“Is that a drone?” I asked myself as I waited for PUNPEE to hit the stage. Already, the performance had come to life before it had even begun. The drone flew in circles on set throughout his performance, giving the audience a unique view of the stage’s surroundings.

Two versions of PUNPEE collided when a look alike dressed in the same gear as his 2017 White Stage set appeared before the real-life PUNPEE, making for an eye-catching visualization of the past and present.

PUNPEE is a well-loved Tokyo based multi talented DJ, rapper, and sound engineer with an extensive list of albums, EPs and singles under his belt. He is no stranger to the Fuji Rock festival, performing here a number of times on numerous stages. This time he performed memorable tracks such as “Time Machine ni Notte” (タイムマシンにのって), “BUDDY” with BIM, and finished strong with “Oldies”.

“It took 14 years to get here”, says PUNPEE, as he overlooked an impressively large crowd on the field of the Green Stage. The audience’s joy was evident as there were smiles all around and an infectious energy felt across a distance. Throughout his performance he shared heartfelt snippets of his life and conveyed immense gratitude for his journey so far.

In the backdrop, the crowd was treated to animated short films featuring PUNPEE himself, tailored to the tracks at play. With the help of special guests, 5lack, ZEEBRA, and BIM, in a span of one hour, we were treated to years worth of his work. It was an eclectic and thoughtful celebration of how far he has come, and with a new collaborative EP on the way, it looks like PUNPEE is really just getting started.