Velfarre
For clarity, Velfarre will be used rather than the correct title, velfarre.
Velfarre was a disco located in the Roppongi district of Tokyo, Japan. Velfarre was the self-professed "largest disco in Asia" with a capacity of 1,500 people; owned by Komuro Tetsuya and Avex Trax. Velfarre was, and still is, known for Trance, Eurobeat, Techno, Para Para, and Disco related events. Velfarre held concerts for Avex Trax artists, and was able to be rented for private events.
Timetable
1994 - December 1994 featured the Grand Opening of Velfarre with performances by opening acts: Bananarama and trf. Featuring a live performance by Donna Summer and Sheryl Lynn. Countdown event brings in 5,000 people.
1995 - Featuring Live performances by Big Mountain and Real McCoy. Velfarre has first OLDIE'S NIGHT which brings in 1,500 people. This year brought Earth, Wind and Fire to Velfarre. The first Velfarre album release "Disco Week in Velfarre" included on 2-CD set "avex dance matrix `95 Live". Even hosts Versace Jeans Couture Fashion Revolution. Also features SEF (Super Euro Flash) that same year.
1996 - Featuring "avex dance net `96 in VELFARRE" featuring performance by Nikki Frenche and Los Del Rio. Also featuring NUYORICAN SOUL and MASTERS AT WORK. Also, Komuro Tetsuya brought together his TK family (TRF, Amuro Namie, hitomi, globe and many more) for his Countdown Live special.
1997 - Featuring avex dance carnival ~SUMMER `97~ in VELFARRE. Album release featuring mixing of International artists and J-POP artists in a 3-CD album set. Performance by Elisha La'Verne, Mad Lion, KOOL & THE GANGE featuring JT Taylor Japan Tour `97 and more. Release of "Velfarre J-POP NIGHT DANCE WITH YOU" compilation.
1998 - This year featured the Velfarre Renewal Opening. Brining back Earth, Wind and Fire's vocalist, Philip Baily Life and Love Japan Tour 98. Also, live performances by Ricky Martin and J-WAVE NIGHT special guest MISIA which brought in 2,000 people. Also that same year was the "10th anniversary of avex which they featured a non-stop 150th presented by avex 10th Anniversary in Velfarre" event. Also, an Oricon - The Ichiban Night event featuring TRF and PLANET LOVE event.
1999 - Featuring a Valentine's Special Live by DA PUMP. Kome Kome Club's Tatsuya Ishii has a Golden Disco performance for Oricon Night. J-WAVE Night vol. 5 featuring Towa Tei and near the end of the year a J.B's Japan Tour 1999, "HALLOWEEN 1999" event which brought 4,000 people and a MILLENIUM COUNT DOWN 1999/2000.
2000 - Featuring "After hours 2000 in the beginning" event. DJ TEST for PLANET LOVE. Go Hiromi performs live. EMMA HOUSE 2000 and avex COUNT DOWN event featuring Every Little Thing, hitomi, Do As Infinity and more.
2001 - Featuring PLANET LOVE ~Slinky Japan Tour~ featuring resident DJ's Tim Lyall and Grary White. Also, HYPER TECHNO MISSION presents JULIANA's 21. Also the beginning of Cyber TRANCE with a Cyber TRANCE 20 HOURS event in May 2001, an Oricon Night featuring Gospellers Live, avex rave 2001, Cyber TRANCE presents ayu-trance" release party for Hamasaki Ayumi, J-POP 2001 Final Live featuring EXILE and Koda Kumi and Cyber TRANCE COUNT DOWN to 2002 which brought in 6,000 people.
2002 - Featuring SEF MACH!!! Also the beginning of the Velfarre Cyber TRANCE TOUR. ViVi Night featuring EXILE and Koda Kumi. a-trance 2002 spring in MESSE and Cyber TRANCE 1st Anniversary which brings in 5,000 people. GTF meets Cyber TRANCE 2002 Summer and Velfarre celebrates 8th Anniversary and Countdown Event.
2003 - Featuring system F "TOGETHER" Japan Tour", J-WAVE Night featuring Sowelu LIVE, Codigo:Tango at Velfarre and club celebrates its 9th anniversary.
2004 - Featuring After Hours - PLANET LOVE. Also, the renovation opening of Velfarre feat. BODY & SOUL Live in Tokyo 2004. Also, Mickey Fickey Mix Japan Tour Pt. 8 with special guests XZIBIT and KRONDON and [GIGA] YOJI BIOMAHANIKA, LAB-4. Featuring LOUD Autumn House, PLANET LOVE with Johnny Vicious and "HALLOWEEN WEEK 2004. Velfarre celebrates its 10th Anniversary.
2005 - Featuring DJ DRAGON and DESTINY'S CHILD Official After party. SEF GOLD, Velfarre celebrates 11th Anniversary, ViVi Night features O-ZONE, DJ KAORI and more. Cyber TRANCE Count Down to 2006 brings in 5,000 people.
2006 - Featuring MINISTRY of SOUND in TOKYO, DJ OZMA release party, SEF GOLD, JUNIOR VASQUEZ in Tokyo 10 hours set, 2006 FIFA World Cup Public Viewing, Special PIA SUPER LIVE GROOVE #18 feat. Live Dept.4 #10, ViVi night 13 - Summer Carnival 2006 - featuring Rinka and MINMI and the announcement that Velfarre will be closing its doors. Final release with "Velfarre Complete Best 1994-2006" and "Velfarre Cyber TRANCE COMPLETE COLLECTION" on November 29th, 2006. Final performance nights leading up to COUNT DOWN event which would be the final for the club. Doors to close at noon on January 1, 2007
Influence
Velfarre played a significant role in the Para Para scene. In 1998, Velfarre hosted its first Para Para event called SEF HYPER; SEF being the acronym for the song Super Euro Flash. The weekly Para Para event at Velfarre underwent two name changes over the years, first changing to: SEF MACH! (from the 3rd Para Para boom); and ending with SEF GOLD.
Hi-NRG Attack Studios produced several Eurobeat songs dedicated to Velfarre, including:
- Velfarre 2000 by Bazooka Girl;
- Super Euro Flash by Franz V.I.P. Tornado & Bazooka T.C.V. Girl;
- Everybody Velfarre by Bazooka Girl;
- The Class Of Velfarre by Bazooka Girl; and
- Velfarre 2006 by Garcon.
TCV stands for The Class of Velfarre; the nickname of Velfarre's VIP Floor.
Velfarre hosted many world-class Trance DJs, such as Johan Gielen and Ferry Corsten. Johan Gielen is said to be the 'beginning' and 'end' of Cyber Trance at Velfarre, as he is credited with introducing the genre during his stay as a resident DJ from 1995 to 1997. Gielen ended Cyber Trance at Velfarre; playing the last track early in the morning of December 31, 2006 during the Cyber Trance FINAL event.[1]
Albums
Avex released it's first Velfarre-inspired album titled "Disco Week in Velfarre" in 1995 which was bundled with an Avex J-POP concert album titled "TK DANCE CAMP" to make up a 2-CD set titled "AVEX DANCE MATRIX `95 LIVE". "Disco Week in Velfarre" was also the first Velfarre video release in VHS/LD featuring performances by International and Japanese performers. And additional performances not found on the CD version. In 1997, with the success of the "J-POP NIGHT" events at Velfarre", Avex released "VELFARRE J-POP NIGHT presents DANCE with you" which featured MAX, SPEED, D&D and many others singing a Eurobeat rendition of classic J-POP songs by Pink Lady, Finger Five and more.
Velfarre's influence in the Cyber Trance genre prompted Avex Trax to release a moderately successful series of non-stop Trance mixes bearing Velfarre's name. [2]. Interestingly enough, the first album in the series did not bear Velfarre's name, released simply as "Cyber Trance" on July 4, 2001. The first album bearing Velfarre's name is actually the second album in the series, "velfarre Cyber TRANCE 01 ～BEST HIT TRANCE～", released November 07, 2001. Whether series will continue after Velfarre's closing is unknown. The most recent release in the series to date is a 2 CD+DVD box set titled, "Velfarre Cyber Trance Complete Collection"[3] and "Velfarre complete best 1994-2006" which is a 6 CD box set featuring the different types of music from Velfarre past broken down to groups such as "Hyper Techno Floor", "Hyper Trance Floor", "Dance Pop Floor", "Eurobeat Floor", "Disco House Floor" and "After Hours Floor" and including a booklet detailing the history of Velfarre.
Legend has it that Ayumi Hamasaki first met her future producer, Masato Matsuura, one night at Velfarre. Ayumi was known to frequent Velfarre in her teenage years.[4]
Earth, Wind & Fire recorded a live album at Velfarre in 1995; the only notbale music group to do so there.[5]
Closing
Velfarre opened on December 2, 1994 and closed thier doors on January 1, 2007. After 12 years of operation, Velfarre cited considerable losses and an inability to find a new buyer.
On December 31, 2006, Velfarre hosted its final countdown event, "Countdown to the Future", and on January 1, 2007, featured "the LAST DANCE", the final event for Velfarre and the first dance of 2007. Velfarre closed its doors and ended its 12-year history at noon on January 1, 2007.
At the Cyber Trance FINAL event on 30 December, 2006, Komuro Tetsuya stated on stage that, "Velfarre would be back". Currently, there are no known plans of a reopening at a new location or if the same management group will attempt to reopen Velfarre.
Events
Although Velfarre's schedule varied, Velfarre hosted the following weekly events:
- Every Thursday from 7pm-12am: SEF GOLD (Para Para/Eurobeat/Hyper Techno)
- Every Thursday from 12am-5am: REGGAE PUNCH (Reggae)
- Every Friday from 1am-5am: SOUND BASE (R&B/Hip Hop)
- Every Saturday from 7pm-1am: CYBER TRANCE (Trance/Cyber Trance)
- Every Sunday from 5am-12pm: AFTER HOURS (UNITED, LOADED, END UP↑, PLANET LOVE) (Trance)
Other regular events included: CLUB IBIZA, HAWAII NIGHT, SALSA LIBRE, TOKYO DISCO NIGHT, KOI NO OTACHIDAI (恋のお立ち台), SUPER RAVE, SCREW, J-WAVE NIGHT and others.