CIRCUS TOKYO

The branch that occupied the Amate-Raxi premises

On October 2, 2015, Osaka's CLUB CIRCUS—celebrating its third anniversary that year—opened the club in Shibuya that today is known as CIRCUS TOKYO. The venue already had a dancefloor history: in August, Amate-Raxi, the club also known as AMRAX, had closed there, and the 第5叶ビル changed hands. The project was born as a mixed-use space. A club, live house, exhibition hall, and bar could all fit into the same rental, depending on who booked the date.

The first autumn showed that crossover. On October 18, Shing02 and Spin Master A-1 performed at the newly opened club, featuring tracks from Nujabes' Luv(sic) series. In October 2017, the second anniversary occupied three nights of touring: The Black Madonna on the 6th, Kablam on the 7th, and Sigma on the 8th.

250 meters from the new south exit

The door is outside the scramble. To arrive, the club indicates to exit through the new south exit of JR Shibuya, turn right, and walk about 250 meters along the tracks. The venue's floor plan draws a street area there: an outdoor rectangle for events, with a usual closing time of 22:00, space for production vehicles, and a row of about 75 paid lockers that the club does not manage.

Inside, the scale is that of a small club and the layout is clear. The first floor is the lounge: bar, smoking area, and DJ booth. The basement is the dancefloor. At the back, there is a 520 mm stage; in front, the dancefloor, another bar, and the restrooms. A 150-inch 16:9 roll-up screen and a fixed projector allow for switching from a set to a live act or presentation without changing buildings. During the day, the space is rented for filming, press conferences, or fashion shows. At night, it returns to the dancefloor.

Void in the basement

On the dancefloor, two Void Acoustics Tri Motion work with Arcline 218 subwoofers. The sidefill is Air Stream, also by Void, and the rear is Pioneer XY, amplified with PowerSoft X8 and mixed on a Midas M32R. The lounge has a separate, smaller system based on the Pioneer XY series.

The booth is set up according to the night: DJM-V10, DJM-A9, Xone:96, Xone:92, Technics SL-1200 turntables, and CDJ-3000 players. For live acts, there is backline—Pearl drums, Ampeg, and a Roland JC-120—because the same box programs club nights and concerts. The lights and projector are fixed and are not moved. The rental includes a sound and lighting technician.

Rental calendar

The club operates by reservation and by date, without a fixed resident night. The lineup is brought in by promoters, tours, and the house's own nights. Under CIRCUS PRESENTS, the dancefloor has hosted drum and bass alongside techno, house, bass music, and electronic live acts. The calendar includes Ben Sims, the TSHA tour, and Louis the Child; among the nights already held, a set by tofubeats with a live act by Jun Kamoda, and afternoon parties that close well before dawn.

The night rental slot runs from 22:00 to 05:00, although the door time is set by each event. From 22:00 onwards, only those over 20 years old are admitted. For any set, a photo ID is required.