Saturday 07.30

TPE presents "Aim At Ascension 2005" summer open-air party (Supported by Echo&Nymph) at Tachihara Kogen Campground in Nagano Prefecture. Featured live acts Space Cat, Sesto Sento, Altom, Gataka, Brainshaker, Kuromitsu and Nogera vs. Bass Asao & DJ Tarru, plus DJs Ryo, Ziki, Ryo, Mozz, Jun, Chabo & PNO, and more. See the Web site for more details. Tickets are 7,000 yen at the gate. Parking will cost 2,000 yen. Gates open at noon and the music starts at sunset, ending at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Saturday 07.30

Dreamscape Records presents "Brilliant Prism Vol. 2" at Ever Aoyama. DJs Sancar (Off The Ground), Ofer vs Aviv (Dreamscape), Rikiya (Rootssond), Issan (Dreamscape), Tsunami Devil (7th Dimension). At the door, pay 3,000 yen (includes two drinks) or 2,500 yen with a flier (includes one drink). The party starts at 10 p.m.

Upcoming:

Utage -- Aug. 12-14

The Utage dance music festival is a collaborative event mixing up progressive, house, drum & bass, psychedelic and jam bands. This year's event is being held at the Pine Ridge Kandatsu ski resort in Niigata Prefecture. Kandatsu is a beautiful, easy-to-reach, feature-rich venue, only a minute from the Yuzawa IC on the Kan-Etsu Expressway. Yes, this is the place with the horrible hill that everyone is talking about. But the organizers are reportedly taking steps to avoid similar problems, such as moving the stage from a muddy field, round-the-clock shuttles, etc. If you really enjoy the legendary Mindgames parties, you will probably love this event. Advance tickets are 10,000 yen. Check the Web site for details on a group ticket special.

Mother Records S.O.S. - Aug. 13-15

Mother Records presents "Space of Sound (S.O.S.)" at Hakuba Tsugaike Kougen in Nagano Prefecture. Live acts Atomic Pulse, Domestic, Logic Bomb, Pixel, Pop Stream, Protoculture, Psycraft, Synthetic, Wizzy Noise. The lineup includes an impressive list of DJs and a chillout and freestyle site. Advance tickets are 10,000 yen (12,000 yen at the gate). Parking will cost 3,000 yen with free shuttle service to the entrance area. Note that the free gondola service will operate from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Full Moon parties on Aug. 20:

* Sirius Summer Blast Open Air at Norn Ski Resort in Minakami, Gunma Prefecture. Live acts Psysex, Hujaboy, E-jekt, Paranormal Attack and 40%. Advance 7,000 yen (or 8,000 yen at the gate). www.sirius-records.com

* The Moon is Read Open Air Party at Hinokimaru Biiriainomori Camp in Yamanashi Prefecture. Artists listed Ray Castle, Masa, Ree.K, Uni and Toshiyuki. Advance 3,500 yen (or 4,500 yen at the gate). www.geocities.jp/tukuyomix2943/

* Mountain High Full Moon Psychedelic Trance Party at Funayama Kougen Camp in Takayama, Gifu Prefecture. DJs Morio, Yuu, Kei, NME, Teppei, TKC, Tak, Vojakk and Dobo. Advance 3,000 yen (or 3,500 yen at the gate). (e-mail [email protected] for more information.)