WIRE 06 @ YOKOHAMA ARENA

WIRE 06

WIRE 06 @ YOKOHAMA ARENA

DATE : 2nd October, 2006 (Sat)
DJs : Disco Twins, Felix Krocher, Fumiya Tanaka, Jeff Mills, Ken Ishii, Michael Mayer, Richie Hawtin, Takkyu Ishino, Westbam,Toby
Live Acts : Afra &Incredible Beatbox Band, Alexander Kowalski, Alter Ego, Beroshima, Hardfloor, Joris Voorn, Ryukyudisko, Secret Cinema, TokTok
Special Guest Live : Nitzer Ebb
PHOTOGRAPHER : Main Floor Photos by Tsukasa Miyoshi _ 2nd Room Photos by Takayuki Mishima
TEXT : Nick Lawrence

Another massive lineup for another massive Wire festival. So many artists to choose from and so many tough decisions to make. Loveparade aficionado Westbam or local hero Fumiya Tanaka? Greasy chicken tacos or oily ramen? Best bet is just to go with the flow and enjoy the whole event. The onstage antics of Nitzer Ebb and their newly added blonde accomplice proved a good example for the new generation of attentionphobic producers. No hiding behind laptops for these 80’s icons, just plenty of mistimed mimed drumming and a whole lot of strutting. The basslines were amazingly catchy despite their obvious simplicity and by the end of the set McCarthy’s voice was no doubt hoarse from all the energetic screaming.




Upstairs, after a lengthy wait to get in the door, Beroshima played up to the Wire crowd’s love of that classic techno sound, something that Michael Mayer wasn’t willing to succumb to as he took over the decks. The sudden evacuation of the second floor room showed that most who had made their way out to Yokohama weren’t interested in much that occurred under 130bpm. Before the end of the Kompakt boss’ set it was time for Ken Ishii to command his loyal acolytes to head down the stairs to the well organized but main room with its multiple fenced off sections. This didn’t bode well for Alexander Kowalski, and his 90’s inspired sound, who had to play his little heart out to draw the crowds away from Ishii’s hard-edged beats. Alter Ego took their very brief time on stage to convince Japan there is more to their repertoire than ‘Rocker’. Some faces even showed a little bit of confusion at the sight of two shadows behind the controls, thanks to the popular but misguided belief that Roman Flugel is the sole proprietor of the Alter Ego brand. However, baffled or otherwise, everyone at Yokohama Arena was more than happy to rock out.





The second Richie Hawtin stepped up to the mixer it was abundantly clear that he was out to dispel any fears that he would let the festival atmosphere devour his minimal style. With visuals from his “DE9: Transitions” DVD playing on the big screen Richie took the Arena deeper and deeper until he’d almost reached the centre of the earth, at which point he blew all heads apart with the killer material to finish off. Unlike Mr. Hawtin, Jeff Mills was keen as mustard to appease the Wire gods and whip up the classic techno tunes. ‘Strings of Life’ and ‘The Bells’ were enthusiastically pulled from the crate and dusted off which as expected brought every techno kid to their knees, clutching their Wire merchandise as they were overcome with feelings of joy. During Richie and Jeff’s time in the main arena Felix Kroecher with his hard as nails techno and Tokyo boy Toby had the second floor stage packed to the rafters. In what looked like a scene from Disneyland, the masses reluctantly waited to gain entrance. In between the two sets from the German and the Japanese DJs, Secret Cinema delivered his trademark mish mash of house, techno, trance and minimal to all those who managed to cram themselves inside the modestly sized room. The Dutch producer must’ve been brimming with pride after seeing the turn out for Mayer a few hours earlier, as he danced away at the back of the room unnoticed. Ears ringing with the sounds of techno and stomach churning with beer and fatty foods many Wire followers took the long train ride home to Tokyo while others were lucky enough to enjoy a short cab ride home to their Yokohama homes.

Party Report : Wire05 @ Yokohama Arena (16/07/2005)