UK-born producer/DJ Duskus finally made his long-awaited debut in Japan. The stage was Shibuya’s CIRCUS TOKYO, with the event co-hosted by HEAVEN’S GATE × 73% × lifestream. From the very start, the venue was charged with an extraordinary intensity. Taking the decks as the guest DJ, Duskus delivered an emotional and dramatic set that instantly captivated the crowd, keeping the floor shaking amidst cheers and euphoria. Fellow DJs responded in kind, adding layers of energy, and the night evolved into a marathon of music that lasted until morning. Toward the end, the first-floor stage saw Duskus joined by Skin On Skin, Vantage, Aiohban, and MAR VISTA—who had flown in from Korea and opened the night for him—unleashing a fiery B2B session that took the energy even higher. Centered around Duskus’ first appearance in Japan, it was a night where domestic and international talents resonated together, leaving an unforgettable experience for all who were there.
The very next day, still in the afterglow of that feverish night, we sat down with Duskus himself. Representing EDM MAXX, TJO asked him directly: “What kind of energy did you feel from your Japanese fans?” “Where does the theme of healing in your music come from?”—an interview that captured his impressions of Japan and his deeper musical philosophy.
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Japanese Fans and Live Impressions
TJO : This is your first time performing in Japan — how has the response from Japanese fans been?
Duskus : It’s been crazy — honestly, one of the craziest shows I’ve ever played. I’ve never come to a country and felt so much energy right away. The crowd was amazing, the people were really humble and super nice.
TJO : What was the very first moment that made you fall in love with dance music?
Duskus : Before I started making electronic music, I grew up playing guitar — classical guitar, acoustic guitar. Around 15, I was looking for something else to do. I loved playing guitar, but then I saw a video on YouTube of someone making beats in FL Studio and thought, “Wow, you can make beats on a laptop.” I downloaded FL, then later saw Skrillex using Ableton on YouTube, and I thought, “I have to switch to Ableton.” Since then, I’ve just kept going — it’s been like 13 years now.
TJO : And I heard you really fell in love with dance music when you went to a Skrillex show in London?
Duskus : That’s true. I was about 16, so I couldn’t drink at that age. I think it was in Cornwall or Somerset — somewhere in England. There was this big dome, that’s all I really remember. But it was one of the first gigs I ever went to, and I saw Skrillex. No alcohol, nothing else, just the music. One of the best gigs I’ve ever been to. Really, really cool.
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The Concept of “Romantic Rave”
TJO : What inspired you to blend emotional and romantic elements into rave music?
Duskus : Back then, I used to run these little events in London called “Romantic Raves.” It was just me and my mates putting on gigs for emotional dance music, because at the time there wasn’t much of it going on in London. There was a lot of heavy stuff, but not much melodic, emotional music. So we pushed that ourselves, and it was really fun.
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Collaboration and Connection with Fred again..
TJO : How did you first meet Fred again..?
Duskus : When I signed to Method — Disclosure’s management team’s label — I was going camping. One of the label guys said, “You should bring a videographer,” and suggested Theo, who happened to be Fred’s videographer. He came camping with us, shot a bunch of content, and I think he showed it to Fred later. Fred then messaged me asking about the EP I was working on.
We kept in touch, worked on a few tunes. I had a track called “Cut” that we tried to turn into something, but it didn’t quite fit. Later I sent him a sketch of “Glow,” and that was it. We kept pushing it and it ended up becoming this massive tune.
TJO : Could you tell us about the story behind the creation of “Glow,” which was made together with several UK artists?
Duskus : When I first started “Glow,” I just had the chords and the overall feeling. I didn’t know what to do with the drums. I tried loads of versions by myself but couldn’t figure it out. I sent it to Fred on WhatsApp and he said, “Ah, sick, I’ll play around with it.” Then I think he sent it to Four tét, who did a drum sketch. Fred liked it, so we kept building on it.
Later, I was heading to a studio session with Fred in London, and he messaged me like, “Yo, is it cool if my mate Sonny comes through?” I was like, “Wait, that’s fucking Skrillex? That’s a joke!” And yeah, I walked in and it was Fred and Sonny in the studio. Good lads. We worked on the tune there, and it probably took a few months to finish.
Because it’s such a long track, we needed time away from it to keep perspective fresh. At first it was four minutes, but Sonny played around with it for ages, sent it back to Fred, and suddenly it was eight minutes. We all collectively agreed it sounded better at eight. Wow, that was it.
TJO : Really cool. I think that track is very dramatic.
Duskus : Yeah, dramatic — it’s a journey. After that tune, I really got into progressive stuff. I’d never played eight-minute songs in my sets before, but once we finished “Glow,” it just made sense.
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Nature, Healing, and Inspiration
TJO : You’ve mentioned that you draw a lot of inspiration from nature — how did that start for you?
Duskus : I grew up in the Scouts. My dad was in the Scouts, so I spent a lot of time camping and outdoors with my family. When I was 16 or 17, around the time I went to uni, I stopped doing it for a few years. Then my mate Kier bought woodland in Wales, and I started camping there with him. It felt nostalgic — like, “This is so sick, I used to do this growing up.” Now I go all the time. It gives me a break from working on music constantly. It’s kind of meditative — just sitting in the woods and chilling with my mates.
TJO : While working on music with a theme of healing, have you had any personal experiences of feeling healed yourself?
Duskus : I think so, yeah. Usually when I’m hanging out with my mates — we might have a fire, go on a hike, or do an ice dip in the river. I always come back feeling refreshed and ready to make music. It’s nice to step back from the chaos and sit with friends who don’t do music at all, just chatting rubbish. That’s healing in itself.
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Creative Process and Musical Evolution
TJO : Have the audience’s reactions at your shows ever influenced your direction or songwriting?
Duskus : I think so, yeah. But most of the time I try to make music for myself, to stay true to what I love. Of course, I want people at the shows to enjoy it too, but if I make music I love, usually others like it as well. Same with DJing: I just want to play what I think is cool, even if it’s a weird tune — hoping that other people might like it too.
TJO : What is the most important message you want to convey to your fans through your music?
Duskus : Recently, I’ve been enjoying music as a journey. Not every song has to be immediately club-ready or huge. There can be moments of silence. I think it’s about enjoying stuff in the present, without overthinking what others think. You can just make whatever you want — there are no rules. For me, music is like a meditative journey. I can’t fully explain it, but it’s something like that.
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DJ Philosophy and Live Experience
TJO : As a DJ, which do you value more — the first track or the last track of your set?
Duskus : It depends on the set. Sometimes I’ll start very chill, and that works because you can really build. But sometimes, like yesterday, the crowd was already mad, so I had to start with “Glow” to set the tone immediately. It’s hard to say — it really depends on the set.
TJO : What’s the most stressful or unexpected trouble you’ve faced during a DJ set?
Duskus : There have been shows with really old decks I’d never seen before, or something not quite working. But most of the time it’s fun, nothing crazy. The wildest was in Norway last year — someone knocked into a deck and spilled a drink on it, and it completely turned off. It wouldn’t come back on, so I had to play my whole set on just one deck. I basically reverb’d every tune. It was kind of a joke, but we made it work, so it was cool.
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Recent Inspirations and Influences
TJO : Which genre or DJ/producer are you most excited about right now?
Duskus : Honestly, mostly my mates. My close friend Waleed makes really cool stuff, and he inspires me a lot. There’s a guy called Villager who’s great, and my mate Pocket as well. Mainly just my mates, to be fair. I don’t listen to much electronic music when I’m chilling — most of the time it’s just DJing or making tunes with my friends.
Waleed
Villager
Pocket
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Future Plans and Message to Fans
TJO : Is there any musical direction or theme you’d like to explore next as Duskus?
Duskus : I’ve been doing a lot of DJing recently, but I want to get into live shows. I’m not sure what that’s going to be yet, but I’ve been working with synths and moving into that world, and I really enjoy it.
Because my music is quite chill, sometimes when I’m DJing in clubs I don’t play much of my own stuff — people want heavier tracks. But if I do a live set, I can play anything I want of mine, make it as progressive as I want. People would enjoy that more, and I know I would too. I’m still figuring out what it is, but yeah.
TJO : Please share a message for your Japanese fans.
Duskus : Stay healed, Japan. Last night was sick. I’m gonna come back ASAP. Hopefully with a live set soon. And maybe Healer Vol. 2 — we’ll see about that.
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On his first-ever Japanese stage, Duskus faced the crowd head-on, sharing a musical journey with them in real time. In our interview, he spoke not only about his musical roots and behind-the-scenes stories of his collaboration with Fred again.., but also about the inspiration he draws from nature and the healing he finds in spending time with friends. While he continues to shake clubs as a DJ, his eyes are already set on the next challenge: the pursuit of a “live set.”
“Stay healed, Japan,” he told us—words carrying both the warmth of his music and a promise for the future. With the frenzy of CIRCUS TOKYO as the starting point, we can only look forward to the next chapter Duskus will bring to his Japanese fans.
