Good DJs are deft vibe curators, but the best DJs—including stalwart Japanese techno producer Wata Igarashi—are also gifted storytellers. Now based in Amsterdam, Igarashi creates cerebral sets that combine the melty free-jazz spirit of Japanese psych rock with the journey-oriented narrative qualities in the vivid soundscapes of early video-game composers such as Koji Kondo. The result is a singular sense of world-building that’s dark and atmospheric without brutality or chaos. No matter the quest, Igarashi guides his listeners through the lows and highs of a moody, liquid universe filled equally with existential tension and buoyant relief.

Igarashi painstakingly considers his work from start to finish. Many DJs treat their albums like collections of ideas or attitudes to be remixed, but I

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