Ken Ishii & David Castellani unveil powerful first collaboration ‘Obia’

Share This Article

Created over a year-long period, Ken Ishii and David Castellani share their stunning first collaboration, ‘Obia’.

The pair have shared a musical kinship ever since Ishii remixed Castellani’s ‘Hyperstop’ in early 2023. Whenever the Japanese techno legend would tour LA, they’d link up, with a shared studio date always on the cards. It finally happened during an extended stay in November 2024. Not only did Ishii join the line-up of Noetic’s first LA showcase, but a free-flowing studio jam eventuated from which the thrilling three-track ‘Obia’ was born. The production process was fluid and instinctive, with the pair relishing the use of various analogue hardware, before embarking on a year of detailed focus to complete the tracks remotely.

The EP kicks off with the rugged ‘Eidolon’. Equal parts patient and powerful, it builds intensity through shadowed atmospheres, hypnotic pulses and fragments of sound that seem to appear from a distance. A track to get lost in.

‘Obia’ is a galloping force, moving between pressure, repetition and controlled disruption. Standing out for its sonic detail, it’s marked by spectral details that flicker briefly before dissolving back into the mix, while building energy with subtle shifts in texture and tension.

‘Phantasma’ – meaning ghostly apparition – embodies an otherworldly energy, combining mechanical momentum with shifting waves of tension. The track is highlighted by descending tonal forms which move through the arrangement like passing hallucinations, bringing a distinct sense of character while preserving its hypnotic foundation.

“It’s been extremely special to collaborate with such a talented and experienced artist such as Ken. Collaborations can generally be complicated and difficult to find a flow – working with Ken was a breeze as the process moved with ease and fluidity. I’m very proud of the three tracks that we’ve crafted and love how both of our voices come together.” – David Castellani

“Our musical approaches are not the same, but we totally relate to each other’s artistic attitudes. We have done remixing, been in a studio for jam sessions, and played together at events so far. Now we are finally releasing these collaborative tracks. I truly enjoyed the collaboration and crafting every sound used for the tracks.” – Ken Ishii

More info on Ken Ishii:

Since emerging in 1993, Ken Ishii has remained one of techno’s most influential and internationally recognised figures. His debut album ‘Garden On The Palm’ topped NME’s UK Techno Chart, while the iconic ‘Extra’, taken from his landmark ‘Jelly Tones’ album on R&S, won MTV’s Dance Video of the Year in 1996, cementing his status as a pioneer of Japanese electronic music. Across a career spanning more than three decades, Ishii has produced the international official theme for the Nagano Winter Olympics, Nintendo Switch’s global launch and PAC-MAN’s 40th anniversary, alongside performances at Tomorrowland, Sonar, Roskilde, Creamfields, Fuji Rock and countless other leading festivals worldwide. Still as prolific as ever, recent releases have ARTS, Mind Medihttps://www.noetic-music.com/obiazin, Cocoon and RapidEyeMovers, while reissues of his seminal R&S catalogue have introduced his early work to a new generation.

More info on David Castellani:

Italian-born, Lisbon-based producer and modular synthesist David Castellani is the founder of Noetic, a hardware-focused techno label home to a quality back catalogue of his own originals, alongside remixes from artists including Matrixxman, Redshape, Voiski, Etapp Kyle and Truncate. As a performer, he has shared stages with artists including Rødhåd, Luke Slater and Nastia, while also curating Noetic showcases featuring Ken Ishii, Sterac & Lady Starlight and MAEDON. Beyond live performance and producing, Castellani runs instrument company Anti-Kulture and is the creator of Eurorack module Precision Disrupter, used by Richie Hawtin. A passionate educator, he previously taught at Chicago’s Columbia College and continues to lead modular synthesis workshops internationally, including sessions at ADE in 2024 and 2025.