WOMB marks 25 years with Richie Hawtin & special sake collaboration

WOMB Tokyo is set to celebrate a major milestone this year, marking 25 years as a cornerstone of Japan’s electronic music scene.

On Saturday, April 19, the club will host a special anniversary event, bringing together a line-up that spans techno, house, and drum’n’bass, plus an exclusive sake collaboration with Richie Hawtin.

The main floor will feature the techno icon himself, live modular and vocal specialist Machìna, and seasoned selector Gonno. The experience will be further elevated by lighting expert AIBA and visuals from VJ MANAMI.

On the fourth floor, drum’n’ bass takes center stage with a jazz-infused liquid session from DJ AKi, DJ Toyo, Velocity, and DJ Keita—a nod to WOMB’s long-standing support for the genre.

Meanwhile, a one-night-only sake lounge will be set up on the first floor where guests can sample SPARK; the limited-edition sake created in collaboration with Richie Hawtin, WOMB, and Abe Sake Brewery. Tunes will be provided by Moodman, Satoshi Otsuki and Word of Mouth.

The event on April 19 is said to be the beginning of a year-long celebration, including a special party series and exclusive WOMB merchandise.

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“We’re grateful to have been able to keep WOMB running in the same location for 25 years. That said, the pandemic really forced a reset in many ways, including our branding and overall direction. In that sense, we feel like we’ve just undergone a renewal, and it may still take some time before we can truly see how this new phase of WOMB will influence Tokyo’s electronic music culture going forward,” WOMB shared with Mixmag Asia.

According to an interview with WOMB, Hawtin's passion for sake led him to launch ENTER.Sake in 2012 and later opened SAKE36 in Berlin, further strengthening his ties to Japanese craftsmanship.

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Hawtin reflects on his deep ties with WOMB: “My relationship with WOMB goes back many, many years and, of course, this is centred around music. However, many people do not know that in the background, WOMB has supported me in many other important areas of my life. […] It seemed natural to work together for their next special anniversary to celebrate in an authentic Japanese way, which, of course, meant combining music and sake once again!”

This new sparkling sake, inspired by Abe Sake Brewery’s SIRIUS, was created for the anniversary after Hawtin visited the brewery and was struck by its flavor, leading to this unique collaboration.

For more updates on WOMB's anniversary celebrations, follow the venue on Instagram here.

Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.

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