The crowdfunding campaign for Dandy Asobi Club (DAC) has officially started.
With the generous support of
Leadit Co., Ltd.,
we are also preparing a selection of attractive rewards for our supporters.
We would be truly grateful if you could read through the project details and consider supporting us.
Thank you very much for your support.
What Comes Next
Along with the launch of this crowdfunding project, we will also begin recruiting performers,
artists, staff members, and sponsors for video productions that will take place across Japan.
Learn More
For more information, please visit the crowdfunding page as well as the page below.
English version is available in the second half of this page.
LIVE ALBUM / DIGITAL RELEASE / FRIENDSHIP.
Dandy Asobi Club “The Beginning”
映像を主軸に構想された一夜を、音だけでも成立する独立作品へ。Dan Mitchelが自身の誕生日にリリースした、最初のライブアルバム。
『Dandy Asobi Club “The Beginning”』は、音楽・演劇・ダンス・即興・哲学が交差する新プロジェクト
Dandy Asobi Club のパイロット版「The Beginning」を、
“その夜に宿った音の強度”にフォーカスしなおして再構築した作品である。
もともと本プロジェクトは映画クオリティの映像作品として構想されていたが、
音への高い評価を受け、あらためてライブアルバムとして独立したかたちへ仕上げられた。
[SENSA NEWS]
Dan Mitchelは、音楽・映像・演劇・教育を横断するドラマティックアーティストである。
高校時代のロンドン留学を通じて創作への覚醒を経験し、
演技メソッド、ライブパフォーマンス、MV演出、イベント企画、映画制作を
ひとつながりの表現行為として展開してきた。
映画『A Love Story in The Summer』では制作・監督・脚本・主演・主題歌を担当し、
Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival に選出、
Reale Film Festival では Best Asian Film を受賞。
楽曲“Free”は Apple Music で2.7万回再生を記録し、
2026年以降はDACを「本気の遊び」の実践体として本格始動させている。
[PR TIMES]
Dandy Asobi Club “The Beginning” is Dan Mitchel’s first live album and the first autonomous audio document of
Dandy Asobi Club, a new interdisciplinary project where music, theater, dance, improvisation, and philosophy intersect.
Although the original pilot session was conceived primarily as a film work, the intensity of its sound led to its reconstruction as an independent listening piece.
[SENSA NEWS]
This is why the album should not be understood as a mere soundtrack excerpt.
It has been remastered so that every track can stand on its own as audio, while preserving the volatility, bodily energy, and tension of the original live event.
Why This Release Matters
At the center of the album is the friction between DJ-triggered synchronized backing tracks and live improvisation by Dan Mitchel’s longtime collaborators.
That balance gives the work both architectural control and physical unpredictability.
Rather than collapsing into closed experimentalism, the album remains open, dramatic, and emotionally legible.
[SENSA NEWS]
In this sense, the record is more than a live release.
It is the first sonic ignition point of the larger artistic field DAC is building through serious play, resonance, and collective imagination.
Serious Play
Dandy Asobi Club is built around Dan Mitchel’s concept of “serious play”:
full commitment to process with zero attachment to outcome.
It is not a casual slogan, but a rigorous artistic ethic.
[DAC Detail]
Cognitive Team
Performers, crew, management, sponsors, and audiences are imagined as members of one evolving Cognitive Team.
DAC is designed to move through resonance and autonomy rather than command-and-control structures.
[PR TIMES]
The Final Track
“The Beautiful,” written early in the morning of the performance day and premiered on site,
now functions as the theme song of DAC itself and as a candidate for future single and film development.
[SENSA NEWS]
Tracklist
Opening Piano Solo by Hinata Ishii (DAC “The Beginning”)
Free (DAC “The Beginning”)
Melty Kiss (DAC “The Beginning”)
My Heart Is Still On Her (DAC “The Beginning”)
Generation (DAC “The Beginning”)
Sunshine (DAC “The Beginning”)
I swear… (DAC “The Beginning”)
Percussion Solo by Gai Seki (DAC “The Beginning”)
When I Think Of You… (DAC “The Beginning”)
Destiny Girl (DAC “The Beginning”)
Dangerous Lizzy (DAC “The Beginning”)
BIG WAVE TO THE WORLD (DAC “The Beginning”)
My love (DAC “The Beginning”)
Beautiful Minds (DAC “The Beginning”)
Bye (DAC “The Beginning”)
Welcome Home at Sweet Christmas
The Beautiful (DAC “The Beginning”)
Selected Credits
Artist
Dan Mitchel
Title
Dandy Asobi Club “The Beginning”
Release Date
April 14, 2026
Format
Digital / Live Album
Label
FRIENDSHIP.
Producer
Dan Mitchel
Recording Engineer
Ken Yamakawa
Main Recording Studio
Shibuya 7th Floor
Mix Engineer
Dan Mitchel
Mastering Engineer
Dan Mitchel
About Dan Mitchel
Dan Mitchel is a dramatic artist working across music, film, theater, and education.
Since a formative creative awakening during his London years, he has developed a practice that refuses disciplinary boundaries and treats writing, direction, performance, and production as one continuous field of expression.
He wrote, directed, produced, starred in, and composed for A Love Story in The Summer,
was selected by Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival, and won Best Asian Film at Reale Film Festival.
Track “Free” reached 40,000 plays on Apple Music, and DAC now stands as a large-scale embodiment of his serious-play philosophy.
Media Coverage
SENSA NEWS covered the release as Dan Mitchel’s first live album and emphasized the project’s philosophy, sonic intensity, and future trajectory. Read SENSA NEWS
Further Information
For the project manifesto, structure, recruitment concept, and the wider world-building behind Dandy Asobi Club, refer to the official detail page and attached materials. View DAC Detail Page
Those who play
with everything they’ve got — that’s beauty.
A community that gathers around shared aesthetics
and grows on its own terms.
Dandy Asobi Club is a new kind of creative collective,
driven not by rules, but by values.
I’ll be honest about whether this resonates with you.
This isn’t for everyone.
But if any of these feel familiar — I think it’ll land.
—You know that feeling of giving everything, yet somehow not quite fitting in.
—You care more about what you actually made than your follower count or view numbers.
—The walls between music, theater, dance, and film have always felt like obstacles.
—You’ve been looking for a place where you can be completely serious — and laugh at the same time.
—In the age of AI, you want to bet on human bodies and raw energy.
—Every failure has genuinely hurt. There is no reason to stop.
—Beauty over correctness.
What is Dandy Asobi Club
An experiment in turning “serious play” into a program.
Dandy Asobi Club is a community that creates programs
where music, theater, dance, improvisation, and philosophy collide —
shot at shrines across Japan —
and sends them out to the world.
We capture the energy of each unrepeatable moment on film
and aim for major platforms and international film festivals.
The economic ecosystem that emerges from this
expands autonomously, driven by people who move out of genuine passion.
“Serious play” means —
the coexistence of full commitment and openness. All in on the process. Zero attachment to the outcome.
“Serious play” — Full commitment to the process, with zero attachment to outcome.
Not camaraderie for its own sake. Not management by control.
A place where strong leadership and the art of letting go coexist.
That is Dandy Asobi Club.
Presenter
Why the god of failure speaks about going all in.
Dan Mitchel. CEO of Dramatic Frontier Inc.
Raised in Takarazuka. Graduated from Nada Junior & Senior High School.
Went to London at 16. That’s when the obsession with creation began.
Since then — making, falling, getting back up. Without stop.
Lost to Tokyo University by 9 points. Band fell apart mid-flight.
Fell out with a radio station. Worked for ¥250 an hour.
A list of over 20 failures — not self-deprecation, but a résumé.
Proof of having moved with intention, every single time.
Failure is the résumé.
School play dead last, Tokyo University 9 points short,
band fell apart, hourly wage ¥250,
lead actress no-showed on event day, personal life dependency……
Every single one became the next move. Failure is an asset. I genuinely believe that.
▷Short film “A Love Story in The Summer” — Written, directed, produced, starring, original score — Hollywood Film Festival selection / Italy Film Festival BEST ASIAN FILM
▷Raised ¥1.3M via crowdfunding to attend Hollywood Film Festival
▷Composed, arranged, and performed official theme songs for corporations and broadcast stations
▷Track “Free” — 27,000 plays on Apple Music (608,000+ total across all releases)
▷Hosted and produced weekly radio program “Kangaeru Nama TV” for 1 year at Tokyo station
▷Birthday event: ¥1.5M raised / 150 attendees at Higashi-Ginza
▷Lecture at Kokuyo Innovation Center: “How Mathematics Makes Future Prediction Possible”
The Philosophy
When no one is left with less than zero,
the chain keeps going.
A + B + C + D + … ≧ 0 —
As long as every term stays non-negative, the sum holds.
One person who only takes can bring the whole thing down.
That’s why this community is designed around giving.
Positive Chain
When someone gives, others want to give too. As long as that chain holds, the community grows. One taker breaks everything. That’s why GIVE is the premise here.
Bridging Opposition
What looks like an A-or-B conflict often shares a hidden C. Noticing that — instead of forcing a choice — turns division into resonance. That’s what serious play does.
Describing with Love
Mathematics, psychology, history, medicine, spirituality — they don’t exist in isolation. When viewed through a single lens, a third perspective appears. That cross-disciplinary vision is the foundation of DAC’s thinking.
Evolution of the Spirit
In the age of AI, the evolution of the body and spirit is what matters most. Stop evolving and you disappear — not a threat, but a law of the universe.
What We Create
What we make, and how we make it.
01
Film-quality programs, shot at shrines
We record at shrines in Japan’s five major cities — Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka. Sacred grounds where ancient energy meets the heat of improvisation. We capture that collision on film.
02
Genre-less collaboration
DJ, live improvisation, theater, dance, pantomime, spoken word, philosophy — no borders. If you bring full commitment and a sense of play, that’s a DAC piece.
03
Broadcast to the world
With English subtitles, we aim for major streaming platforms and submission to European film festivals. Japan’s “serious play” — put to the world.
04
Auditions — discovering the unknown
We hold auditions in each city to bring undiscovered talent into the community. We choose by energy, not credentials.
05
5 sessions — then a global ecosystem
Through 5 programs, we expand the circle. Long-term, we aim to establish an autonomous global economic sphere — built on values, not industry logic.
06
Cognitive Team — an org driven by resonance
Core members operate with clearly defined roles and autonomy. No commands. The organization moves through resonance. We’re experimenting with what a community built on free will can become.
Already Happened
Dandy Asobi Club “The Beginning” — these are the people who showed up.
Recorded January 22, 2026 / YouTube Release: March 2026
Values call people. There was a night that proved it.
From the very first session, this is who gathered.
Piano & Sax
Hinata Ishii
North America, China, and UK tours with The fin.
Bass
Hodaka Kageta
Performed on mino music. Participated in an international project with an artist from Côte d’Ivoire.
Percussion
Gai Seki
Support for Jouji and others. TV appearances and shared stage with Uchikubi Gokumon Doukoukai via La Señas.
DJ
AiMii
Miss Europecontinental 2022 Miss Japan. DJ sets in Berlin and South Africa.
Dancer
Jasmine Mazlika
Active in New York and China. Performed at Ringo Music Festival and Tokyo Dome concerts.
Pantomime
Kyoichi Kita
55-year career spanning the US, France, and Germany. Best Award at a UK Film Festival. Performed at Fuji Rock.
Cinematographer
Tatsuhiko Maekawa
Technical Director on “CASSHERN” (dir. Kazuaki Kiriya).
Cinematographer
Haruka Miyajima
Shot commercials for TOYOTA and other major brands. Filmed STARTO ENTERTAINMENT LIVE events.
Lighting
Kimura Kimiyoshi
Lighting for Ayumi Hamasaki MVs and more.
Still Photography
Erich Bouccan
Shot The Strokes and other world-renowned bands in Mexico.
Director / Performer
Dan Mitchel
Hollywood Film Festival selection / Italy Film Festival BEST ASIAN FILM. Written, directed, produced, and performed.
Watch the Film
See it for yourself.
Dandy Asobi Club “The Beginning” | Recorded Jan 22, 2026
Manifesto
This isn’t a place for people who have it all figured out.
It’s a place for people who get hurt, keep going,
and play for real — because it’s their mission.
Make something no one has ever seen,
with people who share your sense of beauty —
That is Dandy Asobi Club.
Join Dandy Asobi Club
Performers, creators, managers, sponsors —
everyone is Cognitive Team.
What is Cognitive Team?
In Dandy Asobi Club, there is no line between member and staff.
Whether you stand on stage, operate a camera, move capital, or provide a venue —
everyone is part of the Cognitive Team, moving under the same values.
Roles differ. Direction is shared. This community moves through resonance, not commands.
Appearance
As a Performer
Appear in the program and build a body of work in domestic and international productions. No genre restrictions. We welcome people who bring full commitment — credentials are secondary.
·Musicians, dancers, actors, performers
·People with a strong drive to grow who aren’t bound by what’s been done before
·People who want to make a work, not just fill a slot
Planning & Production
As a Creator
Contribute to the program’s concept, composition, cinematography, sound, editing, or direction. We want to move with people who can go all in on the creative side.
·Writers, directors, creative directors
·Video, sound, and editing professionals — or those aiming to be
·People who want to design how a community works
Management
As Operations
Support the creative side so it can move at full capacity — from the business end. PR, scheduling, partner negotiation, finance. We need people who want to drive the community from behind the scenes.
·PR, marketing, communications
·Sponsor outreach and partner coordination
·Scheduling, accounting, legal support
Sponsor / Invest
As a Sponsor or Investor
Beyond brand exposure in the program, you can participate in building a unique global economic sphere that operates on shared values.
·Sponsor: brand visibility within the program
·Investor: revenue share + participation in ecosystem design
·Venue / distribution partner: regional reach + exclusive streaming rights
Contact
Let’s talk first.
A conversation tells more than a long explanation.
Feel free to reach out — even if it’s just a gut feeling that brought you here.
To everyone who joined us—our members, staff, and our loving, deeply perceptive audience—thank you so much.
This time, we centered the event on the idea of pursuing “serious play.”
For me, that’s one answer to the question of how human beings can keep living in a truly human way from here on out. Total rationalism and efficiency-first thinking—things like time efficiency and cost efficiency—matter, of course. I’m sure everyone has their own priorities, too.
But when that becomes everything, people start living like machines. And once humans live like machines, there’s nothing we can beat AI at—and we end up losing the very meaning of being human.
In that sense, right now—with the snap general election following the dissolution of Japan’s House of Representatives, and all the “right vs. left” rhetoric—divisions are everywhere. And even when we don’t realize it, it’s a story that spreads into the everyday lives of each of us.
In my own head, I always have two versions of myself: a hardcore realist and a hardcore idealist. But it can’t be that only one of them is “right.” So I’ve been wondering whether there’s a way to integrate them better.
By embracing “serious play”—by allowing some breadth—I want to keep moving forward with activities that don’t put “rightness” at the center, but instead place “beauty” as a major guiding axis.
On January 22, I’m launching and carrying out a project that I’m staking my life on. It’s an event, a documentary film production, and also a club activity. The theme is “pursuing play with absolute seriousness.”
There are still many parts I won’t know until I actually do it, so I can’t explain it in a perfectly clear, straightforward way. In other words, by intentionally not deciding everything in advance, I want everyone to enjoy the “play” that emerges from that openness—together.
I believe this is what “ideal freedom,” grounded in the belief in people’s inherent goodness, is meant to look like. I’m really looking forward to the voluntary participation of all you wonderful people, and I’m excited to share the experience with you. Let’s entrust the outcome to the universe, at least once.
“Expected Time Table” 18:30~19:00 DJ×BAND SESSION 19:00~19:30 Dan Mitchel Band Set 1st Stage 19:30~19:45 Opening Talk 19:45~20:25 Acting×Band(Love Story with Romantic Band Music ) 20:25~20:45 Pantomime×Band 20:45~21:00 Break Time 21:00~21:05 Ukulele Live 21:05~21:20 Improvised New Song×Pantomime×Dance 21:20~21:40 Inteview×Band×Acting(Voice of the youth) 21:40~21:45 Ending Talk 21:45~22:15 Dan Mitchel Band Set 2nd Stage 22:15~22:45 Ending DJ
The lineup will continue to be updated as new performers are confirmed. If you believe in your talent and would like to appear in the program, please feel free to send your materials via DM or email at any time. I may not be able to reply to everyone, but I will review every submission.
A genre-crossing art event held 29 times in 2023 in collaboration with FRIENDSHIP. — “Freestyle Session Party (FSP)” — is being refined and rebooted, relaunching as an event, program, and community under the name “Dandy Asobi Club (DAC)”!!
We will hold the pilot edition on Thursday, January 22, at Shibuya 7th Floor.
Theme
“Master Serious Play!”
“Before you know it, it becomes a social phenomenon!”
“Bring Japan’s unique spirit of play to the world!”
Turning serious play beyond genres and generations into a “club activity”
Across music, film/video, dance, theater, philosophy, and more—beyond genre and generation—we aim to pursue “serious play” as a club-like activity, developing it into a 12-episode series.
Building on popular FSP projects such as:
Adding live improvised accompaniment to theater performances
Sessions between DJs and live instrumentalists
Collaborations between reading theater and dancers / pantomime performers
…we also plan to create highly original new formats, including:
A project where I draw out the thoughts of young people, and actors perform them as monologues
A project where we compose a song on the spot with participants present
We aim to deliver an array of creativity-rich projects that are rarely seen elsewhere.
Re-edit the event into a program and share it globally
This time, while keeping it a participatory event with an audience (as before), we want to leverage my track record—including selection at a Hollywood film festival and an award at an Italian film festival—to record, edit, and distribute it as a single program.
YouTube would be an option, but we also plan to explore whether distribution might be possible via Prime Video, Netflix, AbemaTV, and other platforms.
We also aim to add English subtitles throughout the entire program and export it overseas. I believe we must bring the talents hidden in Japan to the world. If we only consider the market within Japan—or only inbound tourists—the long-term potential seems limited, especially when we have the internet.
For the video production team, I hope to collaborate again with the people who supported me during my previous film production. I intend to take responsibility and lead the team, and I believe my countless past failures will support me this time.
Encouraging proactive independence while maintaining authority
Although this is a participatory event, I will carefully review portfolios and submitted materials in advance and give the go-ahead based on the best match for each project.
Therefore, the overall stage quality will not drop due to casual amateur participation. That said, I don’t want anyone to feel intimidated—rather, I want people with fewer achievements to actively challenge themselves. For the sake of discovering bold new concepts, I plan to review everything that is submitted, and within that, I want to design projects where many people can participate in the right roles at the right time.
Any club member can bring in a project idea
Under the banner “Perestroika = Democratization,” we will establish a committee via a LINE Open Chat and invite committee members to propose new projects.
A project will be implemented with the approval of “at least five committee members + me.” Those who vote in favor will also be expected to take responsibility and help operate the project.
LINE Open Chat: “Dandy Asobi Club Planning Committee” is here! (You can join anonymously without adding anyone as a LINE friend.)
Expanding serious play across Japan and aiming for global reach
By linking with the nationwide tour “Free” that I announced previously, we can invite new talents I meet across Japan to perform—energizing both the event and the program—while also making it a place where people from many industries can gather.
Ultimately—“birds of a feather flock together”—I hope to create a club-like space where, across all of Japan, diverse people beyond generations and genres who share my core philosophy can connect, thrive, and prosper.
You can also learn more about my guiding philosophy via my blog and the videos linked at the end.
Serious play can heal division in society
To resolve the countless binaries and divisions in society, I arrived—just yesterday (the memorable date of December 5, 2025) after years of thought experiments—at the conclusion that we need a strong leader with aesthetics and an essential spirit of playfulness.
More details will be shared here. (I will add additional notes later.)
Crowdfunding to raise production costs!!
For the production budget of this project, I would like to raise 1,000,000 yen through crowdfunding!
Primarily, we would be truly happy if you purchase advance tickets, and as an added bonus, you’ll also be able to try our existing services—or, if the project becomes a program, we may run commercial spots as well. (Of course, for corporate supporters, payment by invoice is also possible.)
Last time, we received support from 27 people and raised 1,280,000 yen.
Budget breakdown
Venue: ¥150,000
Performers: ¥150,000
Video: ¥200,000
Sound: ¥100,000
Rehearsals: ¥70,000
Editing: ¥150,000
Operations: ¥30,000
Advertising: ¥150,000
Please click the button below to visit the crowdfunding page, and check the support menus and return rewards there.
Pilot Edition “Dandy Asobi Club” Production Support Fund
I’ve been seriously considering bringing back the Freestyle Session Party. I realized that it was something really necessary. But I can’t do it the same way as before—so this time I’m thinking of democratizing it.
Kind of like a perestroika, you know? We’d set up a planning committee, discuss ideas there, and make decisions together. Responsibility would also be shared among the members. I think that’s the only way it can really be sustainable.
And I can already see how it might work: We’d open a group chat to form the committee, throw out ideas, and whenever more than five members approve, that idea gets carried out. But those who approved it also have to take responsibility for the project. The other members have no obligation to participate, and if they do show up on the day, they’d still have to pay for a ticket. Committee members’ pay would just come from the ticket sales of the guests they bring in.
The key would be to secure a venue that doesn’t charge us a fixed rental fee—someplace cooperative. If profits come in, we pool them in the committee fund. Eventually, maybe sponsors will get involved.
As a guiding principle, above all else, it’s got to be play. It has to be participatory. We want to pursue the kind of play that leads to the future. That means letting go of pride and all that, while still doing it with a sense of discipline—not just cozying up for the sake of it. We’re not after some prearranged harmony. I don’t even know if it’s a “performance” per se. It’s less about an audience and more about participants.
The genre doesn’t matter—it doesn’t have to be just music or theater. It could even be philosophy.
And why not stream it, too? Do you get what I mean?
