11 Years Young: Profiling Yen's Journey Ahead of its Anniversary at Migas, Sep 18
On Friday, leading Beijing party purveyor Yen will celebrate its 11th anniversary by doing what it does best – luring us onto an impeccably decorated dance floor with dazzling lights and hypnotic beats.
The event also marks a major new milestone for Yen: it will be the the DJ and dance party planning company's first an outdoor celebration, courtesy of Migas' rooftop terrace.
"This will be the first time we have such a party outdoors," says Yen Founder and Management Director Kiko Su, before adding: "We have planned DJ sets on the Great Wall and other festivals in the past, but we've never had an outdoor party like this, so it will be really fun."
Watermelon, one of the local DJ's manning the turntables at the anniversary party, says: "I am really honored to have opportunity to stand on Yen's party. This is not my first time. but each time is very exciting and significant. Adhering to this kind of thing for 11 years is not an easy thing to do in China. Yen always attracts the best DJs in China, and lots of great party animals."
Mickey Zhang, another beloved Beijing DJ who will also be blasting tunes at tomorrow's event, says he is excited to soundtrack the party, assist in its planning as a co-organizer, and in general help pay tribute to all that Yen has offered to Beijing's club scene. He says jokingly: "For me, Yen is my 11-year-old boy. Tomorrow is his big birthday party, and he's nearly finished primary school."
If that's the case, then Beijing's club scene was in its infancy when Su first founded Yen. He began that work long before founding the company in 2004. In fact, Su first immersed himself in Beijing's nightlife 25 years ago, when he left his native Tokyo and came to China with the hopes of starting his own business. In the ensuing years he saw a major dearth in our city's DJ scene, compared to that of his hometown, and before long he found himself working to help get a better party started.
"At the time DJ equipment was really expensive in Beijing, and there was very little vinyl. And if because there was no vinyl, it was pretty hard to DJ," he says with a euphemistic chuckle, before adding that he would return to Tokyo and bring LP's, turntables, and other nightlife necessities back with him.
Before long that hobby was eating up most of his time, and Su realized that it could become a huge business opportunity. In the ensuing years Yen helped set up parties with chic decor, elaborate light shows, top notch sound equipment and more at a variety of venues across town. Yen's Halloween party, New Year's countdown, and various fetish bashes all became annual staples for Beijing's trendiest night owls. Zhang says that early work was not only beloved by the party goers, but also the talent, explaining: "Su's concept was this: build a platform for china's local Djs."
Watermelon agrees, adding: "Su always insisted on doing a high level party. He would focus on every detail – the stage, the lighting, the space, the DJs and VJs, and the music. I think this attitude gave Beijing big local parties and established a new benchmark. It made Beijing nightlife more international and more interesting."
Su now marvels at how the scene has grown since then. "When I first started, there were only a few good bars in Beijing that could handle these kinds of parties. Other than that, the only place to do it was somewhere less fun, like at a five star hotel," he says, adding that there has been a serious spike in the number and quality of dance destinations since then. Su adds that he's even more appreciate of the people who now attend those events to bust a move, explaining: "Now there are so many people who have lived or visited abroad, who know about fun nightlife and good DJing. It wasn't like that at first."
