Jeff Mills Celebrates 30 Years Live At The Liquid Room - Tour
Written by Meagen Surowiecki on January 26, 2026
Jeff Mills has been at the forefront of techno for over thirty years. He will be making a major milestone in techno history. The Detroit icon has announced a worldwide tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of his legendary mix CDLive At Liquid Room, Tokyo, one of the most revered DJ recordings ever released.
First recorded in 1995 at Tokyo’s Liquid Room, the three-hour set captured Mills at the peak of his powers, performing on two turntables and a reel-to-reel tape machine. The mix later became a defining document of techno’s global arrival, praised for its intensity, precision, and forward-thinking approach to dance music. Now, three decades later, Mills is bringing that legacy back to the world stage.
The anniversary tour will span key cities across Europe and Asia, including stops at London’s fabric, Osaka’s Joule, Hong Kong’s 宀 Club, and Paris’s Fvtvr. He recently returned to the spot at Tokyo’s Liquidroom, where it all started. His homecoming performance has been a viral sensation both on social media and in the industry. Each date paid homage to the original recording’s impact, with the Tokyo show holding particular significance as the site where the historic set was first performed.
During the London and Paris events, Jeff Mills featured a special film screening showcasing previously unseen footage from the original 1995 Tokyo performance. The archival material offered a rare glimpse into the environment and mindset behind one of techno’s most influential moments. Among the many milestones from that night was the first-ever performance of Mills’ landmark track “i9” on 10” reel-to-reel tape, an experiment that further cemented his reputation as a technological and artistic innovator.
Photo by Kevin Lake/Future Music Magazine/Future via Getty Images
Earlier this year, “i9” received a special re-release via Mills’ Axis Records as a 12” picture disc vinyl. The release features the track on the A-side, accompanied by Mills’ own commentary on the B-side, providing context and reflection on its lasting significance.
Reflecting on the original mix, Mills has described it as a defining statement for the genre. “I knew I needed to have something that would end any question of whether Techno Music had arrived,” he said. “I wanted to have something that marked the end and the beginning of something else. A new way to think about dance music.” When Live At Liquid Room – Tokyo was officially released in 1996, the recording was edited down to 68 minutes and 38 tracks. Despite its legendary status, the mix has never been officially available on streaming platforms, and while details of a full re-release have yet to be announced, anticipation continues to build.
The anniversary tour follows a highly visible year for Mills. In March, he will stop at New York’s infamous industrial Knockdown Center for a full takeover of pure techno. As part of the 30-year Live at Liquid Room anniversary tour, he will be traveling to Germany, Spain, and Belgium, and back to his techno birthplace in Detroit at Lincoln Factory. In May, he replaced Carl Cox as headliner at Movement Detroit, promoting the appearance with striking “This Is Techno” billboards across the city. Featuring futuristic imagery, the campaign was intended, according to Mills, to provoke conversation and “sharpen our sense to detect what is Techno and what is not.” This month, he continues that multidisciplinary approach with Star Chronicle, a music, film, and art residency hosted in Detroit.
Thirty years on, Live At Liquid Room – Tokyo remains as one of the most iconic and influential mixes in the techno music industry, breaking barriers and establishing a cultural phenomenon. With this global anniversary tour, Jeff Mills once again asserts techno’s past, present, and future, reminding audiences worldwide why his vision continues to shape the sound of dance music. ‘Live At Liquid Room - Tokyo’ mix CD is available to listen to on Apple Music.
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