We are proud to announce the next installment of our popular multi-artist compilation, Virtual Dreams: Virtual Dreams - Ambient Explorations in the House and Techno Age, Japan 1993-1999. As with Part One, released in 2020, Virtual Dreams II shines a light on house and techno-adjacent music that redefined ambient music during the 1990s.
While Part One focused heavily on music from European techno and house producers, exploring new soundtracks for chill-out rooms and reimagining the future of club culture, Part Two narrows the lens to a unique time and place: Japan between 1993-1999. Despite missing out on the "Acid House Fever," Japan's club culture began to take shape in the early '90s. Unlike the rest of the world, where ambient techno/IDM emerged as a byproduct or response to the scene, "listening techno" was a central pillar of Japan's club culture from the start.
Virtual Dreams II aims to shine a light on this unique moment when ambient music threaded through the emerging club culture in Japan. This period saw the birth of many great Japanese techno labels, such as Sublime Records, Transonic Records, Syzygy Records, Frogman Records, and Form@ Records, which followed in the late '90s. The compilation features ambient, chill-out, and intelligent techno from these leading labels alongside lesser-known but equally influential imprints, as well as ambient deviations from Japanese house producers. Much of the music has only ever been released on CD.
Virtual Dreams II is compiled by Eiji Taniguchi and Jamie Tiller, who previously collaborated on Music From Memory releases such as Heisei No Oto and Dream Dolphin - Gaia. This project is especially poignant as it is the final one Jamie Tiller worked on before his tragic passing in 2023. Jamie had been researching, planning, and compiling this edition of Virtual Dreams even before the first chapter was released, believing that many great tracks in Japan fit the series' concept. Knowing how much love and energy he put into this compilation gives it a special place in our hearts.
Compiled by Jamie Tiller and Eiji Taniguchi, with artwork by Kenta Senekt, design by Steele Bonus, and liner notes by Itaru W. Mita, MFM072 will be released on 2xLP, 2xCD, and digitally on October 15th, 2024.
