Richie Hawtin brings Plastikman back to Japan with “Polyphonic Fermentation” premiere

Richie Hawtin is taking Plastikman back to Japan for the first time in 16 years: the world premiere of “PLASTIKMAN | POLYPHONIC FERMENTATION” will close MUTEK.JP 2026 in Tokyo on 23 November. The show takes place at Box1000 in MoN Takanawa, with doors at 5pm and the performance at 6pm, and features all-new material, according to We Rave You.

The project, a live performance and installation inspired by Japanese sake, is a collaboration with visual artist Ali Demirel. In April the two visited the Gekkeikan brewery in Kyoto, Shinmasa in Akita and Yoshida Sake Brewery in Ishikawa, filming and making field recordings that they turned into a new audiovisual work. The title refers to multiple parallel fermentation, the process at the core of sake brewing, a world Hawtin has been involved with for around 20 years.

At the same venue, an immersive sound and image installation will open in a 100-mat tatami room, running on 23 November and again from 23 to 27 December, with free admission. The programme also includes a limited-edition Plastikman bottle by Aramasa Sake Brewery, handcrafted ochoko cups by Noriyuki Furutani and SHUWAN sake vessels.

Born in Banbury in 1970 and based in Canada, Hawtin is an electronic musician and producer associated with minimal techno. In October mbuzz reported that he had left WME after 15 years to join Dixon and Âme's TS Agency, and that he and Irish artist John Gerrard would host a 24-hour event in Paris during Art Basel Paris.