DJ Sumirock, the 82-year-old dumpling making DJ.
DJ Sumirock, the rocking grandma.
12 years ago at the young age of 70 DJ Sumirock started attending her friend’s monthly party at Decadance in Tokyo. She fell in love with the club scene it exhibited a sense of freedom, fun and style.
4 years ago a friend asked if she was interested in DJing. Without a flinch she found herself taking lessons at a DJ school.
The fact that she came from a musical family made the transition smooth as the jazz she enjoyed as a child. Her father was a jazz drummer who frequently played for the US military.
Growing up at the end of World War 2 meant a short supply of media outlets and DJ Sumirock found herself relying on the radio for sonic solace.
Sumirock , paper, scissors
After the occupation ended, her dad buried his music career and opted for opening a restaurant.
DJ Sumirock immediately got involved in all aspects and thus didn’t get to enjoy a normal childhood of experiencing clubbing and discos. She feels that she missed out on a whole era.
She plays a large array of music ranging from techno, rock, chanson to classical. She always opens with the Astro Boy anime theme song to pay respect to those from her hometown where the song was frequently played on radio.
For an 82-year old she stays up pretty late. DJ Sumirock rates that the parties are most fun after 2am although she admits that she can only make it till 4am.
She is also very passionate about working in the restaurant with her brother, saying: “Working at the restaurant and DJing are really similar actually—you’ve got something round in front of you, you put things in, take things out, hold them down,”
She makes regular appearances at the Tokyo Decadance parties as well as being a feature at DecabarZ in Shinjuku.
DJ Sumirock has decided that she’d feel content dying in the kitchen of her restaurant, in the DJ booth or on the dancefloor.
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