stefan ringer, takuro higuchi: r we there yet?
Francisco Espregueira
On R We There Yet?, the Atlanta-based producer Stefan Ringer connects deeply with Takuro Higuchi, the passionate owner of Tokyo’s Dotei Records. Ringer, known for his rich discography in the house and techno scenes and his long-standing commitment to community — from his Sound Table residency to curating the Kudzu party — always brings a new perspective rooted in Atlanta’s underground. Higuchi, meanwhile, runs his label out of his own home-store in Hachioji, building Dotei Records from the ground up with a DIY spirit that’s woven into every release.
The EP itself feels like a conversation across distance and time. Their creative friendship first sparked when Stefan toured Japan in 2023 and carried into a deeper bond via a 2024 tour. What started when Higuchi admitted he’d stalled on finishing his own track turned into a four-song collaboration — Ringer’s “Hachioji Heartbeats” and reflective “Road to Shizuoka (The Lost Mix),” and Higuchi’s own “Underground Seduction” and “Rice Price Crisis.” The title R We There Yet? tugs on the refrain in Ringer’s “Road to Shizuoka,” echoing a long journey from Hachioji to Shizuoka and evolving into a meditation on ambition, effort, and spiritual growth. The record is available on vinyl, released via Dotei Records, and handsomely wrapped in art by Taizo Watanabe that captures the ethereal sense of meetings that span places and lifetimes.