Creativeman Debuts 2

The first is Fuji Sonic, an electronic music and dance festival whose inaugural edition will take place Oct. 4 at the Shimizu Marine Park in Shizuoka Prefecture, west of Tokyo. The other is the Magrock Festival Oct. 3. It’s at the same venue but will feature mainly Japanese rock acts. As the name Fuji Sonic indicates, the Shimizu Marine Park is within view of Mount Fuji, which makes it competitive with rival promoter’s Smash long-running Asagiri Jam, a two-day festival that usually takes place the first weekend of October at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Also, the name of Creativeman’s event combines the word “Sonic,” which figures prominently in the company’s big summertime festival, Summer Sonic, with “Fuji,” the name of Smash’s primary event, the Fuji Rock Festival, which originally took place near the sacred volcano but had to move for logistical purposes after the inaugural gig in 1998. It should be an interesting autumn. Speaking of Summer Sonic, Japan’s largest label dealing with foreign artists, Hostess, has announced it will provide all the acts for a special stage at the summer festival.

The Hostess Club All-Nighter will be at the Makuhari Messe Convention Center during the wee hours of Aug. 15-16. Artists will be announced later.