The first time Takahiro Maeda saw his senpai Magsam dancing hip-hop style in a club, he knew that's what he wanted to do. He also realized not long after trying the moves himself that he could never be a professional dancer. So, instead, he busied himself organizing events where Magsam and his friends could dance and others, like himself, could enjoy the mood and the music.
After seven years of organizing hip-hop dance parties at venues such as Club Asia and Harlem, suddenly a rare opportunity presented itself. One night, relaxing in a restaurant after an event, one of his regular partygoers suggested they open a club together -- an offer not lightly made and one not to be refused.
The result is Simoon. Your dictionary will tell you that "simoon" means "a hot, dry, suffocating, dust-laden wind blowing at intervals, especially in the Arabian desert." Ironically, Simoon is where Maeda and his friends escape from such an ill wind -- an oasis in the dust bowl of Shibuya's clubs, "a shinkai [new deep ocean] where we can chill and express ourselves," explains Maeda.