When I first got exposed to the psychedelic trance sound of 1994 in the autumn of that year, each party was a unique event where I went to experience music in a way I had never encountered before. One of those formative events was hearing Tsuyoshi perform as a DJ at an Odyssey party in Tokyo in November 1994 – it was about two months after I first started attending parties, and it was Tsuyoshi’s first appearance back in his native city since moving to London to start Matsuri Records. The high-energy cosmic sound of his set stuck with me, even though this music  was still a language I didn’t fully comprehend. A mixtape that I still treasure, made for me around that time by Jay (aka DJ Spoo), the organizer of those Odyssey parties, included an amazing track Tsuyoshi co-produced with Nick Taylor in their Prana project – ‘Indigo’ – and this became one of the flavours of music that I came to love.

Over the next two years in Japan, I heard him twice more, in September ’95 (again for Odyssey) and in July ’96, before I myself moved to London in September ’96. Two weeks after moving there, however, I took a trip to New York city, where Tsuyoshi was among the representatives of this musical movement at a legendary event, Return To The Source’s party at the Liberty Science Centre, a massive venue where the trance dance-floor was below  a 4-story atrium. Tsuyoshi played last (5 to 6am) in a jam-packed all-star line-up of one-hour sets that featured Medicine Drum, Green Nuns of the Revolution, Doof, Hallucinogen, Transwave, and Mark Allen. Among the final tracks he played in a set that whipped the crowd into a frenzy unlike any I’d seen was a new track he had co-produced  with his new collaborator in Prana – Andy Guthrie – called Boundless, which had spiralling cascades and an uplifting mood that made it a massive hit at the time. The impact on the crowd in New York, most of whom had never heard psychedelic trance before, was indescribable. (The photo on the left was taken at that event with a 3D camera.)

I would hear the master play this track at many parties over the coming years – in London, Paris, the US, and throughout Japan – and it always had a big impact on the crowd. At the time, the brilliant VJ producer Matsuki worked with Matsuri to produce this video which aired on MTV (unfortunately the quality below is not the best but this excerpt gives you an idea):

Fast-forward to 2013: the retro psychedelic trance scene is going strong, as music fans who were too young to attend parties back in the scene’s formative years are spellbound by the musical language of that experimental time. Matsuri has rebranded as Matsuri Digital and are beginning a series of releases that includes remixes of Boundless. And for a New Year’s event, they plan the first ever Prana live set with the members from both its incarnations: Nick Taylor, Andy Guthrie, and of course, Tsuyoshi. There had never been a Prana live set during Andy’s work with the group, and only a couple in its early years with Nick (I remember my disappointment upon moving to London to never see the project on the bill as a live act) – the prospect of all the members coming together some two decades after its first incarnation was tantalizing to say the least.

While I didn’t expect to be able to be in Japan for the performance, things did align for that to happen. I was fortunate enough to find myself in a position to attend rehearsals to document what to trance fans truly was a historic occasion. When I first arrived at Tsuyoshi’s DJ and production school, IDPS, Tsuyoshi and Andy were patching  the equipment and running through the track list… and Boundless was the track that was on as soon as I walked in.  

When Nick came in a short while later, it was a happy reunion of old friends and colleagues that gave the impression that they had all always worked together. That sense deepened when Nick set up his equipment as Andy and Tsuyoshi continued to work through the set that they had started, and Nick seamlessly, without a word, joined in the music-making. There was not a word about the music exchanged prior to this – granted, they had discussed by email the tracklist and what they would each be doing (various effects and samples over the remastered tracks), but nevertheless the fluidity with which they worked together in person was staggering. This continued on Day 2, when they refined their use of effects and timing:

The New Year’s event itself – Countdown Festival: Shine A Light – was held at Shinjuku FACE, formerly Liquid Room, a space where in the ’90s I’d been to many events, including several played by Tsuyoshi (one of them recounted here). The place hasn’t really changed, and when I arrived around 7pm there was a sound check underway. And it’s no real surprise which track they happened to be going through when I walked in…

The party featured a number of great performers, including the legendary KUDO, who Tsuyoshi and Nick used to dance to back before they formed Prana, playing the set at midnight after the countdown. At 130am, Prana took to the stage and played their hour-long set to a wildly receptive crowd – more than the video can convey…

This was not the last echoes of Boundless that would be heard this night. Tsuyoshi played an absolutely blinding DJ set from 4 to 530 in the morning, featuring retro tracks blended with newer remixes of classic tunes, and demonstrating the same captivating energy and palpable excitement that he generated at the many parties I heard him play in the ’90s. Among the amazing tracks he played was this thoroughly kicking remix of Boundless by Funky Gong, part of Matsuri Digital’s second EP release (not yet issued at the time of the party):

It was a night to remember (there are many more wonderful photos at the Matsuri Digital website here), and is not the last Prana live set that trance fans will witness. There was talk of other performances to come (negotiations for Israel were already underway and a May 6 date has been set) – and the idea was raised about perhaps producing some new tracks… Stay tuned – the possibilities are, indeed, boundless…

In the meantime – Matsuri Digital have published an mp3 of the live set on their Mixcloud page here – enjoy!

PRANA Live recording at Matsuri Digital Countdown festival 2013-2014 -Shine a Light- by Matsuri Digital Official on Mixcloud