The Japanese techno maestro returns with two tracks—one solid, one tantalisingly mysterious.
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Shinichi Atobe has spent much of his on-and-off career as a stand-in for dub techno's love of mystique and inscrutable characters. But he's been (marginally) more approachable lately: an active and earnest Twitter presence and a DJ set once every few years. This year, he even gave his first-ever interview to Tone Glow, claiming no one had bothered to ask him for one until now. This more gregarious side of the Japanese producer is on display on Ongaku 1, the first in a new series of limited-edition 12-inch records from the DDS label.
This is Atobe's third 12-inch single. The first, Ship-Scope, is one of the greatest dub techno releases of all time, a transmission from a netherworld of sea and fog. The second, Rebuild Mix 1.2.3., was a low-stakes quickie for Jadac, and Ongaku 1 is more in that vein. It doesn't feel like something that washed up on a beach somewhere, rather a respected producer turning in solid work at the behest of his label. It doesn't show any sides of Atobe we didn't already know about, but it raises intriguing questions about his future and his next album (tentatively titled Discipline).
Atobe has been working in a sunnier style since 2018's Heat, influenced by classic deep house but keeping his usual air of unsettlement. With chords blooming deep in the mix and strings layered at melodic angles, "Ongaku 1" is like a lot of the other music he's made—he's great at it, even if the lack of surprise is a bit deflating. "Dub 6(six)," the B-side, is where things get more interesting. This is the first track he's made since Heat to point backwards towards the dubby depths of his earlier sound, creating rhythmic interest with webs of echo and stuttering synth choirs.
Atobe's tracklists are intriguing. His song titles usually end in a numeral, and numbers are often out of order or missing, as if what made it onto his releases is only a small curation from a vast archive (likely true). Yes had "Ocean 7" and "Ocean 1," and "Ocean 2" turned up on his next album Love of Plastic. Can we expect more "Ongaku" and "Dub" tracks? The latter in an exciting direction for the producer, pointing to an integration of his newer deep house sound with the bizarre sonic trickery of his earlier work. Even if Atobe no longer lives in mystery, his music is still best when it does.