Ken Ishii, Reference to Difference
Later this year, Sublime Records is releasing a 30th-anniversary reissue of the Japanese techno legend's cult EP from 1994.
Selected Works is a weekly (usually) newsletter by the Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Aotearoa (Wellington, New Zealand) based freelance music journalist, broadcaster, copywriter and sometimes DJ Martyn Pepperell, aka Yours Truly. Most weeks, Selected Works consists of a recap of what I’ve been doing lately and some of what I’ve been listening to and reading, paired with film photographs I’ve taken + some bonuses. All of that said, sometimes it takes completely different forms.
Thirty years after it was originally released through Japan’s Sublime Records, Ken Ishii’s seminal ambient techno EP, Reference To Difference, is getting the deluxe vinyl reissue treatment. As well as getting the record remastered by Manmade Mastering, they also asked me to write the liner notes. You can read a short excerpt below.
What you are holding in your hands is a piece of Japanese musical history. Thirty years after it was originally released on CD in 1994, Musicmine and Sublime Records are pleased to present the first-ever vinyl reissue of the original six-song version of Ken Ishii’s Reference To Difference. A futuristic confluence of ambient, techno, IDM and minimalist composition, the album teleports the listener through space and time to a golden moment in the mid-1990s when a dedicated generation rose out of Tokyo’s storied underground nightclubs to create a movement that took the innovation, energy, and creativity of Japan’s unique techno culture to the world.
At present, Reference To Difference is scheduled for release in July/August for an estimated price of 4,000 yen (without tax). I'll let you know when and as I have more details.
While I've got your attention, I also want to let you know that Musicmine has just launched a crowdfunding campaign for a new documentary project about their storied history so far. Click here for more details.
MORE:
In the 2000s, underground nightclub dancefloors around New Zealand were moving to a loose conglomeration of sounds that combined jazz, soul, funk, hip-hop, R&B and electronica. Depending on who was performing or DJing, you’d sometimes see this stylistic mélange advertised on flyers and posters with terms like Hi-Tek Pacific Soul or Future Soul, which the music more than lived up to. For my latest for Audio Culture, I took a look at ten tracks from the era. Have a look here.
I also turned the whole thing into a DJ mix, which you can listen to on Mixcloud here.
THROWBACK: GAMEBOY CAMERA
It’s been three years since I got hold of an old Gameboy + a Gameboy camera and some hardware that allows you to download the pixelated photographs you can take on it. Here are a few shots I took of Wellington, New Zealand, back in 2021.
Max Patte’s Solace in the Wind, Wellington Waterfront.
Deluxe Cafe, Kent Terrace.
The Bucket Fountain, Cuba Mall.
The Majestic Centre, Willis Street.
FIN.