March 11 marks the Great East Japan Earthquake. If you are Japanese and pride yourself on loving dance music, support relief efforts by buying Joris Voorn – Incident (Miyagi).

Whenever March 11 comes around, I remember the Great East Japan Earthquake.

It is a day we Japanese must never forget as long as we live.
I am no exception: the hellish scenes of March 11, 2011 will never leave my memory.

After that earthquake of the century struck, international artists around the world organized charitable efforts through events and releases (I have nothing but respect for their swift action).

Perhaps the best-known release is Song for Japan.

Song for Japan is a compilation album featuring many major artists; artists close to dance music, including Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna, and David Guetta, contributed tracks, and the proceeds went toward earthquake relief.

Although it is not as famous, we should not overlook how a certain major Techno/House DJ and producer with a deep affection for Japan reworked a breakthrough anthem, adding the subtitle Miyagi, at around the same time, and how it went on to be played on countless dance floors again.

That DJ and producer is the Netherlands' Joris Voorn, and the track is Incident (Miyagi).

Joris Voorn is a veteran who has been active since the 1990s.

In terms of genre, Joris Voorn is a truly one-of-a-kind artist who, while rooted in Techno, freely crosses over into Deep, Tech, and Progressive House and sometimes extensively incorporates more mainstream sounds.

Joris Voorn's popularity and talent have remained consistent, and that reputation is rising again as Techno and House return to the dance music mainstream. Indeed, although the sound is something of an outlier relative to the festival's musical character, it would be no exaggeration to call Joris Voorn an emblematic headliner at Awakenings, the Dutch event that ranks among Europe's leading Techno festivals.

Joris Voorn also has a long history of playing in Japan, appearing at WIRE in earlier years and frequently at WOMB. There has been no visit since 2016, but I would love to see a return soon.

As House gains even more momentum in the dance music scene, Incident (Miyagi) will surely shine even brighter.