This October, Tokyo’s Daikanyama will host the debut of a new urban festival, ‘DEFOAMAT’. Taking place across six venues, the festival carries a powerful message: “Exploring new societal possibilities through Asian cultural solidarity – alternative Asian life.” True to this vision, ‘DEFOAMAT’ aims to explore future possibilities through the lens of contemporary Asian culture.
The lineup features live performances and DJ sets from artists like Korea’s LEENALCHI, Thailand’s YONLAPA, and Japan’s Minyo Crusaders. Additionally, art collectives such as ruangrupa—who made history as the first Asians to serve as artistic directors of ‘documenta’, one of the largest contemporary art exhibitions in the world—alongside SIDE CORE, will also take part. But what does ‘DEFOAMAT’ truly mean by “Asian cultural solidarity”? Let’s dive deeper into the festival’s appeal, with insights from its organizing committee.
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Southeast and East Asia’s Indie Culture in the Global Spotlight
The landscape surrounding Asian contemporary and pop culture has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past decade. In 2018, BTS became the first Asian act to top the Billboard album chart. By 2023, BLACKPINK headlined Coachella, and TWICE successfully completed a major stadium tour across North and South America as well as Europe. It’s hardly necessary to emphasize that K-pop fandom has now expanded to a global scale.
At the same time, indie artists from various parts of Asia have been actively performing across the globe. Taiwan’s Sunset Rollercoaster and Elephant Gym, as well as Korea’s SE SO NEON, have been touring internationally, and it’s now common to see Asian indie artists featured in lineups at major festivals in Europe and North America. In the past, when artists from Asia entered Western markets, they were often confined to the “ethnic” category. However, with the globalization of culture, music from Asia and Africa is increasingly regarded simply as “music,” on equal footing with Western genres.
The global spotlight on Asian indie music is due not only to economic growth in Southeast and East Asia, which has increased leisure time, but also to the steady cross-border exchanges that have been taking place since the 2000s. Through these exchanges, underground networks have been formed. Long before “Asian culture” became a trend, individuals across Asia were connecting both online and offline, building a borderless “scene.” This was not driven by grand notions of “Asian unity,” but by simple, human-to-human communication. One of the key aspects of ‘DEFOAMAT’ is that it highlights these long-standing connections.
An urban art and music festival centered around the theme “Exploring new ways of living through Asian cultural solidarity – alternative Asian life.” Hosted at four key locations—Daikanyama T-SITE, Daikanyama Forestgate, UNIT/SALOON, and Haretara Sorani Mamemaite—the event will showcase live performances and art exhibitions featuring over 15 artists from various Asian countries. Additionally, it will include an outdoor market highlighting Asian culture and talk sessions dedicated to rethinking alternative societal models.
