... Your Japan history goes back further than I thought.

Well, I'm not exactly Greji, but my being here is not entirely random.

There is an obscure hot spring out this way which still has Juliana's related promotional material on the door. I still haven't found out the connection.

Somewhere I still have some original Julianas drink tickets... Wonder if they're worth anything?

But I mostly posted to say...
Time for SDH to chime in on what a Berlin movement looks like.

Dogshit. The place is famous for it.

Time for Coligny to chime in and explain how Paris dogshit trumps all else.

[wagyl]

I bet it doesn't glow like the stuff at Regina no Mori. Who I am sure are just thrilled to get even more web referrals from FG

[Coligny]

Matter of diet...

Parisian dogs: fine superior French cuisine.

German dogs: cabbage and sausage leftover... Garbage in garbage out...