Living the highlife with Satoshi Tomiie

Oh to be a touring DJ. All those meals in nice restaurants and your very own drinks rider... and someone else pays for it. It is little wonder so many of them are experts on the topic; so ahead of his gig for 303 at the excellent Williamson Tunnels on Saturday September 6th, Satoshi Tomiie talks to Mike Boorman about some of the finer things in life.

You won't know this, but you are the reason why I drink straight vodka. A friend of mine who once went on tour with you saw me with a bottle of Grey Goose, asking for a mixer, and he said "no no no - you should have it straight with a bit of ice and a bit of lime… that's how Satoshi Tomiie drinks it anyway." That was enough for me!

So firstly, is it true you like your Grey Goose without a mixer? And secondly, what other vodkas do you like, and how do you think they are best served?

Yes, it’s true. I drink Grey Goose on the rocks, with fresh lime when it’s available. For some reason the combination makes the drink “sweet’... it never happens with the other vodka nor with lemon. Because of this I don’t mix with sweet juice etc. And because if you taste the alcohol you will drink slower. I like other vodkas, but Grey Goose is definitely my favorite.

I bet you're a bit sick of talking about Japanese matters to journalists, but I can't have a conversation like this with you without asking about sake. For people who might not be familiar with it, tell us what Sake is made from, what it means as part of Japanese culture, and what it does to you when you drink it.

Actually, not sick of talking about Japanese matters because nobody really asks about it!! Sake is made out of rice. Period. Well normally 100% rice but in some instances, it is cut with alcohol. It used to be for quality control and affordability purposes but these years some of high-end sake is also mixed with alcohol to enhance the flavour profile.

For the Japanese, it represents a big part of Japanese food culture and obviously it is the perfect drink to pair with traditional dishes. And personally for fish, it’s the best drink to pair with it. The flavours compliment one another.

Sake originated in Japan so it is naturally a large and proud part of our culture, it is very much like wineries around the world. There are both mainstream sakes and microbrewery ones. There are so many different producers that it is hard to try them all!

And while we're at it, tell me about illegal fugu (pufferfish) liver. I've got this idea in my mind that a group of guys will go on a night out in Tokyo, get a bit drunk, and then dare each other to take a chance and eat it in a backdoor restaurant. Have you ever tried it yourself?

If I would have tried it, I wouldn’t be here today! Apparently if you eat a little bit it can kill you. You need to have a special national license to even become a fugu chef because of how dangerous the fish is.

I heard a story about these epicureans who had tried all of the luxury foods from around world who ended up trying the fugu liver as a delicacy. I have no interest in experimenting with it... don’t even try!

Almost all DJs are well in to their food as well - I take it you are a bit of a foodie? All that traveling around the world, eating in nice restaurants. What would be your ideal meal before a DJ set?

Definitely something fast and easy to digest. Before a gig, my mind is not on enjoying food, it is on how I am going to put on the best possible show that I can. I save the opportunity to have a nice meal for after the show.

What country has the best food in your opinion?

I can only speak on the places I’ve visited. This is a tricky question; there are so many delicious options around the world that it is hard to decide. Definitely Japan, Spain, Italy, Peru, Morocco, France, Lebanon, Thailand, and China all have such rich cultures based around food that are so unique in their own way. I can’t decide!

What are your specialties when you cook at home?

I am usually just cooking for myself between studio sessions. I prefer to cook something quick in 15 minutes or less. I often make grilled fish in the traditional Japanese style, some stir fry etc..

There must have been a few occasions where you're playing a longer set and you just need something to eat during it. I can remember a promoter friend of mine passing a plate of fish & chips into the DJ booth for one of his acts once… have you had any unusual meals in DJ booths before?

I do this often in Tokyo actually. Normally I play 10-12 hour sets so dinner, midnight snack and breakfast all happen in the DJ booth. I’ve had anything from steaks to rice bowls to finger foods while in the booth. I could even get full service in the DJ booth from the restaurant upstairs at AIR Tokyo (see his last set from AIR below... hope he didn't go hungry).

How often do promoters actually take you out for dinner before a set? And are some countries better than others for looking after their DJs with food and drink?

It depends. Most of the gigs they takes good care of me, thanks to all the promoters around world who feed me good stuff.

How does the UK stack up when it comes to restaurants/food in general?

I haven’t been to the UK in quite some time, but I’m looking forward to seeing what you guys have to offer!

What about the alcohol situation in the UK… have you ever had any traditional English ales?

The UK is actually the first place I ever tried warm (room temperature) ales. There is a rich history and culture in properly brewed beers in the UK.

Are there any clubs/nights around the world where your agent tells you you've got a booking there, and you immediately think, "Yes! I get to go eat at such and such restaurant again"?

Yes, definitely. There are so many different countries I like to play in because both of the crowd and the great food. For example, I am always excited to return to Argentina because they have so many high quality BBQ restaurants.

And where there's food, there has to be wine. Tell us about your favourite wines from around the world.

Oh boy… where do I start? My favorites are from France, Italy, Spain and South America. Japan has recently (like 100 years or so) started producing wine, and nowadays there are some high quality reds and whites using local grapes and blending with French originated grapes.

It’s really increasing the quality of the wine and wine drinking culture is bigger now, but the culture is not as big in Japan as the rest of the world.

What's the most expensive bottle of wine you've ever bought?

The most expensive bottle I’ve ever tried ended up being the one I didn’t pay for!

Seen as you're DJing in Liverpool soon, I'll give you a piece of trivia. The people of Liverpool are called 'scousers' because of a type of Norwegian stew that local sailers used to eat called 'scouse', usually with lamb or beef and vegetables. If someone served this to you, do you think you would enjoy it?

That sounds great and I would love to try it. I love trying local foods and I will always try something once. Except for fugu liver…

Satoshie Tomiie plays 303 on Saturday 6th September, you can tickets below or at this link.

Tickets are no longer available for this event