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[mrjohndub]

I've been sifting through possible destinations for New Year's Eve parties the Tokyo area. There seem to be endless numbers of them...

Who's got some good info on some event(s) that rise above the rest?

Does anybody have advice about going/not going to some of the larger, annual events or clubs?

What's the scoop?

What I've got in mind is a night of music, not necessarily for dancing but that which would make you want to move if so inclined. I'm open-minded to an extent about the genre and production of said music, but I am not interested in radio hits, J-Pop, watered down poser punk, metal that isn't just riveting, commercial rap and r&b (please, though...I'm down for expansive hip-hop or musicianship-driven, soulful r&b) or listening to music that is themed to New Year's Eve (i.e., thank you God for Prince, but I don't care to listen to '1999') or that which is only selected for play only because large segments of the population were spoonfed it via the radio and now everybody--like it or not--knows the lyrics or at least the hook, rendering it 'popular.' (I hope you don't need examples to get my drift on that.) I'd firmly like to draw the line as far as performance/production is concerned by wanting to see at the very least respectable live DJ mixing and preferably a venue that has both live DJ sets and live bands/recording artists.

A multi-cultural crowd would also be wonderful, but by that I don't mean one that is heavily gaijin, just a little bit here and there. There are some places where a gaijin is totally out of place, doesn't understand the game. I'm going to have two female friends with me that have never visited Japan before...I also appreciate good lighting and decor.

I'm looking closely at the following events...anybody gone to them before?
Some don't have English websites, and my Japanese is pathetic.

-Party at (Club) Unit in Daikanyama ...Lots of DJs, about half European and half Japanese. Emphasis on downtempo, nu-trip hop, ambient, some progressive trance, tech-step DnB, mixed bag.

-Yebisu Sound Party at the Garden Hall, Ebisu ...Purportedly good mixed genre bands ...a whole bunch of them, representing Jazz, Funk, Rock, Soul, Ambient, electronic influences, etc.

-Considering the Medeski, Martin & Wood gig at Differ Ariake (Odiaba, I think) ...I've seen them before and enjoyed it, but the show is crazy espensive and I can't tell how late the event lasts. Odiaba's pretty isolated after the trains are over.

-On that note, there's Ageha/Studio Coast in Shin-Kiba, not to far away. I can't seem to find any details about the event there. I'm sure it would be a spectacle. All I can figure out is that it involves 'Emma & Special Live.' Somebody I know tells me that they have a habit of bringing on some badass DJs without announcing ahead of time, and people just go on faith and aren't disappointed. Anybody done this?

-Air in Daikanyama is a pretty decent club I've just recently gotten to know. They've got a bunch of Japanese old-school techno DJs in the lineup. Pretty inexpensive...

-La Fabrique in Shibuya usually sounds pretty good to me, but the DJ lineup is questionable. I don't even know specifically what these cats are spinning. It's as if they design the websites to obscure the fact that they didn't score any decent DJs. 'All-genre...' What the f@ck is that supposed to mean?

-ShibuyaNuts is having some low-key thing, reggae and hip-hop. I like the place....the main reason I'm asking for help here is because I'm so not in-the-know about many places. I've only been here for about four months.

My mentioning of these is probably very indicative of my ignorance of what's really worth going out to do in Tokyo, but that's the position I'm in. I'd just like to be a good host and have a good time myself.

I'm probably giving the impression that I only care about electronic music, but that couldn't be any farther from the truth. It's only that I can find information about these events and performers, and very little else that is available in English or that has been reviewed by sources that I am acquainted/comfortable with. I'm sure that Japan has much to offer in just about any genre of music imaginable. I just don't make it to the city enough to see that much of it. Those artists that I have been impressed with--and cover a wide variety of styles--are mostly out of town or taking it easy for NYE.

Any advice, recommendations or otherwise? Thanks.

[mrjohndub]

Sorry, I realize this post may have been very narrowly conceived, but does anybody have a comment or suggestion about fun things to do for New Year's Eve in general? I'd really appreciate some tips on what people usually do for fun...what's worth avoiding or that which is over-hyped...ways to make the night adventurous and worthwhile...things like that.

Thanks!