A really old woman has become an inspiration to many aspiring entertainers as she takes over nightclubs as DJ every night.
82-year-old Sumiko Iwamuro runs a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo,
where she spends her days making “gyoza” dumplings, but when the sun
sets, she turns into DJ Sumirock, an energetic party-starter dropping
beats in popular nightclubs around the Japanese capital.
Sumiko discovered her passion for techno music 12 years ago, while
choosing the music at her son’s birthday party, and apparently found it
fascinating enough to dedicate a whole year of her life to learning the
tricks of DJ-ing at a school for disc jockeys.
She then started making her own tracks, most of which consist of
techno beats mixed with jazz, French chanson and classical music. These
combination proved a hit with Japanese nightclub-goers and 82-year-old
DJ Sumirock is one of the most popular disc jockeys in Tokyo.
“When I spin the tables, I just want to match the beat, choose
the right music, but the best thing is for my audience to enjoy
themselves,” Iwamuro told Reuters. That they do!
Even though the vast majority of her audience is usually 60 years
her junior, Sumiko’s music transcends the wide generation gap, making
her very popular on Tokyo’s nightclub scene.
“Her events are, well, she’s got this energy that goes beyond
age, and that can equal any young person’s here,” 25-year-old clubber
Fuminari Fujii said. “She’s really cool!”
The elderly Japanese DJ says that spinning turntables in a
nightclub is similar to running a dumpling restaurant: “In both, results
can be seen immediately. If the customer eats what you have made, it
shows on his face if it is delicious; and if a DJ is good, everyone will
dance happily.”
Sumiko Iwamuro inherited the love for music from her father, who
was a jazz drummer. During World War II, she would listen to jazz
records, muffling the gramophone with a cushion so her neighbors
couldn’t hear that she was listening to music made by Allied enemies.
She still has a soft spot for jazz, often incorporation it in her DJ-ing
sets.
When she was 19 years old, she began helping out in the family
restaurant, so she couldn’t pursue a career in music, but she’s
definitely making up for lost time now.
DJ Sumirock is a monthly fixture at DecabarZ, a apopular nightclub
in the heart of Shinjuku district, but she hopes to one day break into
the New York club scene as well. For someone who only took up DJ-in in
her 70s and managed to become so popular, it doesn’t sound like an
impossible dream.
And if Sumiko Iwamuro’s inspiring story doesn’t convince you that
age is just a number and it’s never too late to follow your dreams,
check out this article on Berlin’s legendary Techno Grandpa, a
68-year-old nightclub reveler who has the energy and joie de vivre of a
guy in his 20s.
Watch the video below:
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