Akiko Kiyama has made a name for herself as one of the most prominent female Japanese techno artists. Since returning to Tokyo this past December after living in Berlin for several years, she has already launched her own label, Kebko Music, with two releases in a matter of months.
"I'd always thought about starting my own label, but when it came to the type of music I wanted to release, I wasn't sure," Kiyama says. "Then I realized I was leaning toward music that wasn't necessarily techno, but was honest. It doesn't matter what genre the music falls under as long as the piece is characteristic of the artist who made it. It's kind of anti-trend."
Kiyama also demonstrates her label's "anti-trend" attitude in her recent album "Ophelia," a collection of experimental pieces that stray from her previous work, which was more structured dance music.