"In the near future, electrons and light flow freely, and corporate computer networks eclipse the stars…"—Ghost in the Shell (1995)

It’s the week of a big cryptocurrency conference in Tokyo, the spiritual center of robots and cyborgs and A.I. and all things techno-futuristic, when the three members of Perfume sit in front of me. To my left is Kashiyuka (or Yuka-chan); to my right, Nocchi; and across from me is A-chan.

Perfume’s new album is called Future Pop. Their live shows incorporate A.I., image mapping, and facial and audio recognition. Their style is sleek with wearable tech. Even their movements seem to suggest that the group is some sort of computer-generated effect on stage. On their last world tour, a fleet of choreographed drones flew in formation over the audience.

On November 8 of last year, they split apart to debut a song, “FUSION”—a Kraftwerk-inspired chugger featuring motorik drums and a robotic chant—with Japanese telecom business NTT Docomo to launch the company’s superspeed 5G network. Nocchi went to New York and Kashiyuka to London while A-chan stayed in Tokyo. Separately, they performed the song on a live telecast on split screens, complete with Perfume’s signature intricately congruent choreography.

The effect was that of a band on the same cosmic plane, pinging through the satellites, merged in the same place at the same time by connectivity, united by waves and electricity, moving together like a digitally stitched three-headed glitch of exquisiteness.