Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on March 2012

In 2004 music producer “Vinyl Soyuz” (Ryouichi Kiyomiya) birthed the idea of pitting musicians against each other in live one-on-one improvisation sessions. The resulting gig and album offered such intriguing results that he decided to make it a regular series. The upcoming installment is the highest-profile to date. Pianist, composer and electronic music giant Ryuichi Sakamoto faces off against avant-garde guitarist and turntablist Otomo Yoshihide in headlining the event. Also prepared to do pitched battle are DMC champion turntablist DJ Kentaro versus sound installation mastermind Reel Tape Ensemble, and rapper Shing02 versus spoken word artist Seiko Ito. To complete the martial metaphor, the gig is slated for Korakuen Hall, a venue usually given over to martial arts.

Korakuen Hall, Mar 21 (listing).