quête:dj nobu on

The artwork is from a painting by Syoujou Ooido (Nara, Japan) used with kind permission.

In a landslide of writhing textures and hypnotic rhythm, prolific techno explorer DOLTZ. returns to DJ Nobu's Bitta imprint for an expansive album that foregrounds his skill creating living, breathing soundscapes out of pure synthesis. Since debuting in 2020, Shun Watanabe has issued a steady stream of LPs and EPs that quickly established him at the forefront of techno innovation in the Japanese scene. It was natural then for him to forge a connection with DJ Nobu's celebrated Bitta label via 2024 release Inception EP, a forthright club-focused statement to balance out his more experimental output on Muzan Editions and other labels. Elsewhere, Watanabe has also been developing a fruitful collaboration with German techno veteran Tobias Freund, resulting in two bold yet elegant albums on Dutch label Delsin. On Final Trace, the DOLTZ. sound is steered with purpose towards tactile sonic terrain where microscopic detail rewards the patient listener. He explains a core inspiration for the album was Kobo Abe's avant-garde 1960s novel Woman In The Dunes, which drew on repetition and the quiet madness of an inescapable environment. That manifests as a forbidding demeanour that courses throughout Final Trace, detectable in every slithering trail of static interference and mind-warping tonal loop. This is expertly sculpted wormhole techno of the highest calibre, delivered by an artist with the creative spark to make something visceral and thrilling out of a technically advanced approach. The power of Final Trace lies in the subtlety of its progression as a seemingly incessant refrain slowly morphs before your ears, but this is far from a static album. From the mesmerising throb and thrilling crescendo of 'Faz' to the sprightly ripples and pulses darting across 'Resonance', there is a constant sense of movement and the bright-eyed wonder of new ground being broken at every turn. It's the perfect summation of everything exciting about Watanabe's rich expression as DOLTZ. -- stunning sonics driven by brilliant ideas.

On 27 March, fabric Originals presents Shō, a five track EP of introspective, transcendent electronics from Japanese techno icon DJ Nobu. Inspired by the Buddhist Brahmavihāras - joy, compassion, loving-kindness and equanimity - Shō unfolds as a meditative, emotional journey rooted in Nobu’s experiences of Tokyo, mindfulness and inner clarity. From kinetic renewal to serene minimalism, the EP channels presence, acceptance and the simple truth that breathing itself is living.

Each track on ‘Shō’ marks a step in an emotional and spiritual journey, channelling the foundational virtues of the Brahmavihāras, which are the four ‘Sublime States’ of Buddhist practice: ‘Muditā’ (joy), ‘Karuṇā’ (compassion), ‘Mettā’ (loving-kindness), and ‘Upekkhā’ (equanimity). Together these principles form a path towards an open, boundless heart, which is mirrored in the EP’s unfolding sonic narrative.

“In recent years I became overly sensitive to my surroundings and society, finding myself strongly affected by every daily occurrence. It was during this time that I discovered meditation. And beyond that lay Buddhism. Through this, my sensibilities became able to express themselves more naturally. I decided to portray my feelings, and the scenery in Tokyo, conveying what I was experiencing in real-time, as music.

The EP title ‘Shō’ denotes views, thoughts, and actions aligned with Buddhist truth, and encapsulates my striving for presence, clarity, and acceptance. It also represents the conscious, mindful understanding that simply breathing is living.” DJ Nobu

2025 Repress
30 years of Fuse means 30 years of road paving.

An ode to the past and a hint to the future, Fuse shares this milestone with its original guests from 1994 all the way to its fresh party goers of the past years as a promise to keep its dance floor focused on quality music and timeless moments.

In over a quarter century, the Brussels club has stood the test of time by rooting itself in ageless music and employing pioneering artists - large or small, international or local - to command the decks of Belgium's longest running dance floor. A celebration of this legacy and the renewed imprint is in order, coming in the form of a 30 track compilation of techno's best and brightest from around the world. One track for one year, this collection of recordings highlights the status quo of enduring club music, beginning with a nod to the past: a re-release of Jeff Mills iconic 'Step to Enchantment' from 1993. This glance to the past quickly shoots us forward into the current state of techno with legendary artists like Planetary Assault Systems, DVS1, Steffi, Rodhad, Donato Dozzy, DJ Nobu and many others who headlined the club in recent years. Cementing itself as a respected escapist institution, Fuse also calls on its growing local scene to prove why Brussels continues to remain a reference in the scene even outside of its own borders.

Nous'klaer Audio is proud to present a stellar line-up of remixers for Nadia Struiwigh's third album Pax Aurora. DJ Nobu kicks things off with his mind-bending IDM version of Nana. Followed by JakoJako's pulsating hypnotic metamorphosis of Dreaming About Rollercoasters. On the flip, Om Unit turns the healing sounds of Organic into a powerful club tool fusing influences of jungle, dubstep & electronica. The record is completed by Norwegian classical artist Julia Gjertsen, whose layered pianos playfully transform Feroit into a stunning kosmische track.

Focusing on tracks released between the late 1970s and 1980s, the selection spans from major artists beloved by music fans—such as Terumasa Hino and Sadao Watanabe—to hidden gems.
Carefully curated not by fame or signature songs, but with an emphasis on "fresh-sounding tracks to rediscover now," it’s a collection tailor-made for fans of city pop and DJs digging into Japanese grooves.
The jacket design was specially illustrated by STEREOTENNIS, known for their popular 1980s-inspired graphics.

Nobukazu Takemura"s music is singular in its ability to create a musical sense of childlike wonder and curiosity, with gracefully executed yet complex compositions. His pieces embody an innocence and the intricacies of self discovery that every human is faced with as their worlds become more complex. An acclaimed producer and composer, Takemura is known for his idiosyncratic music and video artistry as well as his prolific collaborations including those with Tortoise, Yo La Tengo, DJ Spooky and Steve Reich. knot of meanings, Takemura"s first proper album in a decade, finds the Japanese artist wrestling with the rise of technological influence on art and culture in the modern era, in tandem with his own relationship to religion, and where those struggles meet. Like the colorful, irregularly shaped glasses on the cover, the album is a mosaic of technicolor elements that come together to form a complete picture, a dense portrait of interconnected struggles and triumphs.

Mirae Arts proudly presents The Way I Am and The Way You Yawn, the debut album from Katsunori Sawa under his KWARP alias. This six-track release explores the fleeting nature of youth and the weariness of aging, blending Sawa’s experimental roots with fresh, modular synthesizer-driven soundscapes.
From the forward-driving hi-hats and alien voices of "Frog FM" to the mechanical aggression of "Ultra," the album offers an imaginative auditory journey. Highlights include the playful chaos of "PlayStation" and the metallic rhythms of "Metal Gear."
About Katsunori Sawa: First emerging on the scene in 2008 as EOC with his debut on the UK-based Ai Records, Sawa has steadily built a reputation for innovation and collaboration within the underground music community. He co-founded the influential 10 Label and has paired his talents with an array of respected artists, including Yuji Kondo (as Steven Porter), Martsman (under the moniker Bokeh), and DJ Nobu (Nobusawa). These alliances have birthed releases on prestigious labels like Kynant Records, SNTS, and Token.
Creating his sound in a hidden studio set within a striking Tadao Ando-designed building, Sawa crafts a sonic landscape that fuses rhythmic noise with pulsating bottom-end rave abstractions. His work reached new heights with an album on Opal Tapes, making him the label’s first Japanese artist and firmly establishing his place in the global music conversation. His tracks have even been woven into the sets of electronic stalwarts such as Aphex Twin.
* Artwork by Jesse Osborne-Lanthier

Following up on the Hayal EP in 2023, Dutch techno refractor Konduku makes a welcome return to Bitta with another four cuts of prismatic club fuel. Throughout his consistent output Ruben Uvez applies non-standard ideas to the techno formula, toying with rhythm and eliciting transcendental atmospheres from unusual patterns. This mode of exploration continues unabated on Gazoz, with the title track in particular leaning on a full-frequency, one-note synth pulse which dominates the mix and becomes truly hypnotic in its relentless presence. In the wrong hands it would come off garish, but ?vez knows how to weave subtlety around such forthright sonics to create a sublime sonic experience. 'Mikros' aligns with Konduku's more recognisable palette -- taut, bell-like rhythmic threads that balance delicacy and impact while tunnelling into mysterious, introspective zones. Aimed squarely at the heads-down section of the night, 'Luna' strides forth with a decisive dub techno palette and finds space for expression and progression in the most linear of arrangements. In true B2 style, 'Inici' rounds the EP out with a more fractured approach centred on reversed kicks and psychoactive arps riding wide and slow pitch bends for a mind-melting finish running at a formidable pace. As well as showcasing Konduku at his best, the sound on Gazoz serves as an extension of Bitta boss DJ Nobu's own particular tastes in techno -- brain-tweaking machine music crafted from supple parts, honed for the club without being limited by it.

2024 Repress

at mule musiq, we've focused on shining light on the many aspects of what electronic music can be, putting out house, techno and ambient releases on our main label, while releasing alternative-leaning dance music through our endless flight imprint. but with the launch of our new label, studio mule, we are stepping away from electronic club music for a bit. the label will not be tied to a specific genre, as we will instead focus on releasing any kind of music that we feel is a little bit different and interesting, but somehow make sense in this day and age. for our first batch of releases, we will be focusing on japanese music.
to be honest, i have been watching the recent rise of global interest in japanese music with a skeptical eye, not sure of how to feel about all these labels overseas licensing great albums that were birthed in our country. but then, i was told by somebody i greatly respect that i should do something similar with mule, and put our own spin on it, which sounded like a good idea to me. after a period of procrastination, i finally got around to doing it. we are starting things off with a compilation of japanese disco, boogie and soul music that we selected from a modern dance music perspective — the kind of songs that we feel would intrigue music fans across the world.
at first, i started seeking authentic-sounding disco that sound like it could have been recorded in the states, but after struggling to get licensing rights for many of those tracks, i started to wonder if that was really the direction we should be going in. when we start new labels or projects, we often come up with the title or artwork first, before deciding on the actual music. we came up with the title midnight in tokyo first, which dictated that we needed to find music that would be a perfect soundtrack to listen to at night in tokyo. we ended up compiling a selection of tracks that you could both listen to at home, and play in clubs at certain time slots. the compilation also ended up sounding a lot more pop than we initially imagined...
during the selection process, we did not care whether the tracks have been reissued already or not, and how rare the original copies of the records were. our sole purpose was to gather a handful of songs from across labels, major or otherwise, that we felt could be listened to for many years to come — even after this whole japanese music trend dies down. although we put together this release mainly for listeners outside of japan, the compilation can also be a chance for japanese music lovers to rediscover the greatness of domestic music, as we did during the process.
the compilation starts off with the afro disco classic 'mi mi africa' by harmonica player nobuo yagi, which was also included in the compilation mastercuts.
'silver top' is a jazzy fusion disco taken from composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist nobuyuki shimizu's first album, which he released when he was 19. the track features singer epo, whom he worked with many times over the years as an arranger.
'samba night' is by vocalist keisuke yamamoto and his band piper, from their masterpiece second album summer breeze. a delightful city pop number that should appeal to tatsuro yamashita fans.
'akogareno sundown' is a japanese soul classic, sang by singer haruko kuwana (the sister of well-known musi-cian masahiro kuwana). recorded in hawaii and produced by mackey feary band, known for the soulful classic 'a million stars.'
'koiwa saiko (i'm in love)' is a mellow and groovy track by singer aru takamura, the great-grandchild of sculptor kouun takamura, whose son kotaro takamura is a famed poet and sculptor. can be thought of as japan's answer to cheryl lynn's 'got to be real.'
'what the magic is to try' is a cult electropop track by honma express, a project helmed by producer kanji honma. hailed as japan's trevor horn, he is also known as the producer of legendary techno pop band tpo.
'colored music' is a song by colored music, a duo of pianist ichiko hashimoto and her partner atsuo fujimoto, who have gone on tour with ymo. taken from colored music's sole album, the japanese rare groove treasure is a mesh of new wave, synth pop and jazz influences.
the dubby electronic new wave disco 'electric city' is a b side of pop idol group shohjo-tai's debut 12' single, but the girls aren't actually singing on it, making the instrumental one of japan's greatest '80s dance tracks.
'love is the competition' is a breezy disco jam by okinawa-born bilingual artist hitomi tohyama. featured on her album next door, the song's melody seems like an interpolation of the whispers' 'it's a love thing.'
taken from mariah project's diva yumi murata's first album, 'krishna' is a funky and soulful rockin' disco cut.reminiscent of chaka khan's 'i know you, i live you,' 'live hard, live free' is a song by jazz vocalist eri ohno who is known for her work with dj krush and singing on the soundtrack to anime rupin the third.
'rocket 88' is a melancholic disco number by singer minnie. though the track was released through sapporo's independent label paradise records, the superb production quality suggests otherwise.
closing out the 13-track compilation is japanese disco staple 'tokyo melody,' sang by half african and half swedish american singer shoody and backed by tetsuji hayashi's disco band the eastern gang.

Nobu welcomes Japanese sound artist Doltz to his Bitta imprint for a full pack of hypnotic techno. Doltz started his musical career in 1998 as a drummer in a hardcore punk band, and had a fateful encounter with DJ Nobu, who shares the same musical roots, when they were billed alongside each other at a party called 'Broad' in Fukuoka-city in the winter of 2022. Impressed by Doltz's live performance, DJ Nobu immediately booked him for his residency party 'reprise' at Womb Tokyo. Set the stage for Doltz's sensational debut in Tokyo. The two hit it off and began exchanging tracks, with DJ Nobu actively playing out Doltz's tracks while touring across the world and receiving a good response. This first EP on Bitta consists of four of such tracks that were tested and proven. Doltz has already released several deeper techno and ambient works under the alias, but his encounter with DJ Nobu has allowed him to show his new potential on trippy and powerful tracks that are more dancefloor-oriented, and he has made rapid progress as an electronic music producer over the past year. More to come.

“Sabura Djâ Nfrontam" by one of the biggest names in the triumph of the electrification
of Funaná, the great José Casimiro. The album was recorded in 1981, celebrates
music made in Portuguese-speaking Africa, and was finally reissued.

After the success of their first full length album Midnight Ensemble, it's now time for a massive remixpack divided in 2 EP's; Part 1 followed by Part 2 (which will be follow soon after this).

The Dynamic duo asked some of their close friends, label residents and inspirators to rework all of the tracks taken from the original album.

On Part 1 you will find remixes from DJ Nobu, Rrose, Jeroen Search on the 12" added by 2 Digital Bonus tracks bij Pyramidal Decode and Hitam.

Expect a diverse range of techno cuts and ambient drones as you are used to
from Dynamic Reflection.

Originally conceived as a standard EP, the remixes of The Human & Assets' original composition Jugem Jugem have proven to be an eclectic array of high-quality tracks, ranging from warm and rounded minimal sounds to rumbling low-end rigidness - and a few classic techno bombs to round things off.

The project turned into a two-disc collection of remixes, each giving the listener a specific and original flavour of electronica. Remix duties were masterfully executed by Japan's own Ko-ta, known by his sly releases on DJ Nobu's Bitta label; rising underground marvel and Edit Select Record's household name Linear System, with his hypnotic syncopations - and to finish the release off in massive style, French heavyweight Moteka (Skryptom) brings his colossal version of the original.

London-based leftfield electronic label BleeD makes a worthy return from a lengthy sabbatical, reinvigorated with a diverse collection of tracks from Berlin-based talent, Lårry. Having previously established trusted relationships with leading artists including Daniel Avery, DJ Nobu and Peder Mannerfelt, BleeD ably assists in delivering on the promise of one of the most notable young talents currently working on the fringes of contemporary techno. Thus far showcased on impeccably curated labels such as Uncertainty Principle, Super Hexagon, Fusion Diagnostics and Awkwardly Social, their flair for surgical sound-design and off-kilter arrangements puts them in good company with equally exciting contemporaries such as FFT and Panarorman/Patrick Conway.

The EP covers a lot of ground across 6 tracks, from the gloomy atmospherics of 'Plunicceteh' and 'CMml CoE3", and the peak-hours stomp of 'systems_component' on the A-side, to the warmer and more uplifting B-side tracks, 'Ria Ilso', 'We Are We Are' and 'Over The Why'. It's a fine showcase of an artist with a broad range of influences who with each successive release is carving out a genuinely unique sound.

Versatility does not even come close to describing how the humble Japanese ¥ØU$UK€ ¥UK1MAT$U is considered to be one of the best DJs in the world by many of his peers. From his debut at DJ Nobu’s FUTURE TERROR event to performing 3 years consecutively at Berlin Atonal Festival, Yukimatsu’s sets have to be heard for you to understand.

In this special mix album, Yukimatsu gathers round his producer friends to build vessels of the story structure. Threading the pages together, interweaved by friendship and sine waves, he has crafted a masterful presentation from their individual messages. Pulling and stretching all sonic shapes and shades while exploring the farthest reaches of sound, the result is a frequency soup of twelve outstanding tracks that when sequenced together, become part of a greater, grander story: Midnight is Comin’.

From the sound art experimentations of orhythmo – Nagel and wide yawning strings in Ryo Murakami – Reminiscence to the rhythmic slo-mo haze of Sapphire Slows – Hinotori and the exponentially pulsing colours from DJ Nobu - Yakou Gai. The DMT-like spacious virtual meditation hall of KEIHIN – Exhale follows the uneasy footsteps of YPY – MS to the intermissioning chapter of City – 9K. Fall into the wormhole of COMPUMA –Flowmotion (IN DUB) and be transported to the reverb-drenched, intimate experience of Coni – Ängelsbäcksstrand, the primal invocations of Gabber Modus Operandi – Kisah (which also means story in Bahasa Indonesian) to the transcendent notes of SPINNUTS - Zweimal schlafen atmosphäre. The soaring universe of Albino Sound – Celestial Sphere wraps up the album with crystalline notes.

“Versatile is not even close to describing his music selection and mixing skills as he plays anything without prejudice and is purely music loving. He is extremely humble, can mix anything and make it sound interesting.” – nolens.volens (Bangkok, Thailand)

DJ Nobu's Bitta welcomes Refracted. The Spanish producer delivers four expertly crafted cuts of his deep diving techno, fully embracing Bitta's hypnotic and energetic approach. Nobu: "Refracted is a unique techno producer whose work I have been playing in my sets for a long time". And the respect is mutual. Where Refracted witnessed many DJ sets of Nobu in person. "As a fan he experienced a number of my open air sets that were important to me, I think he has developed a complete understanding of what style of track works best on the dance floor in my sets".

Swedish vinyl only label Kvalia Records breaks a 9-month silence by introducing a meticulously executed 3 track ep by DJ Nobu and Artefakt. Hiiro consists of two original, psychedelic techno trips produced by DJ Nobu, and one re-interpretive sonic journey by Artefakt.