Shinichi Atobe

Elusive Japanese producer Shinichi Atobe's sound has evolved from abstract, dubby minimal techno to brighter, more melodic deep house. Originally appearing in 2001 with an EP on cult dub techno label Chain Reaction, the artist had disappeared for over a decade when British duo Demdike Stare convinced him to release further material. Atobe's debut full-length, Butterfly Effect, was issued to much acclaim in 2014, and he continued releasing albums, including warmer, sunnier efforts like 2018's Heat and 2022's Love of Plastic. In 2001, techno producer Shinichi Atobe issued the Ship-Scope EP, the 34th of Chain Reaction's 35 12" releases. It arrived that December with minimal fanfare, as was standard for the Berlin-based label, but the tracks "Plug and Delay" and "The Red Line" were eventually recognized for being among dub techno's top tier. Demand was greater than supply. Copies subsequently changed hands for triple-digit U.S. dollar amounts. Atobe wasn't heard from again until 2014, after Demdike Stare's Miles Whittaker and Sean Canty tracked him down and obtained an assortment of material that they shaped into an album, Butterfly Effect, which they subsequently released through their DDS imprint. Compact disc, vinyl, and digital download editions were made available. The following year, the duo had a remastered edition of Ship-Scope issued on 12" and cassette, and as a digital download. A second DDS LP, World, appeared in 2016, while Jadac Recordings issued an EP titled Rebuild Mix 1.2.3. Atobe's third full-length, From the Heart, It's a Start, a Work of Art, was released by DDS in 2017. His next album, Heat, included a picture of a car on a beach as its cover art, rather than the minimalist, monochromatic designs of his previous efforts. The music also veered toward deep house rather than chilly dub techno. Atobe continued in this more melodic house direction with his subsequent albums, 2020's Yes and 2022's Love of Plastic.
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