Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on September 2013

In 1993 Ken Ishii debuted on Europe’s R&S imprint, becoming the first Japanese to make his mark on the international dance music scene. 20 years later, and following last year’s more commercial Metropolitan Harmonic Formula outing, he returns to his underground roots, reviving the Flare moniker under which he made more experimental music in the 90s. Dots will bring listeners of a certain age back to fabled Tokyo techno temple Maniac Love, where so many Japanese producers discovered the new religion of electronic music. Propulsive beats (“Manic State Survivor”) and bleepy melodies (“6dot4”) reign supreme. At the same time the two-part “Northbound”’s spacious atmospheres sound very much au courant with the Aughties minimal techno scene. Newcomers to the EDM scene will hopefully even use Ishii’s new album to connect the, um, dots between electronic music’s past and present.

DJ “P.O.W.E.R.”@ Vision, Sep 21 and Reel Up@Womb, Oct 12.