The term legend is often used lightly in music journalism. Kaoru Inoue, known as Chari Chari, is one of the few Tokyo DJs who could reasonably be called legendary.

There, at the genesis of Tokyo's ambient techno scene, he has kept a low profile, teasing followers with perfectly nurtured, ethnic-flavored cuts on Pussyfoot compilations (U2 producer and DJ Howie B's label) and occasional club dates. Finally after almost five years in the making, Inoue's first album, "Spring to Summer" (File Records), more than justifies the hyperbole.

Unlike much dance music, it is difficult to pin down "Spring to Summer" to any particular trend. Bits owe something to drum 'n' bass or the newest innovations in techno, but it is not a record meant solely for the dance floor. A strong dose of world music underlines many of the tracks, but this isn't Enigma or a haphazard stab at adding sitar or tabla to a dance track.

Perhaps this is due to age. While many DJs record immediately upon gaining any notoriety, Inoue's choice to work slowly on this album gives it a mature, finished air.

"If you make a record based only on a trend, for example, drum 'n' bass, it would turn out to be a record you can't listen to afterward," says Inoue. "I wanted to make a record that I would be able to listen to at home sometimes. I basically just wanted to make a record that I would want to listen to in a relaxed situation."

If any one quality is supreme on the record, it is the warm, natural tone of the sounds. The electronic samples have an organic quality. Even the most jarring cut, the closing "Enter the Metal Circle," sounds more like the sonorous metallica of a gamelan orchestra than the cold clang of a digital construction. In the background are the splash of water and humming of birds and insects. It could be kitsch, but in Inoue's hands it melts into a collage of other sounds. Chari Chari, the onomatopoeic word in Japanese to describe a metallic, rattling sound, suits his musical project perfectly.

"It just comes naturally," says Inoue. "It's the strongest feeling I have in my blood. I'm 32 now, but I guess the basic foundation for that kind of feeling comes from the trips that I made to Southeast Asia when I was in my 20s. Even when I am at home, I am attracted to green places, like parks. I think I would be included in the last generation in Japan to spend a childhood in touch with nature."

The Asian musical inspirations are also deeply felt on the album. The Balinese influence shares space with hints of African and Brazilian rhythms and Indian scales. Besides extensive travel in Southeast Asia, Inoue has long been an expert on world music, acting as import manager for a major record distributor and a respected music critic writing about the genre for several national music magazines.

"Basically, I had the concept of expressing something Asian while using modern technology," he explains. "That concept was in my head before I started Chari Chari. But when people try to do something Asian, it can easily become something like a cheap Asian goods store. It may sound cheesy, but I wanted to express the tranquil atmosphere of Asian countries."

"If you just try to imitate the U.K. or U.S., you might be able to create something interesting sound-wise, but I'm the kind of person who naturally can't feel happy about that process of thinking.

"What is important to me is a certain kind of space that I can feel I belong to and, in a hip-hop sort of way, that I can represent my space."

Like the best records, "Spring to Summer" defies easy categorization, making it a space well worth exploring.

African Vibes with Chari Chari (Kaoru Inoue), Alex and Kenji Hasegawa at Cay in Aoyama Oct. 9. For more information, contact File Records at (03) 3476-0123.

Japanese garage punk is almost a national cultural export. Cult labels like Australia's Au-Go-Go and Seattle's Estrus are stocked full of releases from the likes of Osaka's Mummy the Peepshow, and Tokyo's 5,6,7,8's, Jackie and the Cedrics, and Super Snazz.

Teengenerate was long a staple of this set, blasting out no-nonsense, tightly constructed punk gems on the Estrus label. This was punk rock pregrunge, minus the emotional histrionics of Nirvana, Pearl Jam and their ilk. Think of fast Iggy Pop, the Ramones, a touch of the Deadboys.

After a considerable hiatus, Teengenerate has been resurrected as Firestarter. Like its precursor, Firestarter is a no-holds-barred sonic assault of buzzing guitars and the type of solid, driving beats that lend themselves easily to frenetic headbanging. Though a relatively new group, its following is growing and the buzz is already big.

Note: They blow Thee Michelle Gun Elephant straight out of the water.

Firestarter with Super Snazz, and Kyoto's Pop or Rocks, and Subways at Shelter, Sept. 22. 1,800 yen in advance. For more information, call (03) 5355-7646 or Shelter at (03) 3466-7430.

Cornelius shows are more Pop Art than pop concert. Usually this means extravaganzas at larger halls, but recent tours of the U.S. and Europe have taken the Cornelius crew back to the intimacy of smaller clubs and away from their usual light and video trappings. Whether the Liquid Room counts as a smaller venue is debatable, but certainly it is the most intimate space Cornelius impresario Keigo Oyamada and company have played in Tokyo in ages.

It is also his first tour since returning from his latest jaunt abroad and perhaps one of his last shows before he records his next album.

Of late Oyamada has been delving into the rather more aggressive world of hardcore and hard rock (Texas' Flaming Lips have become a recent favorite), which might explain this joint concert with Yura Yura Teikoku. If Cornelius meshes musical history into one brilliant collage, Yura Yura Teikoku is all about rocking hard creatively.