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BTAF

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Open Edition


 







Build the Ambience Friday (BTAF)
Open Edition
by Nigh Magazine ™
Nigh Issue 9 and Nigh State ™ Release Party

2025.5.23 Friday
18:00—23:00








































2025.5.19 update




Build
the Ambience
Friday

(BTAF)

― Open Edition ―

by Nigh Magazine



A Floor for Immersive Sound and Nigh State







Build the Ambience Friday (BTAF), an ongoing gathering quietly fostered by Nigh, will be held at TRUNK(LOUNGE) as a one-night-only Open Edition.

Following Nigh’s first-ever Pop-Up, which took place from May 9 to 19 at TOKYO CULTUART by BEAMS, this event marks the natural conclusion of that arc. It’s a special gathering conceived to celebrate the release of Nigh Issue 9 and the launch of Nigh State―a new project born from the inspiration cultivated through the evolving process of the magazine.

Over the past three years, BTAF has quietly unfolded on Friday evenings, somewhere in Tokyo. With a sound that remains experimental yet deeply grounding, and a floor that leaves room to breathe both physically and emotionally, it has created an atmosphere where one can gently let go. Many DJs have resonated with that experience, and countless moments that felt like small miracles have emerged. Those moments have been nurtured together with a gathering of true music lovers. Now, that same atmosphere will be brought to TRUNK(LOUNGE) and opened up for more people to share.

The lineup includes artists previously featured in Nigh, such as DJ Kensei (Issue 8) and Tomoo Gokita (Issue 9), along with BTAF’s resident DJ, Soft Sun. Also joining are Lily―known for selections that are both delicate and grounded―and Compuma, a longtime creative friend of Gokita’s, who weaves the floor with sharp yet fluid intuition.

The reception on the opening day of the Pop-Up was brief, but this time, the warm and welcoming space of TRUNK(LOUNGE) will be available for guests to unwind even before the party begins in the evening. If you have the time, we encourage you to stop by a little early.

Much like reading through the pages of Nigh, we look forward to sharing a slow-burning, gently psychedelic kind of time with you. The event is free to enter, so if the mood strikes, come and feel the air of Nigh.



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Build the Ambience Friday (BTAF) —Open Edition—
by Nigh Magazine ™

Supported by
Somewhere in Tokyo
Let LOOSE


















Video/Artwork: Kamikene
Timetable 
18:00  Soft Sun
19:00  Tomoo Gokita
20:00  Lily
21:00  DJ Kensei
22:00  Compuma
23:00  CLOSE


Build the Ambience Friday (BTAF) —Open Edition— DJs




Soft Sun

Having experienced countless parties from the floor, Soft Sun has been organizing and opening BTAF since its early days, embodying one of the forms of the dancefloor that BTAF seeks to create. Unbound by genre, he weaves sound with an ear attuned to the moment, guided by a sensory intuition rooted in memory and musical experience. His approach―like opening an inner world outward―builds emotional and cosmic moments, layer by layer. His sets, holding a subtle tension within a soft glow, send gentle ripples across the floor.
@dj_soft_sun








Tomoo Gokita

After working as a graphic designer and illustrator, Tomoo Gokita began his career in painting in the early 2000s. Known for his monochromatic gouache works, he has exhibited widely both in Japan and abroad, gaining international recognition in the field of contemporary art. Since 2020, he has shifted toward a more improvisational approach using color, drawing from personal memory and bodily sensation. His upcoming solo exhibition opens on May 30 at BLUM in Los Angeles. A devoted music lover with deep roots in subculture, he continues to produce his art-vinyl series Gokita Records. He has been DJing since the early stages of his career, and even now, his studio is outfitted with turntables and a carefully curated sound system, where rich, textured sounds play with delicate warmth.
Nigh Issue 9: Interview with Tomoo Gokita
@tomoogokita







Lily

Based in Tokyo, Lily is affiliated with the vintage record store ELLA RECORDS in Hatagaya. Her record collection spans a wide range―from dance music to soul, funk, jazz, and world music. Having played instruments such as piano, bass, and clarinet, her selections are grounded in a deeply embodied musical sensibility. Her sets, marked by both delicacy and quiet strength, are attuned to the emotional temperature of the room, weaving together sounds that give rise to a different sonic world each time. Her depth of expression has stood out at major events across Japan, including FESTIVAL de FRUE, drawing continued attention.
@lilyyyill








DJ Kensei

DJ Kensei began his career in the mid-1980s and was deeply involved in the early Japanese hip-hop scene throughout the late ’80s and ’90s. In 1995, he co-founded Indopepsychics, marking a turn toward sonically experimental and electronic explorations. Since then, led by intuition, through a series of travels and encounters, he has expanded his practice through collaborations under names such as Final Drop, NUDE JAZZ, OMA’N’SEI, and KOKENSHOW. A recording artist with exceptional sensitivity, he continues to explore new possibilities in sound―bringing together technical precision and subtle control to shape immersive, organic sonic spaces.
Nigh Issue 8: Interview with DJ Kensei
 @sarasvati_music_ashram







Compuma

Koichi Matsunaga, also known as Compuma, has been active across a wide range of venues both in Japan and abroad, following his work with A.D.S. (Asteroid Desert Songs) and Smurf Otoko Gumi. Alongside projects such as Akuma no Numa and SOMETHING ABOUT, he continues to explore imaginative, genre-defying sonic landscapes in uniquely personal spaces throughout Japan. In addition to performing at European festivals and contributing mixes to international radio stations, he also draws on his deep experience as a record and CD buyer―curating soundscapes for exhibitions, fashion contexts, and various environments where sound meets sensibility. His new album, horizons, was released in September 2024―his first in two years.
Linktree: @compuma
@compuma_km






Flyer








Overview

Build the Ambience Friday (BTAF) ― Open Edition
by Nigh Magazine
Date: 2025.5.23 Fri
Time: 18:00 - 23:00
Admission: Entrance Free
Place: TRUNK(HOTEL) CAT STREET 1F, TRUNK(LOUNGE)
Place: 東京都渋谷区神宮前 5－31
Place: 03-5766-3210
Place: catstreet.trunk-hotel.com
Place: @trunkhotel_catstreet


DJ Line-up & Time table:
18:00  Soft Sun
19:00  Tomoo Gokita
20:00  Lily
21:00  DJ Kensei
22:00  Compuma
23:00  CLOSE

Supported by: Somewhere in Tokyo and Let LOOSE
Supported by: @somewhere_in_tokyo
Supported by: @_letloose_








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