NeoL

ーAfter listening to your productions and DJ mixes on various streaming and radio shows, I have been eagerly waiting for you to play in Japan. I’m so stoked to experience the stories you’ll tell with music in person.
So, is it going to be your first visit to Japan? Are there any places you’d like to visit or experience over here?

Marissa : Yes, it’s my first time in Japan! Words really can’t describe how excited I am to visit. Growing up, Japan’s very own Goth-Trad was (and still is) one of my favourite electronic artists. His sound influenced my taste so much. I’ve always wanted to go to one of his “Back To Chill” parties. Japanese cuisine is one of my go-to’s and all time favourites. I can’t wait to eat authentic Umami flavours, and expose myself to all sorts of new foods/drinks. I’m also really looking forward to going to the Pokémon HQ (I’m an Eevee collector), experiencing the general atmosphere of Tokyo’s bustling streets, and going to innovative shops like GR8.

ーWhich culture are you influenced by when you express your music?
And how does your background in astrology affect your music expression?

Marissa : As is evident in my sets and productions, I’m very influenced by deep and dark bass frequencies. This sonic pallet really ties together the sounds from specific cultures that I explore and enjoy curating into my sets. Whether it’s shatta from Martinqiue, corridos from Mexico, RKT from Argentina or dembow from DR, I’m always looking for new evolutions of exciting sounds from across the world that fit into the energy of the stories I tell.


I think being an astrologer and generally spiritual person ties me to music in a very deep way. Knowing the power of when a sound was first made and released, how vibrations influence our mindsets, and the ritual way that sound brings people together from across the world is something I’m hyper-conscious of. Having a spiritual and astrological practice for me means that it translates into everything I do, and helps me to move through the world with gratitude and intention.





ーTell us the concept of SUZIO night, which you curate in London.

Marissa ：SUZIO is the lovechild of London based vocalist Baby Cocada and I. I wanted to throw a party in London and create a community for people of Latin American heritage for a long time (especially at a time where the sound of LatAm is increasingly gaining popularity in the underground) but didn’t want to do it on my own no centre myself in it. SUZIO is and was never meant to just be about me; it’s about connectivity and sharing knowledge, platforming artists to express themselves authentically. It’s about making a space for people to feel sexy, sensual and in tune with one another while celebrating the immense range of sounds that people connected to LatAm have to offer. Almost 3 years since its inception, we’re really doing that and I’m so proud. From legendary artists like Kelman Duran to perreo-pop icons like Isabella Lovestory; SUZIO’s presence is growing so beautifully.

ー“3E is a conjuring for the club and sonic ritual that revolves around yearning, sex, and moments of the infinite which occur through a suspension of time.” – this is what you stated in the press text of your latest release ‘3Eternities Beneath You’.
Could you tell us a bit more about the story behind this EP. What brought you to make it?


Marissa : This EP feels like a mirror to my soul, so putting it out in the world has been beautifully terrifying. I wanted to make something genre-bending that spoke to the infinite.
Music allows us to suspend time, and so does sex. The way we conceive of time in the west is also such a farce; in indigenous Peruvian societies (and many others) time is circular and we are so much more connected to our ancestors via this format. We know this as “Aymara time”. It warps life into a totally new framework: an innovation and an homage. This record is really about me meditating on suspending time, the eternal, sex, and how we create this in the club. Through stretched and warped synths with grating edges, deep bass, and swirling percussion that pans through your ears I convey these feelings.

ーAs a DJ, who’s your favourite producer you often play, or influenced by?


Marissa ： I don’t think a single set of mine goes by without me playing at least one track from Natoxie. I really hope I get to see him play one day!


ーIs there any place in particular you have played before and left a big impression on you?
Where would you like to play, or travel to in the future?


Marissa : I often think about when I played in HALL in Tallin, Estonia. It’s a place I didn’t know much about, and honestly never expected to visit in my lifetime. The people were so lovely and excited for my set. That genuine curiosity for sounds that are so far removed from the norm of their own community really gave me respect and joy, and reminded me of the power that music has to connect us to one another. One place I’m really itching to travel back to and play is Mexico City.





Interviewer MAYUDEPTH（https://www.instagram.com/mayudepth/）
Translator　Tomoko Naoshima（https://www.instagram.com/moccorin/）

Manuka Honey
Collaborated with NeoL magazine
https://shibuya-o.com/east/schedule/manukahoney/
https://ra.co/events/1922603
2024.6.7（Fri）

OPEN/START 22:00

venue：MIDNIGHT EAST (Spotify O-EAST 3F ⇄ Azumaya )
2-14-8 Dogenzaka Shibuya-ku Tokyo

Entrance fee：
DOOR：¥3,000
ADV：¥2,000
U23：¥1,000

Ticket now on sale
ZAIKO: https://midnighteast.zaiko.io/e/manukahoney-20240607

※ Must be 20 or over with Photo ID to enter. Also, sandals are not accepted in any case. Thank you for your cooperation.


LINE UP：
=Spotify O-EAST 3F=
Manuka Honey　　https://www.instagram.com/mariimals
Mars89　　https://www.instagram.com/Mars89.unlimited/
MAYUDEPTH　　https://www.instagram.com/mayudepth/
TEI TEI　　https://www.instagram.com/teitei08056/


=AZUMAYA=
BASiRiNO　　https://www.instagram.com/basi.rino/
DIV⭐︎　　https://www.instagram.com/sexrifice/
Elena Midori　　https://www.instagram.com/elena_midori_/
MELEETIME　　https://www.instagram.com/meleetime/
Sonia Lagoon　https://www.instagram.com/sonialagoon/


=NeoL Lounge=
POP-UP:
DENSE (FASHION)　　https://www.instagram.com/dense_tokyo/
Yuna (NAIL)　　https://www.instagram.com/yuna.sucre/
Erika (2WEEKS TATTOO) 　　https://www.instagram.com/erika__tzui______/

Flyer design by Mars89


Manuka Honey will make her Japan debut atMIDNIGHT EAST on Friday, 7th June.
The London-based artist and a professional astrologer Manuka Honey released her first EP on Mexican label NAAFI in 2021, and since then she has been releasing cutting-edge music that harness the energy of Latin-American (where she has her roots) and Caribbean dance sounds such as reggaeton and cumbia. In 2023, she toured across Europe, the US and Asia, in addition to appearances at Boiler Room and Keep Hush. This year, she got featured on RA Podcast in January and released her latest single ‘3Eternities Beneath You’ on Club Romantico in March, making her an ever-increasing presence to keep an eye on. Manuka Honey is now one of the hottest names in the game and she will be playing at Spotify O-EAST 3F this time.
She will be joined by MAYUDEPTH, who contributed a new track for the LA label Acid Camp’s 10th anniversary compilation in April this year, and Mars89, who has just launched his own label Nocturnal Technology. Also TEI TEI from Beijing, the force behind the psytrance-and-techno-rave-inspired party Denki Bodhisattva, has been confirmed.
MELEETIME, the organiser of the queer party FETCH, curated the line-up for Azumaya, that includes another four up-and-coming acts: BASiRiNO, DIV☆, Elena Midori and Sonia Lagoon.
For this special night, we will collaborate with NeoL, an online magazine from Tokyo that publishes articles on fashion, art and culture, selected from a unique perspective. There will be “NeoL Lounge” where you can check out POP-UP store of DENSE, a popular select shop of vintage/archive clothing from all over the world, nail art by Yuna, and 2weeks tattoo booth by Erika.


Manuka Honey
Bringing chaos, sensuality and ecstatic motion to her productions and selections, Manuka Honey circles club music’s most compelling fringes. A DJ, producer, multi-disciplinary artist and professional astrologer, Marissa Malik was born and raised in the US before she relocated to London, and has animated by the complex alchemy of the dancefloor, and as likely to reference experimental sounds as she is cumbia or dembow.

Malik’s latest EP ‘3Eternities Beneath You’ is the most magical example of her mode so far, which is a moonlit introduction to Manuka Honey’s dreamworld, brimming with psychedelic, serrated synths, bouncy bass and rattling percussion. But her spirited, passionate performances have to be experienced in person. She spritzes kinetic sounds from the diaspora – like Venezuelan turreo and shatta from Martinique – with stormy, industrial pressure.
https://www.instagram.com/mariimals
https://manuka-honey.bandcamp.com
https://soundcloud.com/manuka_honey