No large-scale dance event in the Kanto region has survived longer than Wire, Japanese legend Takkyu Ishino's celebration of hard underground techno. Wire08, like all Wire events over the last 10 years, brings together the top DJs from the global techno scene and thousands of punters for an all-night party at Yokohama Arena.
Perhaps no Wire has ever matched the achievements of the 2004 event, when Ishino managed to book Orbital for their last-ever public show (their final outing was an invite-only performance recorded for British DJ John Peel's radio show). This year, however, there is plenty on offer for lovers of techno.
Sino Live! will likely be the live performance of the night, featuring Sao Paulo's Renato Cohen and Charles Siegling of Paris DJ and production collective Technasia, which owns the Sino record label. Expect a performance that combines the two producers' funky and hard approach to techno with some of the biggest songs from the Sino label. There will also be a live performance by Denki Groove, the Japanese techno outfit that launched Ishino's career, and who add the quirkiness of J-pop to a backdrop of vocals and beats not dissimilar to Underworld's. Denki Groove's shows also often feature costumes as extravagant as those seen at performances by camp acts such as the Pet Shop Boys, though they are often far more surreal.
On the DJ front, the highlight will undoubtedly be the night's finale by Ricardo Villalobos, perhaps the world's best minimal-techno producer. Expect a percussion-heavy deep set that goes on well past the scheduled closing time of 6 a.m. to finish the night.
Wire08 takes place on Aug. 30 at Yokohama Arena, 3-10 Shin-Yokohama, Kohoku, Yokohama-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture. Tickets cost ¥10,500 in advance or ¥13,800 on the door. For more information, visit www.wire08.com.
