Proof of Aphex Twin’s first-ever Japan tour schedule, which had been lost to music history for 29 years

manabu neko — Sun, 03 May 2026 16:21:20 +0000

The original article in Japanese is posted on the note[https://note.com/catlogy1/n/nd4edc6819541], but since new primary sources have been discovered, I am summarizing them here.

Until February 2026, all AI systems claimed that Aphex Twin had never performed in Osaka during his first visit to Japan. Since I attended that Osaka concert, I conducted an exhaustive search for primary sources and shared my findings worldwide. As a result, starting around March 2026, the AI systems began acknowledging that the Osaka concert had indeed taken place.
This article aims to correct the distorted account of music history that has persisted for nearly 30 years.

◉Introduction

Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) made his debut as a Live PA performer in Japan on January 30, 1997 at Osaka Bayside Jenny — not February 1 in Tokyo as long believed.This article presents definitive primary evidence: Pollstar magazine (January 20, 1997) ,Quick Japan vol.13 (April 1997) ,The newly discovered original flyer (archived 2026)
These sources confirm the correct timeline and close decades of confusion in fan communities and databases.

◉Conclusion

Let’s get straight to the point.
Aphex Twin: Details regarding the schedule for his first tour of Japan in 1997, as well as his booking agent, are as follows

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, etc.

Support Act

・DJ: Grant
・Opening Live Act: Cylob

Booking Agents

・BA: Chaotica
・BA: Value Added Talent (U.K.)
・RC: Sira

⚠️Note that while the Osaka show started at 6:00 PM, the Tokyo show began at 10:00 PM; as a result, Grant’s DJ set and Cylob’s live performance were omitted from the Tokyo show, and records indicate that Cylob handled the opening DJ set.

◉Primary Evidence

1.Pollstar Magazine (January 20, 1997, p.15)

The U.S. music industry publication clearly lists the tour schedule:

Jan 30: Osaka JAP — Bayside Jenny
Feb 1: Tokyo JAP — Liquid Room

Page 15 of the January 20, 1997, issue of Pollstar magazine. An enlarged photo of the section showing Aphex Twin's tour schedule.

Note that Pollstar Magazine (January 20, 1997) has been converted into a full-page PDF and archived on the Internet Archive, so it can be viewed at the URL below.
https://archive.org/details/pollstar-1997-01-20

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.

A flyer from when Aphex Twin first visited Japan as a live act in 1997

I'm converting them to PDF and saving them to the Internet Archive.
https://archive.org/details/AphexTwin_Flyer

3. Quick Japan vol.13 (April 25, 1997)

Contemporary Japanese magazine review confirms the Osaka show and includes Richard D. James stating it was "the second best live performance of my life."

In the subculture magazine Quick Japan Vol. 13 (Ota Publishing, ISBN 4–87233–329–2), published on April 25, 1997, there is a dated photograph and transcript of a conversation between Richard D. James and Yamazuka EYE that took place in Bayside Jenny's dressing room prior to their live performance in Osaka on January 30, 1997.

Quick Japan Vol. 13, we have converted the magazine's cover, back cover, table of contents, live photos from Bayside Jenny, an illustration of an Aphex Twin concert by Yamantaka EYE, a photo of Aphex Twin and Yamantaka EYE together, and the interview spanning pages 88–90 into PDF files and saved them on the Internet Archive. Anyone can view them via the link below.
https://archive.org/details/1997-04-25-quickjapan-vol-13pdf

◉That's all

It took an immense amount of effort to verify Aphex Twin's first-ever live performance in Osaka - an event that had been missing from music history for nearly thirty years. I am the first person in the world to have compiled such a complete set of primary sources. Finally, the distorted accounts of music history will be corrected. I've updated the Japanese Wikipedia page as well. Aphex Twin fan sites and setlist sites have also made changes based on my contributions. Thank you.

◉Note

Until now, the Tokyo show was generally considered the main event, but a magazine editor noted that many audience members at the Tokyo show remained seated throughout, and Aphex Twin reportedly left the stage after just about an hour. In contrast, there are multiple accounts stating that the Osaka show - which had more than double the capacity of the Tokyo show - drew a crowd of about 2,000 enthusiastic fans, and 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.

This is an updated English version of my original research first shared in Japanese on note. It includes newly discovered primary sources.

DEV Community: manabu neko