I'm a Makina MC from Japan and I'd love to tour the North East one day
A Japanese musician who makes songs in a genre synonymous with the North East has said how he wishes to tour the region one day.
MC Stone, who started his music journey with rapping over R&B beats, discovered Makina in 2009 and hasn’t looked back.
Despite starting in Spain, the genre is well loved across the North East. It initially became popular in Spain during the rise of acid house in the late 1980s before gaining a more prominent platform in the early 1990s.
In the 1990s it became a staple of rave culture in the North East thanks to its high tempo and working class voice. As we all know, it is still heard from car speakers across the region to this day as well as having a thriving underground scene.
The Tokyo local first found out about the genre through an iTunes playlist which cost him 980 Yen (£4.39 at today’s conversion rate), he explains: “ I had no idea where the music came from or who made the tracks, but I remember thinking, ‘this is awesome!’ and I just kept listening.
“At the time, I was getting a bit tired of the music I’d been listening to, so the fast BPM and driving energy of Makina hit me like lightning. That same spark also led me to UK Hardcore — it was a full-on rabbit hole from there!”
While the scene in Japan isn’t as big as it once was in the North East - there’s no equivalent to Sunderland’s former Blue Monkey, for example - the hardcore scene is fairly healthy according to the MC.
“I did some searching and found out there was a Happy Hardcore event in Shibuya called HAPPY JACK the very next day, so I knew I had to go!” he adds.
It wasn’t long before he was a key member of the scene, organising a perty series called Weekend Ravers in 2013 which involved welcoming some UK artists to the far east.
“As for RAVE MCs in Japan, there’s Numb’n’dub from Osaka, a Breakcore artist and a total legend” he adds. “People often say, ‘Numb’n’dub from Osaka, MC Stone from Tokyo.’ The two of us have been leading the way together. He’s played at BANGFACE, Balter Festival, Boomtown, UK ravers know and love him! We’ve done lots of collabs and shared stages many times. He’s a true comrade, and I hope people in the UK keep discovering his work too.
“Together, we’re part of Japan Crew, a collective of Japanese DJs, producers, and MCs who’ve hosted Takeover events in the UK to bring Japanese rave vibes to the dancefloor.”
Although he has travelled to the UK in the past, the MC has one key goal thanks to the North East’s scene.
Performances have come thanks to performances in London and Balter festival in Wales, where the North East connection was really made for the artist.
“Each time was a powerful experience, connecting with ravers who truly love the culture. One of my favorite moments was the session with Stretch MC, which even got picked up on TikTok!” he explains.
“Who would’ve imagined a Japanese MC like me doing a mic relay on stage with a Makina legend like him? It was surreal.
“The Northern Embassy crew made that possible, and I’m so grateful. Even though I only MC in Japanese — and that’s not going to change — I realized that music really does transcend language.
“I’m still in touch with the Newcastle crew. Honestly, one of my dreams is to perform at a party in the North East, hopefully very soon. You might just see me there before long!”
At the moment MC Stone’s focus remains on making music, but a trip back to the UK is clearly always on his mind: “I’ll keep posting new MC videos! It’s tough for me to travel abroad at the moment, but I want to keep sharing my music and energy with my friends around the world” he says.
“Right now I’m mostly active in Donk and Makina, but I’ve also MCed over Hardtek and DNB. I want to keep expanding. I’m working on an album through my own label, and I’ve got a bunch of singles lined up for release this year.
“Can’t say too much yet, but stay tuned to see which UK labels they’re coming out on!
“And of course, I really want to tour the North East as MC Stone. Promoters, hit me up!”