by Roxanne Blanford Made in Japan was recorded live on July 9, 1998, in Tokyo's Koseinenkin Hall and, thanks to the remarkable engineering skills of Yoshiyasu Kumada, is an impresssive re-creation of the impeccable studio recordings of some of Deep Forest's best music, melded with the genuine pulse of a live performance. This is the first non-studio recording from the French duo, who are masters at balancing technological programming and ethnic fusion to produce jubilant musical compositions. Traditional worldbeat rhythms, accordion, keyboard, computer wizardry, and multilingual singing come together effortlessly and are presented immaculately in this spirited and festive release.