7 November 2026
The project will make its world premiere at MUTEK.JP in Tokyo on 23 November, alongside a month-long audiovisual installation
Richie Hawtin and visual artist Ali Demirel have announced a new audiovisual collaboration, ‘PLASTIKMAN | POLYPHONIC FERMENTATION’, set to make its world premiere at MUTEK.JP in Tokyo on 23 November.
Combining electronic music, moving images and field recordings, the project explores the Japanese tradition of sake brewing and the organic process of fermentation. The premiere will also mark the first performance under Hawtin’s Plastikman alias in Japan in 16 years.
The project was developed following the pair’s visits to three Japanese sake breweries in April 2026, including Gekkeikan in Kyoto, Aramasa in Akita and Yoshida in Ishikawa. Footage and field recordings captured during these visits form the basis of the audiovisual work, bringing the sounds and imagery of sake production into Hawtin’s electronic compositions and Demirel’s visual arrangements.
“Our creative process is very similar to fermentation. Sounds and images begin as tiny, separate particles, then evolve symbiotically, forming stronger, interwoven ideas.With POLYPHONIC FERMENTATION, Ali and I take this even further, allowing the organic process of brewing sake to inspire both the sonic and visual layers of this new work,” Richie Hawtin said.
Alongside the live premiere at MoN Takanawa’s Box1000 on 23 November, the artists will present an accompanying installation in the venue’s TATAMI space, running until 27 December.
The performance will take place on the final day of MUTEK.JP 2026, which focuses on electronic music, audiovisual expression and digital creativity.
