Wire Yokohama is an annual electronics music festival located at the Yokohama arena in Tokyo, Japan. It was started in 1999 by DJ Takkyu Ishino and is one of the most well known and attended techno festivals in Japan.
Going into its 10th year, Wire has become one of the premier events on the Techno music scene. The entire event goes on over 12 hours, starting at 6pm and lasting until 6AM the next morning. Wire brings in artists and DJs from around the world, with some stars coming from Germany, Beijing, Paris and London, while Tokyo commits most of the remaining artists that are often regulars in the Tokyo techno music scene.
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The first Wire event was held at the Yokohama arena in 1999. It featured only 6 DJ’s and 3 live acts. In 2000 it was 7 DJs and 4 live acts, and by 2005 the event was featuring over 25 different groups including 9 live acts and 13 DJs. Almost every act in Wire’s history was held at Yokohama Arena with the exception of 2001 and 2002, which were held at the Saitama Super Arena.
Today, Wire Yokohama is Tokyo’s largest indoor Techno event, attracting over 10,000 people each year.
Takkyu Ishino has been a Techno artist since the 1980’s, but released his first solo album in 1995. He began the Wire Yokohama events as a way to introduce Techno artists from other countries as well as showcase some of Tokyo’s own Techno artist scene.
This upcoming Wire event marks the 10th anniversary since the project’s inception. The 2008 Wire is scheduled to be held on August 30th, 2008. It features 15 different DJs, 12 different live artists, and 2 VJs. Like most of the other Wire’s, it is going to be held at the Yokohama Arena. Advanced tickets are 10,500 Yen. Techno Music CD’s commemorating the 10th anniversary are on sale in stores and on Wire’s homepage.