DJ Shufflemaster

by Jason BirchmeierTatsuya Kanamori quickly became one of the few Japanese techno producers to attain global prominence within the late-'90s hard techno scene with his productions and remixes as DJ Shufflemaster. Originally a committed member of the Tokyo-based Subvoice label, where he released a number of his early EPs, Kanamori's reputation outside of Japan was aided largely by his affiliation with European techno heavyweights such as Adam Beyer, Joel Mull, Ben Sims, and Cari Lekebusch. Having remixed and/or worked with these aforementioned artists as well as several other notables, it came as little surprise that Berlin-based Tresor, arguably the world's most universally recognized hard techno institution at the time, came knocking, offering Kanamori an opportunity to record his first full-length album. In 2001, EXP appeared via Tresor, a well-rounded LP filled to the brim with a number of dancefloor-orientated hard techno productions bearing Kanamori's trademark aesthetic, making him one of the first Japanese techno producers to attain global recognition.