Japan has long been a fantasy clubbing destination for many, boasting some of the best clubs in the world such as Vent, Contact and Womb. No surprise then that given such musical hotspots, the talent pool there is exceptional. One to watch from the new generation of artists breaking through is Tokyo-based Risa Taniguchi who today premieres the latest single “Not Even Close”, taken from a collaborative release, titled “Deep Focus”, with Turkish producer Yigitoglu.
Classically-trained and multi-instrumentalist, Risa was introduced to the sounds of the underground during a trip to London, where she became entranced by the local Dubstep scene and in particular the stylings of Magnetic Man. Returning to Japan, she quickly began working on electronica and techno productions garnering widespread A-list support for her first international release on Lyase Recordings. Yigitoglu, began his musical journey in 2018 quickly gaining support from everyone from Monika Kruse to A.S.Y.S. Signed to Solemente, Airbourne Black and more, his workman-like attitude and natural hustle sees him pushing onto bigger and bigger platforms with each release.
Industrial drums and cantering hats begin “Not Even Close” in stark fashion. Growing organically over the opening section, it’s spiky sounds and vocoded vocals create a tension unique to the warehouse nightspots of Tokyo its clearly inspired by. By midway, with the floor hypnotised, it introduces a curveball, elevating the track to new depths.
In support of the new release, Taniguchi has shared an exclusive playlist for HITCHER, highlighting a varied mix of influential music that has impacted her approach to music production:
Scuba – Talk Torque: Around when this song was released, I had been playing lots of music from Hotflush Recordings and I bought almost all the songs from the label. I mimicked his sampling technic and tried to apply in my early production too.
Blawan – Kaz: I got to know about the artist from his debut on Hessle Audio and we saw his debut on R&S right after, the career transition was quick. I was really into the whole EP that this song was compiled, so I had no surprise that he made a big success on his Why They Hide Their Bodies Under My Garage.
Abe Duque – Acid: The song is one of my all-time favorite Acid House pieces from him along with Who’s Got The Flave Again? Again, I was mesmerized with the sound of 303 quite a lot.
MMM – Nous Sommes MMM: I got to love this one right away, when I first listened to this unique mixture of raving synth and the gap between each elements. We can’t specify it’s the song’s genre or articulate what it is, but we all know this is a proper banger as long as you drop this in a correct timing.
L-Vis 1990, Shadz – Forever You: From around this time, we couldn’t take our eyes off on him. This one was no exception and as an enthusiastic Night Slugs fan.
Fiedel – Doors To Manual: Just like its sounds, I felt as if I was hit with a hammer, when I first found this song. I was attracted by every single elements of the song. As a person who had never been to Berghain at that time, this one is exactly what I had as an impression towards the venue and the city of Berlin.
Maceo Plex – Conjure Sex: I have countless of his songs that I love, but if I had to rank, this is the number one. I still play this one in my sets at the right moment, and since I play this a lot, I have even found there were a few people who had misunderstood that this one was mine. It’s a good memory from young age that I had to put my headphones to listen to this song when I was living with my parents!
Patrice Baumel – Roar: It was when Shazam was not a common tool for detecting songs, first time I bumped into this song played by a local DJ. I really like to use this song to give audience a “WOW” moment, by mixing with another track. Definitely a genius song exactly made for the floor.
Cosmin TRG – Since Last Night: I don’t know why but I can tear up right once I listen to the intro of the song. This reminds me of my early DJ days really.. I used to play this to mix with Dubbel Dutch’s Throwback.
Ramadanman, Appleblim – Void 23 (Carl Craig Re Edit): This one is one of my early Techno influences as a producer. The floating voice sample give it a spookier sound and the developing 303 makes the song just perfect.
Risa Taniguchi & Yigitoglu release “Deep Focus” on 1st July via Octopus Records.
Pre-order the release here: https://www.beatport.com/release/deep-focus/3777818
