Japanese music producer and DJ Betcon, says experimenting and incorporating opposite sounding genres is what allows music to evolve.
Betcon is excited for Covid-19 to clear across the world so he can resume DJing clubs and music festivals across Tokyo, and is keen on watching the Formula 1 races.
Talk to me about who you are as a person and as Betcon.
Betcon is a DJ / Producer based in Japan. I started my career as a DJ when I was 16-years-old, and played WOMB and ELE in Tokyo. However, I was inspired by Martin Garrix to start producing my own music. I’ve released several tracks in the past, but I’ve recently started to take my career in music much more seriously.
Being a Japanese music producer, you must get exposed to a great deal of music which is significantly different culturally – can you tell me a bit about what the music scene is like in Japan?
I think everyone has an element of being influenced by other cultures. Platforms like YouTube and Spotify have so many different styles of music – it lets us all touch cultures that we’re not directly associated with. I’m not all that interested with the features of Japanese music culture, but the future of music is exciting for me.
J-Pop and K-Pop are becoming increasingly popular in Western countries. Are these genres that you have experience in? What can you tell us about J-Pop?
In my opinion, they were just styles that were made only for the Japanese music industry. But now these styles are appealing more to European and American countries, but I hope it progresses further.
We’ve seen Betcon come out with a large number of genres which often overlap each other – your upcoming release on Purple Dinosaur is no different, how do you feel about genres – do you think they restrict you or guide you as an artist?
Everything I’ve released in the past has an element of dance music, but it’s changing day by day. I feel my music is starting to cross over to other genres and styles and I believe not restricting yourself is what will shape the future of music.
Talk to me about some artists that inspire you and motivate you to keep making music – especially in a world where Covid-19 is restricting so many musical events.
Dyro, Lenno, RetroVision, Mo Falk – the list goes on. They’re legends and keep my heart excited. They’re not all in the same genre category but their music keeps people happy despite the Covid-19 situation. Their work is excellent and I hope they continue to make positive waves around the world.
Once Covid-19 is over and we’re living in a safer world, what’s at the top of your bucket list of things you want to do?
I’d really like to go and watch the Formula 1 Grand Prix. Aside from that, my passion is still music so I want to continue making beautiful music for myself and others.
