I can’t help but smile a little when I hear how brazenly Yuji Sugiyama begins what would become his sole release under the name Logik Freaks. On 1995’s Temptations of Logik Freaks – One Fine Day, the opening track, “Tekno Prisoner/Preacher,” starts as a hypnotic piece of Japanese ambient techno before being yanked out of its socket by subwoofer-rattling drum and bass. For someone known for his meticulous mixing, it’s proof that Yuji wasn’t afraid to, simply put: fuck shit up.
Let’s take a step back from the speakers, though. Just who was the brain behind Logik Freaks?
There was a time when a young teenager growing up in Osaka was trying to figure out his connection to music. In high school, Yuji Sugiyama picked up the guitar and played in various bands, exploring his early soul and jazz influences. Then one day, a bandmate handed him a copy of U2’s “New Year’s Day,” produced by Steve Lillywhite, and the rest was history. Recording became his dream.
Early stints as a PA in local Osaka studios introduced Yuji to the burgeoning world of digital recording. He immersed himself in early computer and electronic synthesizer technology at a time when few in Japan fully understood its implications. As he worked with groups like Soft Ballet and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, or artists such as Masumi Hara and Haruo Chikada, Yuji transitioned from assistant to recording engineer, capturing groundbreaking music and gaining a deep education in the process.
As Yuji became the go-to producer and engineer for groups like Nav Katze and artists like POiSON GiRL FRiEND, he developed a sound that mirrored the “electro-acoustic” ethos of producers like Don Was, Brian Eno, and Seigen Ono. If you wanted music that fully leveraged the sonic potential of samplers, grooveboxes, and synths while also manipulating classic studio processors, Yuji’s name was the one to pull from the Rolodex.
Yet, hidden in this slice of history is the fact that Yuji never completely set aside his own artistic vision. Whether on tracks like P.G.F.’s “Melting Moment,” Soft Ballet’s “Texture,” or various remix projects for groups like M-Age and Brain Drive, his taste in music always seemed tuned to the cutting edge of contemporary dance music. In this realm—where old production rules were being upended—Yuji’s glitchier, more experimental, lived-in experience could shine as an artist in his own right.
Yuji eventually signed with XEO Invitation, Victor’s short-lived alternative rock label, and adopted the stage name Logik Freaks. Inspired by early Mac DAW software (eMagic’s Logic) and his preferred tool, Digidesign’s nascent Sound Designer II that would eventually become Pro Tools, Yuji’s music took on the decidedly out-there flavor of “intelligent” dance music. It was a blend of early virtual instruments and PC-based editing married to cutting-edge musical hardware. Early visits to London nightclubs brought him into contact with the music of the “chillout room” and led him towards creating his own music that had a certain shared spirit.
Like the aforementioned “Tekno Prisoner/Preacher,” Temptations of Logik Freaks – One Fine Day has an air of incredulity. Soundscapes that seem irreconcilable—acid and ambient—collide in ways only a sound designer could orchestrate.
Take “Deep, Space, Pilot,” for instance. This track harks back to a wigglier studio era when as much attention was placed on where noises originated as on the final sound itself. In this floating ambient techno, Yuji, as the “Logik Freak” supreme, explores all the possibilities inherent in point-and-click production while remaining true to his idea of ‘creating music that can be enjoyed 10 years later’. This wasn’t about surfing presets—it was an inspired dive into the mysterious, quasi-organic “environmental music” emerging at the time.
Ostensibly an EP, Yuji’s compositions—four tracks placed at the beginning—set a mood that the remix section expands upon. Songs like “Tube Song” swirl through your mind like an ambient siren song, scattering nonlinear electronics and melodies through your headphones. Meanwhile, “One Fine Day, In The Park” luxuriates in squelchy, atmospheric textures—a blend of drone, space rock, and post-industrial sounds. Filtered vocals terraform the track into an alien yet deeply emotional soundscape, one that feels meditative even as it takes time to reveal its full depth.
What’s remarkable about this record is how other artists, like Thomas Fehlmann (of The Orb and 3MB fame) and Germany’s Sun Electric, all invited by Miwako Yamaguchi of Nav Katze to remix that “final” track, honor Yuji’s ideas by reworking it into versions that align with their own pioneering contributions to dance music. Call it “game recognizing game,” or simply a transition point. Either way, it’s a moment worth revisiting.
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