Hitoshi Ohishi

Heat, tonight, 10pm

He may not be able to thrust out balls of energy, Street Fighter-style, from his hands, but the Tokyo native who headlines tonight's Fireball 2 party is making his presence felt in other ways.

In the eight years since he released his debut single on the British Primevil label, Hitoshi Ohishi (above) has been quietly climbing the ranks to become one of the most respected techno DJs that the Japanese capital has to offer. Shortly after his Hong Kong appearance at Fireball 2 tonight, he'll be returning to his hometown to take to the decks with Japanese electronic music icon Ken Ishii and 'godfather of Detroit techno' Derrick May.

The company Ohishi keeps these days doesn't phase him because his mission is simply 'to make good tunes, keep the crowd happy and have fun on the turntables'. His reputation is growing and he's widely recognised in his home country as a pioneer of Japanese techno. Local aficionados may mourn the lack of true techno in Hong Kong clubs and Ohishi agrees that people here are missing out. 'There is a totally different atmosphere with a guitar band and a DJ,' he says.

Although the Motor City has long been the home of techno, and pioneers such as May and Richie Hawtin have shaped the sound of an entire genre almost single-handedly, it might now be time to put your hands up for Tokyo. The scene in Japan is burgeoning, reminiscent of Detroit and the European capitals of techno in their heyday, and it is this banner that Ohishi brings to Hong Kong.

Although he enjoys playing to home crowds at top Tokyo clubs including Ageha, where he regularly plays the Clash night, he finds travelling to other cities an educational experience. 'Playing in Tokyo is my favourite and I've played in Taipei, but I like checking out new places. The crowds are different here. Outside of Japan, Hong Kong is my favourite Asian city to play in.'

Since putting out his first single Ohishi has released tracks on global techno labels Moon Age and Frogman, and even composed the music for a Converse TV commercial. As well as his Round Sell EP for Primevil, in 2005 he released debut album Parallel on Japanese label Colorve, and also gained some mainstream recognition, appearing on the WIRE02 festival compilation.

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