AlphaTheta chief executive Yoshinori Kataoka has set out an ambition that reaches well past DJ gear, and he named the companies he wants to be measured against. "Today there are companies such as Yamaha, Roland, and Fender that operate on a much larger scale than we do," he told The Worldfolio. "My ambition is for AlphaTheta to reach a similar level of influence and importance."
Kataoka was direct about the thinking behind the move away from the Pioneer DJ name at corporate level. “We no longer see ourselves simply as a DJ hardware company,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to build something larger than a DJ equipment company.”
He also explained the name itself, which is not obvious from the outside. AlphaTheta is taken from the brainwaves produced during moments of peak performance.
The frankest passage concerns what streaming has done to DJ identity.
“For many years, the value of a DJ was often connected to the music they owned,” Kataoka said. “If someone had rare records or hard-to-find tracks, that collection could become part of their individuality.” Now, “simply owning music is no longer the differentiating factor it once was.”
His replacement framing is a Japanese one. “In many ways, DJs provide a form of hospitality through music,” he said, invoking omotenashi, the concept of attentiveness toward guests. “A good DJ reads the atmosphere of the room, understands the mood of the audience, and selects music that guides the emotional energy of the experience.”
He does not expect streaming to swallow everything, since DJs keep hunting “rare tracks, alternate versions, remixes, and original recordings” that never reach the majors.
On partnerships he drew a clear line. “Our strategy is not limited to any single partner. Our approach has always been to create an open operation system rather than an exclusive one,” which is the same logic behind opening rekordbox to third-party hardware.
“Artificial intelligence is the biggest change happening today,” Kataoka said, before taking the air out of it. “I believe it will eventually become a standard capability rather than something unique or exceptional.” He does not think it replaces people: “Human beings still bring emotion and sensitivity to music, and that will always matter.”
He also contrasted DJ gear with the rest of the instrument trade. “A guitar remains a guitar. A piano remains a piano.” DJ culture has changed format four times, from vinyl to CD to USB to streaming, and its users followed every time.
The sharpest line is aimed at the top of the industry. “If we look at many of the world’s most successful DJs, we often see the same names appearing year after year,” he said. “I would love to see more young DJs become global stars,” which is the gap talent contests keep trying to close.
He also acknowledged that DJ culture remains male-dominated, and said diversity “strengthens the culture itself” rather than simply widening the customer base.
Asked which recent products best represent the company, he named euphonia, its first full-fledged dedicated rotary mixer, which runs digital processing behind an analogue feel, and the RMX-IGNITE effects unit.
Source: The Worldfolio
Patrick Topping: On His Return To Tech House
Krewella returns after 4 years with a brand new album
Andrew Rayel celebrates historic Find Your Harmony 500
