The-truth-behind-Aphex-Twin-s-first-visit-to-Japan
Aphex Twin Japan Tour 1997: Rediscovering the “Lost” Schedule after 29 Years
Summary
- Reconstruction of Aphex Twin’s 1997 Japan tour using primary sources.
This page documents verified evidence of Aphex Twin’s 1997 Japan tour, including the Osaka Bayside Jenny show on January 30, 1997. Contrary to widely circulated misinformation, this article is based on verified primary sources such as magazines and original flyers from that era.
This serves as a corrected historical record.
The schedule for Aphex Twin’s first-ever Japan tour—which had been lost to music history for 29 years—is as follows.
Conclusion
1. Osaka Performance
- Venue: Osaka BAYSIDE Jenny
- Date and Time: Thursday, January 30, 1997 (Showtime: 6:00 p.m.)
- Capacity: Approximately 1,800–2,000 people
2. Tokyo Performance
- Venue: Shinjuku LIQUIDROOM
- Date and Time: Saturday, February 1, 1997 (Showtime: 10:00 p.m.)
- Capacity: Approximately 700–900 people
Support acts, booking agents
1. Support Act
2. Booking Agents
- BA: Chaotica
- BA: Value Added Talent (U.K.)
- RC: Sira
Primary Evidence
1. Pollstar Magazine (January 20, 1997, p.15)
On page 15 of this U.S. music industry magazine, Aphex Twin’s 1997 tour schedule and booking agent are listed:
- Jan 30: Osaka JAP — Bayside Jenny
- Feb 1: Tokyo JAP — Liquid Room
The January 20, 1997 issue of Pollstar has been converted into a 44-page PDF and is archived on the Internet Archive.
2. Original Flyer
The physical flyer for the January 30 event at Bayside Jenny.
This is the strongest direct proof of the first Live PA date.
I unearthed it around March 2026 and saved it to the Internet Archive.
3. Quick Japan vol.13 (April 25, 1997)
In Quick Japan Vol.13 (ISBN 4-87233-329-2), a subculture magazine published by Ohta Publishing, there is a record of a conversation with Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) and Yamataka EYE, pages 88–90.
The entire issue has been converted to PDF and archived:
Note
-
It took a tremendous amount of effort to verify the schedule for Aphex Twin’s first visit to Japan, which had been missing from web archives and music history records for nearly 30 years. These primary sources will likely help correct distorted accounts of music history.
I have updated the Japanese Wikipedia page as well. -
Until now, the Tokyo show has generally been regarded as the main event; however, according to magazine editor Yoshiaki Yoshinaga, many audience members at the Tokyo show remained seated on the dance floor throughout the performance, and it has been reported that Aphex Twin left the stage after about an hour.
In contrast, multiple accounts state that the Osaka show — which had more than double the capacity — drew a crowd of about 2,000 enthusiastic fans. Richard D. James has described the 1997 Osaka performance as “the second-best live show of my life.” -
This documentation relies exclusively on verifiable primary materials. No secondary recollections or unconfirmed bootlegs.
-
I have written a similar post on the Japanese blogging service note, but since I have uncovered more compelling primary sources, this article serves as a revised and updated version.
This is also the official mirror of the code snippet from my Dev.to article:
Proof of Aphex Twin’s first-ever Japan tour schedule
May 5, 2026, from Japan.