MIJO TOKYO INTERVIEW

by Fled Tokyo @ Tune ouT Tokyo

MIJO is the prolific producer of Mexican techno, multi-instrumentalist, and international DJ who performed for his 1st time in Tokyo @ BONOBO / Sky Diamonds by Lucy party produced by Tune ouT Tokyo.

The interview went down in the gallery of BONOBO in Jingumae, Shibuya City just before MIJO’s 2-hour set. Endless love to SEI-SAN @ BONOBO and a big thanks to the BONOBO staff.

MIJO TOKYO INTERVIEW with Fled in the gallery @ BONOBO, Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo

So far in 2023 MIJO has produced 2 tracks on his CUMBRES EP released on the DURO label, 4 remixes from labels such as Innisfallen Records to Nativo MX to Roam Recordings, and 3 single releases from labels such as Controlla to Kaput.wav to DURO. Plans for another EP release later this year, even without his studio gear!?, are in works.

MIJO is not only an unstoppable music production machine, even after the theft of his studio gear, but MIJO is an unstoppable force of positivity and humbleness. Simply put, a beautiful creative soul with a predilection for techno who was happy to perform in Tokyo for his 1st time.

MIJO TOKYO INTERVIEW

FLED TOKYO @ TUNE OUT TOKYO: Alright, Tune ouT Tokyo presents MIJO all the way from Mexico in Tokyo.

MIJO: Hola!

Hello! Welcome to Tokyo. It’s your 1st time playing in Tokyo?

Yes, I tried to make it one time before this one and I had to change my flight, for some reason, but now I’m here and I’m with my girlfriend and everything is perfect.

Wonderful. So you’ll be playing your 2-hour set from 2:00 AM at the Sky Diamonds (by Lucy) party (at BONOBO).

Yes, let’s see what happens.

That should be fun. Lots of fun.

Right now when I came in, they were playing one of my tracks, so I cannot play that anymore.

Oh, no…

It’s okay (LOL).

So let’s see, but you’ve played in Korea. You were playing in Korea…was it Open Air in May?

The AirHouse. Yeah, it’s an open air festival in the woods, very close to the beach in Korea.

And that was one of the greatest experiences of my life because I feel now that Mexican techno and Mexican disco and all that stuff are now coming up and people in Asia are now starting to listen to it and be curious about it and to really take it in so I had a great time.

Yeah, that’s wild. Yeah, I think so. Let’s see. We had some of our Tokyo favorites, Gonno and Haruka, playing as well at that festival. Really big.

You’re talking about Mexican techno. You just released on the Duro label from Mexico. Can you tell us a little bit about that release or that remix?

Yeah, I mean, Duro is one of the few labels that are putting out constantly Mexican artists and Mexican techno and remixes for maybe some international artists. But mainly it’s like a household for Mexican sound.

And they’re very good friends of mine. We grew up together and we just released a remix for Theus Mago, which is one of the biggest Mexican techno artists out there.

And it’s cool. I really like that sound. I like Duro. I have my own label called Disque Discos.

There’s a few other labels that you guys really have to dig in because I think Mexican electronic music has a very distinct sound, and it’s very driving, it’s very minimal and punky in a way.

So it’s the kind of sound that we started developing with the guys from Duro and others.

Yeah, and you’ve released on Correspondant as well?

Yeah. Maybe eight or nine years ago, I was doing a lot of releases on Correspondant, on Turbo Recordings, on Toytonics, more like European labels.

And that’s where we started making this kind of sound. And then we came back home and started doing our own labels and doing our own thing.

And now it’s like, I think, personally, I think it’s now at the level of the biggest European labels, which is our goal, is to put out music with that level of quality and to be up there with the top artists from Europe and from Asia and all that stuff.

Definitely, you guys from Mexico are coming up. I remember that probably 2018 before COVID, you (had) your tracks in Tokyo. You had (released) on the Duro label.

I had no idea, man.

Here and there in Tokyo clubs. Yeah, it’s coming up. We need someone to represent from Mexico here in Tokyo.

I’m very happy. I’m very happy to do it.

Nice. Well, can you tell us about the Mexico scene? It’s such a big country. There’s so many beaches, but there’s also Tulum, Mexico as well. Some really big parties and it’s really, I guess, an eclectic scene. Can you tell us a little bit about the Mexican scene?

I think it’s one of the greatest scenes in Latin America, definitely. I mean, comparing it to maybe Colombia or Brazil or Argentina, which are more further south, it’s not that easy to have this interconnection of artists coming all over from everywhere, basically.

So what happens in Mexico is that it’s like a hub. So all the flights can stop there. All the artists from America, from United States, they come down there. All the artists from Europe can come down there. So it started brewing like a really complex scene. We have maybe like 25 plus cities, with nice club scenes, with nice parties.

We have Tulum, which is more like a housey and more like a deep house and these kind of stuff. But also our sound, like our Mexican dark disco, is starting to work over there (in Tulum and worldwide).

And it’s been great. I haven’t been able to leave Mexico because I’ve been always full of work. I play like a residence every month in this club called Bar Oriente in Mexico City. We’re starting to play some underground raves.

You have very small bars. You have the greatest festivals with international artists. So it’s very complete and it’s very open. It’s a very open scene. Now you can… now you can go to a rave in Mexico City and usually you will have one stage playing reggaeton and the next stage is playing techno. And then the next stage is playing trap and then the three of them do a crossover.

So it’s interesting, man. It’s a very interesting scene. It’s very like Generation Z. Everyone is just whatever. It’s fun.

Yeah, that’s beautiful. Well, here in Tokyo, everyone’s a DJ. Actually, we don’t have promoters. The DJ has to bring the people, the crowd. It’s like a cult following.

Back to basics.

Yeah, everyone’s a DJ, not too many dancers. So it’s the opposite.

Okay, okay.

You had your, was it your Korg (synthesizer) stolen not too long ago?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No worries.

Did you get it back at all? What happened there?

No, actually, some guys broke into my house. They took all my equipment, basically. They just left me with the speakers, but they didn’t take… They didn’t leave the computers or anything.

And it’s funny because just two hours or three hours ago, I was going to this 5G Music Shop here, and it’s closed because of the Mountain Day or something. Actually, I’ve saved up to buy a new synthesizer in Japan.

I hope you find your new one.

I’m trying to buy it through Amazon. It’s funny because now I just waited and I was like, okay, I’m going to get one synthesizer, but I want the Japanese synthesizer.

How are the price differences between Mexico and here that you’ve seen so far?

No, the Japanese synthesizers like Korg, like Roland, they are half price here. Yeah. And they have the new models. So it’s better, actually. I decided to wait. So I’m getting a Korg Wavestate. Hopefully they will send it, maybe. Otherwise I will go chase it down in some shop soon.

Well, it was a sad story, but whatever, man. I was actually with my girlfriend just making music with the few equipment we have left, and it’s the same you know. Nothing stops me, man, yeah.

Do you have access to studios? Like friends in Mexico, around the world? Can you get access to studios?

Yeah, usually I will go to any of my friends’ house and I can just work there. Yeah, it’s fine, man. But it was sad because I was touring in Korea and then I was playing this gig in Busan and then they sent me a picture of all my stuff gone while I was playing. So it was a bummer.

So after Japan, where are you going to be playing next? Where are you performing?

I think we’re going to Thailand. We’re going to we’re just going to travel around Thailand. I am a cook with my girlfriend we have a gastronomy, how do you say, like a food project. We are chefs and she created a menu based on on like Asian recipes and we are like like doing some kind of Mexican Asian fusion. S o we’re going to Thailand to get inspired and to get some new recipes and stuff.

And then when I go back I will probably keep playing in Mexico. I have some gigs in Tijuana…I don’t remember…there’s always stuff going. So when I come back to Mexico I will keep playing my Mexican parties.

Your pretty elusive as an artist, but your productions are pretty extensive. You already have 9 so far released this year interns of remixes and your EP as well?

I think so man. What happens is that sometimes you make the music, you make the remixes, and then you send it to the people and then you forget about them and then they just suddenly release them like one after another. So I’m always putting out stuff.

Now I will try to when I get my Japanese synthesizer I will try to work finally on a personal album, on a MIJO album, because I’ve been doing only remixes so far, but I went to do like a collection of original music and, well, that’s my plan for now.

So that means another EP might be coming this year?

Yeah, probably, I would love to do a full a full length, but now people they don’t have time to listen so much, so maybe an EP is fine.

Once again welcome to Tokyo and I’m really excited to see your set. Don’t worry, just have fun. It’s a dance floor. So I am pretty sure the energy will go round.

There’s a dance floor and there’s sound. That’s it, that’s all we need.

Maybe your equipment will magically come back.

I hope, I hope. If it doesn’t come back I fine. I’m happy I’m playing in Tokyo. I’m happy having this experience. Well, let’s bring it.

Let’s do it. Alright, here we go. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Fled Tokyo signing off for Tune ouT Tokyo from the gallery of BONOBO @ the Sky Diamonds by Lucy party with special guest MIJO from Mexico City, Mexico.