Interview with Masayuki Yamada, president of "MOGRA"

MOGRA is a DJ space that opened in Akihabara in August 2009. It is characterized by a mix of club culture and Akihabara culture such as games, anime, and idols, but it is actually a legitimate club. We aim to be a place where you can enjoy music to the fullest, without any filters and beyond the boundaries of genres.
Although it is often thought of as an "anime song club", it offers not only popular club music genres such as house, techno, and EDM, but also bass music.
MOGRA is a place where DJs and artists can show their individuality to the fullest in terms of what kind of music they can offer to the patrons.

I started my career as a DJ in 2008, and at that time, the main movement within my scope of observation seemed to be parties that dealt with electro house and French electro, but also expressed a strong fashion aspect. One of the entertainment that was emerging at the same time was otaku culture such as games and anime. Club arrangements of game music, anime songs, idol songs, etc. began to gain momentum on Nico Nico Douga.
The Internet world at that time was chaotic, and I experienced firsthand the unique atmosphere of accepting anything and everything. Genres were rapidly growing, but there was no place dedicated to expressing new music in line with that culture.
Based on that experience, we wanted to offer a place like never before, while paying respect to existing clubs. With that in mind, we launched this MOGRA from scratch.

I have always loved games, and I am currently addicted to "Atsumare Animal Crossing".
I have always liked roguelike games. Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon and, more recently, Void Terrarium.
I used to think that games were something to be enjoyed alone, but since I started doing business with Twitch, my perspective on games has changed.
I can compete with other players online, and I can share with them, "This is what it's all about! " and empathize with them, I enjoy communicating with them through games.

I was really shocked when I first experienced online games with the original "Monster Hunter".
It was a game that you could play by yourself, but the addition of the online element gave it an appeal that had never existed before. It's fun to share the advantages of the game with a large number of people.
In that sense, clubs and online games are similar.

MU was conceived on March 29, and we started working on it less than a week later.
Since February, not only MOGRA but the entire entertainment industry has been hit hard by COVID-19.
Not only that, but when I saw the current situation where the losses were spreading down the chain of retail and wholesale businesses, including food service, I wanted to do something about it.
Instead of seeking compensation for refraining from business, we are looking at the problem from a business perspective and asking ourselves, "What can we do to help?" From there, we are repeating trial and error.

I believe that businesses that want to do something about this problem need to join hands with other businesses to overcome this difficulty.
If there are businesses that need MOGRA's know-how, we would like to help them.
For example, "If you have an overstock of merchandise, we will create an opportunity for you to sell it at MOGRA, and in return, we would like to ask you to give back to the artists".
After the situation is resolved, we could sell sake at the club, or hold a reception party, or any number of other ways. I want to do something that benefits everyone.
I think this is a good opportunity to build relationships that transcend the boundaries between industries and business categories.

We started Akinetto with the intention of saying "Thank you for your support" to our users.
It is an event to share the joy of more than 3,000 visitors. However, under the current situation in Japan, there is a gap in the atmosphere. That is one of the reasons why we decided to postpone the event.
It is not yet clear when we will be able to hold the event. However, when we are able to hold the event, we will be able to say with even greater joy, "2020 was a difficult year, but now we are able to hold the event like this!" I believe that it will be an even greater joy to be able to host the event.
So, whether it is in 2021 or 2023, we will hold the event as "Akineto 2020". Please look forward to it!

The entertainment industry is a form of entertainment that people enjoy in their basic lives.
Since it is a business type that is aimed at a narrow, localized audience, it is a world that is unrelated to those who are not interested in entertainment.
We are not trying to force people to become more interested in entertainment, but we hope that we can increase the number of opportunities for these people to come into contact with us and become more interested in it.

Another thing I would like to do is to create a place where artists can communicate their message without worrying about the economy or the world.
"Let's protect the box!" There are some customers and artists who are aware of the importance of "protecting the box". But first and foremost, it is important for those of us who make the boxes to move on our own.
In order for culture to be born, we need a container, a box, for it. We provide that box and provide a place for artists to express themselves. That is MOGRA's mission.
A place and an opportunity to connect artists and customers. We want to create a system that completes all of this.