This Friday (August 10, 2012) marks the start of the
5th San Japan anime convention, taking place in the heart of San Antonio, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center and the Grand Hyatt Hotel.
San Japan has expanded in events and content as well as size, with new events including a Battle of the Bands, the Masquarade Ball, and a live Pokemon battle, amongst other main events such as the Cosplay Show and Ani-Idol competitions.
One significant event is the two-night Electronic Music Dance party, hosted by DJ Arc Angel and The Kids Next Door. This year, a selection was held for three DJs to play on Friday night; the first was DJ Narien from Oklahoma, and the second was a local resident, Star23.
The third DJ is someone who has made an impact in San Antonio by showcasing his ideals and love for anime culture-- the "charismatic nightkid", Sephi Hakubi.
Here are some questions we have for this particular music mixologist.
Carey Martell: What brings you to San Antonio?
Sephi Hakubi: This was all a matter of fate actually. My real job is Staff Sergeant in Cyber Operations and Network Warfare for the United States Air Force. I used to be involved in Special Operations when I was living in Fort Walton Beach, Florida and I wanted a major change after three soul-crushing years of Spec Ops. I’ve put in for a Base of Preference reassignment and Lackland AFB, TX was my second choice (after Patrick AFB, FL). I have been in San Antonio for a year already and still have about two more years to go before I am honorably discharged from the Air Force. I’m not sure exactly what is at stake for me then because my world have been rocked tremendously (good and bad) when I was living here in San Antonio, but I have sincerely thought about moving to Japan to immerse myself in their culture and work on my music and cosplay craft over there.
CM: How did you get your start?
SH: I don’t remember exactly how I started DJing. I would like to remember I was the EDM kid that liked to play with mixers to see if I can mix my own tunes myself and I dove into the hobby cold. Ever since high school, I was a fan of Electronic Dance Music, particularly Progressive House and Trance, and of course as an anime fan, I love Japanese Pop.
I started listening to EDM on South Florida’s dance radio station, Party 93.1FM and got addicted to Bemani style music from playing Dance Dance Revolution. My first major gig was in 2006 at a major LAN party/convention in Hawaii called Adept Gamer Conference where I’ve played mostly J-pop and K-pop; however, I would continue to play at anime get-togethers and special events at music stores until around 2010 that I was introduced to “Totally Patrick” Pfeffer, a nightclub owner, lawyer, and EDM radio host. The guy has been my hero and greatest influence since listening to his show, giving me more of a motivation to DJ and enjoy my music, friends, and moments. I started getting picked up by anime conventions as a guest of honor due to my work in
Sushicrowd Entertainment as a journalist and cosplayer, but I started to provide my mixing services to cons and have been greatly requested by conventions in the Southeastern United States. I would soon move on to San Antonio and continued to play at places like Ooples until I was again picked up by Mizuumi-Con. A lot has happened in my six-year journey DJing, but I feel this is only the beginning.
CM: What type of music should we expect in your set at San Japan?
SH: As I’ve mentioned before, some of my main genres are Progressive House and Trance with Japanese Pop; however, I also include some hardcore into my mix to add more pump. Other styles I’ve started to get into are hardstyle and dubstep, yet I make sure they’re more of a melodic kind. I like music that has a lovely melody to it, giving a feeling of love and euphoria.
I didn’t realize it until I learned it from Patrick, but some of this music is meant to cater to the young female crowd aged about sixteen to twenty-four. My focus is to make my sets the sexiest possible, but don’t worry, there will be something for everyone this Friday.
CM: Besides the dance event, what are your other plans for San Japan?
SH: Just like my many other conventions, I will be working as a video journalist, capturing major panels, events, and interviews, then uploading them to my
Youtube channel: Sushicrowd.
I hope to reunite with some friends out of town, particularly coming from Oklahoma and Florida, as well as reunite with some of the guests that I happen to have met at other conventions as well. I am definitely looking forward to seeing Chris Sabat, Chris Ayres, Carli Mosier, Kieran Strange, and Egoraptor again as well as meeting LittleKuriboh, The Slants, and many other guests for the first time. I wish I could cosplay this year as well but cosplaying has been put on the backburner for a while due to my time DJing, schooling, and other overwhelming personal issues, but hopefully soon, I can return showcasing many of the San Japan crowd’s favorite characters.
CM: What was your favorite event you ever DJ’d?
SH: Wow, this is going to be quite a tale but I know what it is already. It’s the one I’ve invested a lot of time, energy, and resources, as well as the one that got many of my close friends involved, and one that changed my life and attitude for the better, this event was the Ultima Nightkid Rave at
Ooples back in June.
There is a story to this but here’s the brief of this legend. I was betrayed by a group of people whom my ex-wife and I met at Ooples who I thought were my friends. To keep it discreet, I was taken advantage of while I was serving my country and lost something I thought was the most important to me in the world. In addition, some of my DJ equipment was stolen out of my car that just added more salt to the wound. The situation left me very depressed, bitter, and angry, like any peace, hope, and trust I had in anyone had been stripped away from me forever. I ended up taking a vacation away from San Antonio because I was afraid that my mere presence may instigate ugly drama which would not be fair to my fans; however, I realized that backing off a place for a while does not stop your haters from talking garbage.
Before I went on vacation however, I ended up making friends with a few key people from my Mizuumi Power Make-up rave, Kay Lynn, Isaac Gonzalez, Thomas “Neon” McCallister, Dillon Hoke, and Claudia “Zeneta Nettie” Betancourt. Admittedly, I have been going through an emotional roller coaster until Kay Lynn and the others introduced me to Summerscape, an underground rave in Medina County. Summerscape was a significant event that was not really about promotions, it was about promoting PLUR: Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect.
Upon discovering that, I was beginning to realize that PLUR was more powerful than any evil deed that can be done to anyone and has given me the drive to live my life with pride and joy. After Summerscape, I started getting invited to more events that I could not hear about on my own and ended up meeting some great DJs such as Goreasaur, Beni Hito, Mr.Sir, and DJ Signs.
While I’d been away, a buzz has been going around in San Antonio about me and all of a sudden I have received a flood of e-mails and personal messages asking when my next performance is and when am I coming back to Ooples. With this reaction combined with the Summerscape idea, I decided to return to Ooples and DJ once again. However, I came back with a greater combined vision than what I had in mind. Working with guys like Dillon Hoke and you to prepare the venue space underneath Ooples -- as well as inviting Go Go dancer troupe The Syrins along with DJs Signs and Beni Hito to perform a two hour, twenty person dance party turned into a four hour, 100+ people phenomenon.
This event was truly a result of hard work, perseverance, and love, showcasing the greatest example that PLUR will ALWAYS prevail.
CM: What are some future events that we could hear you perform?
SH: As it stands, here is my list of appearances:
- Sept. 14-16, 2012 – RuroniKon: Geek Culture Redefined – Edinburg, TX
- Oct. 20, 2012 – Zombie Con 2012: The Apocalypse – San Antonio, TX
- October 28-28, 2012 – FAN:dom Con Year 3 – Pensacola, FL
- January 4-6, 2013 – Sukoshicon: Destination Anime – Fort Walton Beach, FL
There is also a possibility I will be doing my first international show in Colombia, South America around September as well as host another major rave at Ooples in the winter which I will call, Dream Drop Revolution.
CM: If you have to share any ideal with anyone, what is your most important?
SH: Do your absolute best and don’t ever quit…EVER. With any great thing done, there’s always someone “not so great” that wants to make you feel not so great. If anything, use that hate as fuel and motivation. I don’t like to toot my own horn very much, but as I’ve mentioned with my Ultima Nightkid story, a group of people tried to make me feel very low last Spring, but now I have become the most relevant thing in San Antonio’s anime and PLUR scene.
Also, value your true friends. I can honestly say that all this would not be possible without the Nightkids, a label that I have recently called my fans and friends that I have established as my own family because that’s how much I love them. The only reason why I do anything is to ensure that my friends and I can make some of the greatest moments possible, whether it’d be me, or any other performer that I happen to work with. With that being said, I want to thank my Mom, Dad, and my brother for their support as when my DJ gear got stolen, they pitched in to replace it just in time for Ultima Nightkid (they did this on Mother’s Day).
Of course I want to thank all the friend’s I’ve mentioned above as well as my Nightkids that follow and believe in me, just as I would do my best to be there for them.
As I always say, don’t die crashing…LIVE SMASHING!!!
Monday, August 27, 2012
Carey Martell
