Electronic music pioneer Ken Ishii back to basics on new album
The Japanese producer, a regular performer in Hong Kong, draws heavily from Kraftwerk and Japan's Yellow Magic Orchestra for Leaps, an album with a strong '80s vibe
Japanese techno trailblazer Ken Ishii rocks huge crowds the world over and leads a glamorous, jet-setting life – but the superstar DJ insists he’s a “bit of a nerd” at heart.
Ishii, 45, burst onto the dance scene more than 20 years ago and has scooped up MTV awards, composed the theme song for the 1998 Winter Olympics and even appeared on the cover of Newsweek magazine.
His new album, Leaps, released earlier this month under his alter ego Flare, draws heavily from Kraftwerk and Japan’s Yellow Magic Orchestra, revealing a more introverted side to the Sapporo-born artist.
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“Flare is more personal and experimental,” says Ishii, who has been a regular visitor to Hong Kong over the years for appearances at electronic music events. “It’s like getting a new toy.”
But while he feels a sense of liberation, there is also a buzz of nostalgia that accompanies a return to the “basics” Ishii experienced during his start in the industry as a producer.
“My earliest music was experimental so it’s like going back to my roots,” he says. “I’m still like a kid when I’m in front of my computer. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to the creative process of making music.”
Ishii’s new 10-track record, which comes 23 years after he cut his first track, is a throwback to the 1980s and marks a subtle departure from his trademark techno sound.
