Having first made her name spinning groove-focused house and disco, Tokyo-born, London-based DJ Manami has shifted frequencies in recent years towards low-end loaded, off-beat heavy bass music. Her unpredictable yet intricate style has seen her become a scene staple in the UK underground, gracing stages from as prestigious as Glastonbury Festival, fabric and Berlin Atonal, to sharing bills with the likes of Bicep, Ikonika and Daniel Avery.

In a scene that has historically been dominated by men, she’s part of a new wave of FLINTA* DJs, redefining what dubstep, breaks, jungle and related bass music genres look and sound like, along with the likes of Mia Koden, Beatrice M., Introspekt and others. She’s also a co-founder of East and More, an event series dedicated to connecting the UK’s ESEA diaspora, and a mentor at Saffron – an initiative aimed at increasing accessibility for women in electronic music.

Most importantly, though, her music is excellent, with her DJ sets that move effortlessly through break patterns and BPMs, as well as her hybrid live-DJ sets, becoming must see sets for fans across the world. We’re very excited, then, that Manami will be headlining the music for Huck’s Issue 82 launch party, which takes place on Wednesday, October 22 at The Photobook Café in London. We caught up with her ahead of the event to hear about what she has in store, the rising ESEA creative scene in the city, and the importance of connection.

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First of all, can you tell us a bit about your background, and how you first got into electronic music and DJing?

It all started in Bristol when I attended uni there. I joined the DJ society during freshers’ week, wanting to start a new hobby. I had it in mind already towards the end of school that I wanted to try it. I grew up playing piano and violin, so I wanted to explore a different side to music. I was the only woman/​gender minority in the society when I joined. I really had to push through the first year of sessions to begin feeling like I ​‘deserved to be there’ but I just wanted to learn so much. On the flip side there were lots of great house parties and student run parties and promoters across the clubs in Bristol at the time, and importantly more women were just starting to appear more on line ups at the bigger clubs which left me feeling super inspired. There was a real buzz for a good night out, and discovering new music and artists.

Your style has spanned everything from house to the darker sounds of bass – can you talk about that transformation?

It’s been a journey of turning further inwards, and a growth of confidence in myself. Thinking about what it is that really makes me feel, and having the confidence to say it out loud through the music. I feel like I’m still constantly trying to work it out and work through it but that’s the process I suppose, and I’m allowing myself to run with it more and see where the process takes me.

What’s inspiring you in music and performing at the moment?

Connection, between me, the music and the people that are connecting to it.

Can you talk about East and Most? When and how did you come up with the concept, and why did you think it was important?

East and Most is with my two best friends Helen and Jasmine. It spawned from conversation of our experiences being part of the ESEA diaspora. For me it was a pretty lonely experience being Japanese, and growing up in a very white area. It wasn’t until I got older, and mainly since moving to London, that I started developing the language of expressing certain thoughts and experiences. I also realise that a lot of other people with similar backgrounds were thinking and feeling the same things too. We were keen to connect with and support those people, aligned with each of our areas of interests in art, music and business thus East and Most was formed!

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There seems to be a bubbling ESEA creative scene in the UK at the moment, particularly led by Eastern Margins, but also many other artists and collectives doing things in their own ways. How different is the situation compared to when you were younger, and what does it mean to be a part of it?

I think it’s even shifted drastically even from just a few years ago. The stereotypes were so strong and prevalent when I was growing up in the UK, that I had a mental barrier in terms of perception both from others and myself, to really feel comfortable to begin connecting with it. To see it resonating so strongly in parallel with underground music culture with the emergence of these collectives like Eastern Margins, has been so amazing to see. It’s allowed for people like myself to celebrate their heritage and culture in a way that resonates personally.

How important is it to have spaces where ESEA folk can express themselves?

Over the years I’ve slowly started seeing more East Asian people in the club. It was really so few and far in between before. I’ve absolutely loved seeing more Asian people, particularly women come to the front at my shows, or those that come and say hello to me. And they’ve often said the same thing, they don’t see that many East Asian DJ’s, women or gender minorities, therefore how nice it is to come out and see me play. It translates into the idea of representation. The more diverse your line up the more diverse your crowd will be. So to have bespoke parties and events where the ESEA demographic feel comfortable in themselves in that environment I think is huge.

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What about some of the other initiatives that you participate in, like Saffron, can you talk about them and why they are important to you?

It’s the same ethos as what I mentioned above. I love being able to express myself through music, and to connect with others through it, and that joy and connection should be available to everyone for anyone that wants to engage with it. Things like gender and ethnicity, can feel like such a huge barrier in being able to access it, and I’ve always been so passionate about breaking down those barriers for other people. Saffron actually started when I also started DJ’ing. I remember going to one of their first open decks sessions. It was purely just a mix in their office with other women and gender minorities, but even that left me feeling supported, seen and part of a community. Just feeling those things gave me strength and encouragement to keep pushing myself and developing my confidence. It’s been amazing to continue facilitating that environment through Saffron’s Mix Nights course.

You’re headlining our launch party on Wednesday, what should people expect?

Nice midweek vibes with low end dosage to peruse the Huck issue with. Thank you for having me down for it!

***Manami plays at Huck 82: The Music Issue launch party at The Photobook Café, London, on Wednesday October 22. *Reserve your spot here, and don’t forget to grab a copy of Huck 82: The Music Issue here.

Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.

Buy your copy of Huck 82 here.

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