If you’re going to try to get the in-demand Katayanagi Twins on a bill—don’t think about booking them for an early set. “We like 150BPM vibes,” says China with a grin. “We wanna turn up!” echoes Rain.
From West Auckland, New Zealand, Rain and China are known for their electric sets blending Brazilian Baile funk, global club sounds, and heavy percussion —a sound still relatively underground in NZ. “The music that we play doesn’t really kick off in New Zealand because people don’t really understand it,” says Rain.
Even if their local scene hasn’t fully caught up yet , it hasn’t stopped their ascent to some of the most coveted stages for DJs in the world. Last year alone, they performed at Boiler Room, Glastonbury, Antídoto, Let Him Cook, Syber, and a stack of international support slots.
The scale of the rooms hasn’t altered their approach or inflated their egos, Rain and China have a down to earth confidence, but still experience the usual pre-gig nerves.Asked about performing on some of the world’s biggest stages, Rain acknowledges the surreality of it all—and the butterflies that kick in twenty minutes before they take the stage. “But after the first few songs, muscle memory kicks in and you just flow.” China adds, “I think taking those stages also felt kind of normal for us… we treat every gig the same.”
At 28, after more than a decade behind the decks, having had to work “extra hard” to get noticed internationally from New Zealand—There’s a sense of ease that they’ve proved themselves, their seriousness about the craft doesn’t need to be signalled or overstated.Their approach these days is simple: “We just like people to have fun and shake ass—to really hard music!”
Speaking to Complex Australia, the Katayanagi Twins discuss their DJ genesis story (it runs in the family), playing some of the biggest gigs in the world, how club culture has shifted, and where they plan to go next. The interview, lightly edited for clarity, is below.
Your introduction to DJing came through your dad, DJ Chukkee. Can you talk about that?
China: I think Rain had the idea first that she wanted to DJ, and then I was like, I want to DJ too. It just made sense for us to be a duo. Having a dad who’s a DJ meant we had access to all the gear. That’s honestly the hardest part when you’re starting out—just getting your hands on equipment. He had everything we needed. And because he was already working in the industry, we were able to get some early gigs. That was kind of him giving us a push into the scene.
Does his influence shape your approach to DJing today?
China: Definitely—and not just with DJing. He’s really entrepreneurial. He’s started businesses, he owns a café now. It makes us think, what’s next for us? What comes after DJ life? He reminds us that we don’t have to stay in one box.
Do you have a sense of what might come next?
Rain: We’ve talked about starting a brand or making clothes.
Last year was huge for you both—you played Boiler Room, Glastonbury, Antídoto in Madrid, Let Him Cook, Syber. How did the year feel?
Rain: It felt like everything we’d been working toward finally paid off. Being from New Zealand, it’s hard to get noticed—you really have to work extra hard. So to see it all come together was pretty surreal.
China: I think it also felt kind of normal for us—like the next logical step. We treat every gig the same and prepare equally hard. It just felt like doing what we always do.
What was your favourite gig each?
Rain: Glastonbury.
China: Antídoto for me!
Why those?
China: I’d watched all the Antídoto mixes on YouTube, so actually being there felt unreal. You know when you watch a movie and then see the set in real life? It was like that—I couldn’t believe we were actually there.
Rain: Glastonbury was just insane. It was one of those moments where you’re like, What do you mean we’re playing Glastonbury? It was probably my favourite set I’ve ever done—but also super overstimulating in the best way.
China: Yeah (laughs).
As far as influences go, do you mix much of what you listen to day to day?Rain: Sometimes, but mostly not. A lot of the music we listen to isn’t actually what we play. I’ve been listening to Prince again.
China: (laughs) Yeah, Rain’s fully in an ’80s era right now.
What sounds are you enjoying mixing at the moment?
Rain: Brazilian bubbles!
China: For sure.
Rain: It’s just so different—it never misses. I think when you play it to somebody, they typically haven’t heard anything like it before.
Being a duo, what’s unique about your dynamic when you play?
Rain: We don’t actually play back-to-back. We split the set cleanly in half.
China: That’s kind of our brand.
Rain: But nobody knows that. Everyone thinks, why aren’t they back-to-back properly? I always go first because I love warming up a crowd, and then I hand over to China—her music is way harder.
Since you started DJing, how do you think club culture has changed?
Rain: Why do clubs kind of suck right now?
China: (laughs) No one parties anymore. No one’s passing out anymore. No one’s throwing up anymore. We’re on a mission to save Auckland nightlife.
You have a new edit coming out with DJ Mathieux. Can you share more?China: Do you remember the 2016 XXL Cypher?Of course—the most iconic one.
China: Well, we made a pilot edit with DJ Mathieux based on that. We’re dropping it soon. Honestly, 2026 feels very 2016 right now—it’s all coming back.
Finally, what’s next for you both?
China: Probably more world tours this year.
Rain: Yeah—getting our foot in every country. I think Asia is definitely the vibe.