Foto: FRF Press Staff.
The Fuji Rock Festival is back! With a terrific lineup this summer, FRF will run from July 28th to July 30th at Naeba Ski Resort. Furthermore, Bunka Wave will be the official media to attend and cover this important music festival, being the only representative for Latin America. We spoke with Johnnie Moylett, Press Liaison, who told us a little about the Latin artists present on the stage in the past and his wish to connect Latino fans to this musical party event. Lea aquí la versión en español.
Pedro Suarez.
Photos, visual logo designs & videos: Under authorization by FRF Press Staff & Smash Corporation for journalistic purposes.
The favorite popular season, regardless of which hemisphere you live in, is summer. Everyone loves this season (whether in the middle of or at the beginning of each year) when schools close, universities go on hiatus, and labor vacations roll out. In Japan, summer sets a pattern for celebrating several holidays, but one of them is set up in the calendar marking the last week of July in which, for three days, the forests and mountains of the small town of Yuzawa are transformed into a musical mega-party stage. Since 1997, the Fuji Rock Festival (FRF) has become the benchmark for the Japanese summer in which a diversity of musical genres put together the complex puzzle of the country’s musical movement parade on five large stages to use for a legionary international line-up. Thus, this event is one of the most emblematic shows in the Asia Pacific region along Bangkok Music City, Strawberry Festival (Beijing), V-Rox (Vladivostok), among others. A true musical showcase that is also a thermometer to measure the state of the local music scene and the audience’s response to Western artists.
Uchutaishi Star.
The beginnings of the FRF were, in a few words, crashed. The first edition was planned for two days (July 26th and July 27th, 1997) at the base of Mount Fuji. However, it was only run for one day only, due to the passage of a typhoon on the island, which affected the rest of the schedule, canceling the second day. Then, the organizers moved the stages and tents to the Tokyo Metropolitan Bay, in the Koto district, to do the second version (1998). Although the two days of the event were successful, the stifling heat and the high crowds impacted the urban area of the bay. This prompted Smash Corporation, the parent company of the FRF, to look for another suitable venue. For the third edition, a reengineering was done. Taking advantage of the massive attendance at the festival, FRF began to create an awareness of the environment and strengthen the connection with the spiritual natural roots, along with extending the duration of the music festival to three days. This is how, after exploring several favorable places, the forested area Naeba Ski Resort placed in Yuzawa, Niigata Prefecture, became the current headquarters of the FRF from 1999 to the present.
In its 25 years of existence, the Fuji Rock Festival has hosted relevant Japanese artists such as Metafive, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, MAN WITH A MISSION, Ken Yokoyama aka. Cornelius, Maximum the Hormone, Yellow Magic Orchestra, The Novembers, Babymetal, ONE OK ROCK, Boom Boom Satellites, and the list would go on. For the international artists who have had the privilege of being invited to play at Fuji Rock, they have most certainly lived that pleasant experience of assessing whether their music has captivated this millennial nation, such as Björk, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fatboy Slim, Elvis Costello, Sigur Rós, Sonic Youth, among others.
For this 2023 edition, the FRF has already shaped the current line-up headed by two incumbent performers, The Strokes and Foo Fighters (their first live performance on an international arena after the loss of Taylor Hawkins), plus the debut of Lizzo; also, the days were defined, from July 28th to July 30th distributed in 5 thematic stages; and finally the Japanese legion by bands like TESTSET, GEZAN, ElleGarden, the legend Eikichi Yazawa, among others. And for this, Bunka Wave will go to attend this edition representing as the only Latin American media outlet to do an epic coverage in which we hope to hook you with the joy and euphoria that the festival arouses. Therefore, we interviewed Johnnie Moylett, the brain behind the content management and the press relationships, in which he also extends his invitation to connect Latin America with the festival.
Bunka Wave. Thank you very much to attend us in this interview for Colombia and Latin America. My first question is in a few words, how do you describe the Fuji Rock Festival?
Johnnie Moylett. Welcome! The first Fuji Rock Festival was in 1997 and the location was right at the foot of Mount Fuji. It was the first rock festival to be held in Japan that promoted international artists. It was a 2-day festival, but we soon learned we need to move and find a larger site. After 2 years we found the new site at Naeba Ski Resort, situated in Niigata prefecture in Japan’s Alpine ski resort.
B. W. In your personal opinion, which has been the most remembered FRF version in these 25 years? Why?
J. M. I have many memories featured around fantastic performances over the years, having fun with friends, and making new relationships. But the festival being an outdoor mainly camping festival, we can only organize it to the best of our ability. But then we have no control over the weather. In the Japanese Alps, the weather is very changeable. The different changes complement each, mountain rain cools the hot summer sun. The festival has 5 major stages and another 4 or 5 smaller stages. The festival has a free opening day on Thursday, with a bon dance, fireworks, and a selection of artists who will perform short taster sets.
Uchutaishi Star.
Bunka Wave 