047: DJ MONCHAN
Toshihiro Moriguchi is better known as DJ Monchan. From countryside to concrete jungle, his life story is one of passion and bridging cultures. Toshi’s journey started in the serene hills of Takamatsu, Japan, before he forged his path in the heart of New York City's pulsating music scene only to return back home in recent years.
Born in the mountainous region of Kagawa, Japan, Monchan grew up surrounded by music. As he got older and discovered genres beyond punk and hip hop, he found his heart resonated with the eclectic dance sounds of New York City. Inspired by legendary DJs like Masters At Work that he’d only heard on records and mixtapes, he left behind the tranquility of Takamatsu to chase records and dreams in the Big Apple.
Arriving in NYC with little English, Monchan threw himself into the underground scene and never looked back. He embraced a studio engineering program, eager to fuse his passion for music with his new life and learn the trade of production. Through clubbing and connecting in NYC’s complex world of underground dance, he learned English and developed the language of his creativity.
Monchan's journey took him through iconic NYC venues, working alongside legends, regularly experiencing the magic of David Mancuso's Loft party. By the late 90’s Monchan had became a fixture of the city's disco music scene. He honed his skills at parties by studying those around him, paying close attention to the sounds of records emanating through the speakers. After working at a vinyl plant, and then at Vinyl Mania’s record warehouse, he would start his website Dailysessions.com. Dailysession was designed as a platform for DJs to shine; it remains a space where music, art, and community converge, showcasing both established and emerging talent. For years, Toshi posted mixes daily and carefully tagged the sets for consumption. You can still visit the site and peep hundreds of archived mixes ranging from 90’s house to Hip Hop.
After his stint at Vinyl Mania, Monchan became an employee of the legendary A1 records, eventually working himself up to the coveted position of “buyer.” He would remain at A1 for over a decade. Needless to say, it was a transformative experience for Toshi. During that time, he expanded his musical knowledge, his network of musicians and DJ’s, and took his plunge into the world of production and DJ’ing, becoming DJ Monchan in the process. By 2006, Monchan started the “Cedar Room” parties in his Brooklyn apartment. Over a 15 year period the party evolved, and by the late 2000’s it gained traction, bringing legends and dreamers together to lose themselves in rhythm. Many luminaries attended the party and yet it managed to remain tastefully quiet and low key, maintaining an underground ethos. Cedar Room took in all walks of life until the day it closed its doors. In 2020, our pal Dennis Kane recorded the last set in Cedar Room for the “Herb Essentials” platform, a fantastic send-off mix for Monchan to head back home to Japan.
As a producer, Monchan’s edits are respected by many. He has a talent for digging for lesser known gems and revising the music just enough to make it palatable for the modern dance floor; his edits retain the identify of the source material while continuing to sound authentic and raw (avoiding the nasty “hyperloop”). Most recently he’s released an EP, “What Is Your Love Worth” on Al Kent’s GAMM records, a four tracker that bangs in all the right ways. With releases on his Dailysession label and collaborations with respected imprints, his music speaks across borders.
After a long time run in NYC that expanded his consciousness, Monchan returned to his hometown in Japan in 2020 with his wife Yuki with a new appreciation for the environment from which he cam. In Takamatsu, Monchan continues to produce and DJ and extend his musical wings with Yuki, who is also a music lover and talented DJ herself. From Takamatsu's tranquility to NYC's vibrant energy, DJ Monchan's journey is a testament to the universal language of music and the power of pursuing one’s dreams. As his journey continues, Monchan’s story reminds us that no matter where we start, our passions can build bridges that resonate worldwide.
RA / IG/ Soundcloud / Dailysession.com
BL Interview with Monchan
Toshi! So grateful you hit us up with a mix. I hope all is well back home. As usual, I’d like us to start from the beginning. How did you get into music? Bring us back to where you grew up. What were you listening to as a kid and how did you get inspired to do music?
Probably my first influence was my brother, he was playing records in the next room. My first cassette tape was Duran Duran’s first album. I biked for hours to the shop to shoplift it.
I was into punk rock when I was in high school and I used to play guitar in a local band. My home town, Takamatsu, Kagawa, had a cool music scene in the 80s, there were break dancers dancing on cardboard on the street along with punk kids and skaters, all passionate about different music. After graduating high school, I moved to Osaka, where I fell in love with house music and disco.
What year did you move to the States? What drew you to NYC? What were those first years like in the Big Apple?
I was a big fan of New York house music like Def Mix, Masters at Work, Francois K, and so on. I really wanted to see what was happening in NYC. I arrived in New York in the early ’90s. It was pre-Giuliani so I could see a glimpse of real New York.
I lived in the East Village when I moved there. I remember the first night I moved, I was surrounded by maybe 10 drug pushers and they were saying “Happa, Happa” which means weed in Japanese. I had no problem with them, that was one of the reasons I moved there.
One of your formative experiences as a musician was working at record plants and obviously Vinyl Mania and as a buyer for the legendary A1 Records. What did you gain from those experiences?
I worked for a few months at the EKS pressing plant, I wanted to see the process of vinyl making.
I worked at Vinyl Mania’s warehouse, not the shop. I used to go to the Vinyl Mania warehouse to record the mixes for my website “dailysession.com" every week. Every Tuesday night there, I would hang out with Charlie and other DJs. Charlie was selling records so I started helping him. Working with Charlie meant a lot to me. He is a guy who has witnessed the whole NYC dance music scene over the years. Respect to Charlie!
I loved working at A1, it was the one and the only place that did not change from the 90s. I learned so much music from everyone there and the customers. I still see myself working at A1 in my dreams sometimes.
There are two things I miss a lot in NYC, A1 Records and throwing the Cedar Room parties.
A1 is a renowned record shop. You’ve probably got some crazy stories. Do you have any stories you could share -about a record or otherwise?
I wish I could talk about all of them, there are many funny stories. I can’t talk about someone here so let’s talk about records. There are so many good memories at A1.
We always played records in the shop and we were DJing in the evenings and on weekends.
I could not play records at the shop for a few years, I was not confident enough to show my taste.
You couldn’t play whatever you wanted, you had to have reason to play the record in the shop, maybe a track you like has samples or breaks, or playing something for a certain customer to make them buy it (this is what I had learned from watching them for a few years).
It was so much fun to communicate with customers by playing at the A1 booth. I remember I would always collect and save records to play the next time Danny Krivit would come in.
I was very lucky that I could work with Jeremie, Mike, and Seth. Many of my favorite records are ones I discovered from what they played in the shop.
What’s your favorite record you’ve tracked down at A1?
It’s so difficult to pick only one. A track that just came up to my mind is Midnight Star’s “Midas Touch.” I started listening to these kinds of sounds after working at A1. Jeremie is the king of R&B Disco. I just played this record at the last Cedar House party!
What was Cedar Room all about in New York? Was it drawing on your clubbing experiences and your dancing at the Loft, or did it set its own vibe?
One of the reasons I started the Cedar Room party was to experience the difference between clubbing and The Loft. I wanted to do a home party with a serious sound system and good vibes. I wanted it to be a place where someone who usually does not go to a club can be comfortable.
Nicky Siano came to the party once with his dog! Then he mentioned Cedar Room as a good spot in an interview with Dennis Kane so I think I made an interesting spot in NYC.
How did New York change during your time there?
I lived there for a long time so it changed a lot in many aspects. I like 90’s NYC more than recent NYC.
Is Daily Session still active?
Yes, it is active. I used to record the sets from the record shop or venues in NYC every day but I might have to change the name to monthly session now!
How has your return to Japan been? Where are you living and what is your lifestyle like now that you have returned? How is it different than NYC?
I live in the mountains in Takamatsu, near where I grew up. There are hot springs nearby, and so much beautiful nature. It’s a totally different life from my time in New York. It’s a slow life here. You have many stresses living in NYC, I don’t have any of those now.
Also, my parents live in this city, so that is a very important reason to live here too.
Do you miss NYC? What do you hope for this new chapter?
Yes, I miss NYC a lot but I like this life in the mountains. I have more time for music production. I’ve just started “Yomogi music” with Thomas Xu and Cedar Sound Workshop with Bradford James is still active. So besides the edits I am doing, I am planning to make much more original music.
What can we expect from this mix?
It is a snippet of a Cedar House party which is usually about 8 hours.
You’ve had some releases as of late on labels like GAMM. Can you tell us about those? What is next for DJ Monchan as the producer and DJ?
The GAMM release is two edits I made using the MPC Renaissance for the first time. I bought an MPC Renaissance a year ago. I used to own Akai1000 and 2000 over 20 years ago and I had so much fun working with a sampler again.
Finally, shout outs?
A1 Crew, Bradford James, Butter, Cedar Room friends, Elbin and his friends, Fatik, ShawnDub, Stewart, Yuki, and all NYC friends!
