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The biggest Japanese culture event in Europe, Japan Expo 2014, is being held in Paris, France from July 2-6. The event’s stage is set to be packed with performances by DJs, dancers and MCs on the forefront of Japan’s Akihabara culture.
Five artists in total will be performing: DJ Caesar, a pioneering DJ in the anime song world; Real Akiba Boys (RAB), a dance unit from Akihabara; PCF, a party rock performance unit; DJ Keitan, RAB and PCF’s producer; and VJ Mienohito, a multitalented artist and music video producer.
Performing on Japan Expo’s Largest Stage!
This year, Japan Expo will be celebrating it’s 15th anniversary of being the biggest exhibition to bring the latest in manga, anime, video games, technology, Japanese traditional customs and other unique forms of Japanese culture to Europe. In 2013, 230,000 people from all over the world attended the event.
Every year, artists and creators representing Japan come to perform and show their work. DJ Caesar is one of the artists lucky enough to perform on the event’s main Principale stage. Apparently, at first, he was not offered to perform on this stage. Here’s what DJ Caesar had to say about that:
"I’ll…I’ll tell you exactly what happened!
I thought it was a 8,000 person stage but before I knew it I was being asked to perform on a 14,000 person stage.
Y…You probably don’t understand what that means, but I didn’t know what had happened either…I felt like I was gonna go crazy…It was a taste of something quite frightening…"
DJ Caesar
Who Are These Artists Anyway?
■ DJ Caesar
A pioneer in the Japanese anime song DJ world. Known for his short mix style, which involves cutting out and stringing together the most memorable parts of songs in quick succession.
His DJ name comes from a character in the extremely popular manga series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure.
DJ Caesar in Cho Voca Party @ Nico Nico Cho Kaigi 3 (Makuhari Messe)
■ RAB（Real Akiba Boys）
A dance unit comprised of five members: Keitan, Maron, Muratomi, Suzumiya Atsuki, and Dragon.
They initially gained attention for posting a dance video to the song “Hare Hare Yukai,” which was the ending theme of the anime series and then social phenomenon, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. In 2011, they were noticed by a much bigger audience when they appeared on the TV show Star Draft. Their popular Internet videos currently have a total of 11 million views. They often appear in various media and perform at events.
Also, in 2012 they formed the unit Kaori Fukuhara & RAB with the popular voice actress and made their major debut.
We danced to “Hare Hare Yukai”! RAB in Harem Night Showcase
■ PCF
This "party rock performance unit” is made up of members Bouto, Tadanon, Keitan, and TAKUMA.
They mainly submit videos to Nico Nico Douga and YouTube, which currently total 40 million views. From the popular singing and dancing videos on Nico Nico Douga, to DJ, otagei, and talk show appearances, this group continues to display a wide range of talents.
We Danced to “Bad ∞ End ∞ Night”
■ Mienohito
This incredibly multitalented creator is part music video producer, DJ, VJ, and songwriter.
His video production has been particularly well-received, and he is known for making the music video for Kurousa-P’s hit Vocaloid song, “Senbonzakura.”
[Hatsune Miku] Senbonzakura [Original Music Video]
Expectations for Japan Expo
We got an exclusive chance to talk with DJ Caesar and Keitan just before leaving for Japan Expo about their expectations for the event.
DJ Caesar: I don’t think Japan Expo has seen many real local talent yet, so I plan to show them what a true Akiba artist looks like! When I do my JoJo pose, they’ll know I’m the real deal!
Keitan: As a representative of anime and Vocaloid song performers, I’ll be happy if I can, along with the other members, show France even the slightest bit of the magic of Japanese animation.
I’ll be sure to give France a good “party rockin'”!
To see more messages from the crew already in France, check the Twitter hashtag #ジャパンエキスポ2014フランス.
You can also check the other hashtag #JE15. Be sure to check out their tweets!
Source: KAI-YOU
