Top 10: ’90s Japanese Techno Classics
Takaaki Itoh is the co-founder of Wols label, a techno imprint based out of Sendai. Starting out in the early ’90s, he’s one of the longest-serving DJs in the Tōhoku region. As such, we figured there were few better DJs to give us an insight into some early classics from the Japanese techno scene. The list below is a collection of influential tunes – a number of which he found himself playing out night after night.
Ken Ishii - Extra
It was a shock to the system when I heard “Extra” for the first time. It sounded like the birth of a completely new sensibility that melded Detroit techno into the Japanese music psyche. Constructed from uplifting breaks, a solid rhythm, and dense layer of overlapping synths, it gave an insight into what was to come – a type of Japanese techno characterised by the intertwining of emotive yet functional elements.
Takkyu Ishino - Polynasia
Reinforcing its tribal nature through clever placement of its percussion, “Polynasia” took the dancefloor by storm at the time. Discarding the melody-led approach, it marked a turning point for Japanese techno.
Fumiya Tanaka - In The Darkness
“In the Darkness” mastered the art of techno as DJ tool. Although there is minimal development within the track, it reveals a multiplicity and range of sound. As the title suggests, you can envisage a dance floor filled with darkness and tireless dancers.
Dj Shufflemaster - Slip Inside You
“Slip Inside You” is a complete club track in all aspects, made with a premise to fully fulfil its potential on a club system, with a carefully calibrated push and pull.
Subvoice - Vampirealla
At a point when a large portion of Japanese techno still derived from trance, this track went the other way. Shedding its musicality, and adding percussion and acid sounds, “Vampirealla” developed a simple but dramatic sound that utilised a limited sound palette.
Co-Fusion - Cycle
One of the attractions of techno is its ability to send us into the distant future, not with sounds made by an already existing instrument, but with sounds manufactured and configured by a machine – sounds that stick to your ears, sounds never heard before. “Cycle” is a track that perfectly combines club elements with an experimental sound.
KS - Drai
It is no mean feat to create a groove, based around one single loop, which aligns itself with the sensitivities of the DJ in the moment of a set. It is precisely this simplicity that brings out the musicality of the track. Made solely with the pursuit of minimalism in mind, even today “Drai”’s style does not sound like it has aged at all.
W-Moon - Coo
Since the emergence of Basic Channel, a whole host of dub-inflected techno tracks have appeared in its wake. Drenched in a morphing, effects-processed sea of sound, you’re overtaken with the sensation of being paralysed, slowly sinking to the depths of the ocean on “Coo.” Stylistically unique, the track marked the start of Japanese dub techno.
FLR - Easy Filters Part 1
“Easy Filters Part 1,” released under a Ken Ishii alias, feels as though it was cropped out of a DJ set that makes heavy use of the filter controls. With its ringing percussion, pulsating rhythm, and the short break kicking in 1-bar cycles, the track has all the crucial elements to raise the temperature of the dance floor.
Jun Kitamura - Outergaze 2
“Outergaze 2” holds down a house groove. Or is it techno? With its live percussion loops and mechanical rhythms, it found favour among DJs of both styles.
