Since buying an SP-404 MKII in 2024, I've been experimenting with a different way of performing.
Instead of a traditional Beat Live, I use a single SP-404 to DJ exclusively with music I've produced.
In Japan, there is a performance style commonly called a Beat Live.
A Beat Live often feels like a beatmaker showcase. The focus is on presenting the beats and music the artist has created.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, I still enjoy watching great Beat Lives.
But I gradually realized that what I wanted to do was slightly different. I wanted to bring more of a DJ's role into it—to move the room and contribute to the party.
As far as I know, the first person I saw DJing an entire set using only an SP-404 MKII was Mayumikiller from Lore Behind.
Watching her opened my eyes to what the SP-404 could do in a party setting.
Mayumi is a DJ. She plays music by different artists, builds a flow, and moves the room.
I am a beatmaker, so I take a different approach.
I only play music I have produced: Giant Panda songs, collaborations, remixes, instrumentals, and beats.
The goal isn't simply to present my music. It's to move the room and contribute to the party. Somewhere between a Beat Live and a DJ set, I found something that felt like my own.
At the 3rd Party Special Edition on July 12, Knxwledge was in the crowd.
After the event, Knxwledge came over, told me he enjoyed my set, and asked if everything I had done was on a single SP-404.
His question meant even more to me than the compliment itself.
That's when I realized that what I do doesn't quite fit into any existing category. It doesn't even have a name yet.
Maybe that's how something new begins.
The work comes first.
The language follows later.
Chikara
July 29, 2026
