At the end of the 1980s, British DJs imported a potent new style of house music from the Spanish party island Ibiza in what came to be known as the ecstasy-fueled "Second Summer of Love." Inspired by this trade route two decades later, Katsumi Takano, aka Mandokoro or DJ Jet Baron, hopes to launch a "Third Summer of Love" with an aggressive brand of dance music smuggled in from Indonesia.
Funky Kota, known better by its street name Funkot, is a manic style of over-clocked techno (similar to the genre of happy hardcore) with anything from traditional Indonesian music to party-rap samples scattered throughout. The bass jackhammers at up to 200 beats per minute, which gets people on the dancefloor either flailing in fast forward to match the tempo or swimming in slow motion on the down beat. There's no way to look good, no hope at seeming cool. "And that's the point," Takano cuts in.
Born in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, the stout proprietor and resident DJ of Shibuya's Acid Panda Cafe might be intimidating if it weren't for the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" cap on his head. His jacket is festooned with patches. I point to one of a great white on his shoulder smiling from behind a pair of shades. "Sharks are totally awesome," he says with the utmost sincerity. I can only agree.