Turntable Terrorists: DJ Krush

By Matt Lyne | Tuesday, Dec 1, 2009

DJ Krush

DJ Krush is one well-known veteran and legendary DJ I have decided to include in this list. Why? Because, even though he's a peerless modern-era musical genius, he is often overlooked and remains unheard by a ridiculously large number of people.

I was first introduced to Krush long before my love-affair with Japan, when I heard his track "Kemuri" on the B-side of "Lost & Found", DJ Shadow's Mo Wax debut twelve. That was back in 1994.

DJ Krush (real name Hideaki Ishii) was born in Tokyo in 1962. At an early age, Ishii dropped out of school and joined a local gang; a few years later, he hooked up with the Yakuza. After watching the film Wild Style in the early 80s (and having turned his back on the criminal underworld), he was inspired to buy some turntables and thereafter started to learn the art of turntablism. In 1987 he formed the Krush Posse, which made numerous appearances as a group in late 1992 and gained him recognition by becoming the first DJ in Japan to perform with live musicians. He released his first album - Krush - in 1993, which announced his presence in the scene, and he has since released 13 more long-players. He has had recording contracts with Chance Records, Ninety Nine Records, Mo-Wax (he was the first Japanese artist to join this legendary imprint), Apollo, and Sony/Columbia. He works internationally as a producer, remixer, DJ and recording artist, bringing the unique flavor of Japanese hip-hop to the world.

Aside from being considered one of the pioneers of Japanese hip-hop, Ishii has established himself as one of the most respected artists and producers in the global hip-hop industry. While his music has been regarded as ambient, trip-hop and hip-hop, he is reluctant to identify his music with any particular genre, as he believes it would place limits on his listeners and on his talents. Rather, he prefers to keep an ideological distance away from the holes he is usually pigeoned into, while maintaining a healthy appreciation for all music forms and styles. Although he's now 47, Krush still regularly DJs around the country and should be seen whenever you have the chance.

www.sus81.jp/djkrush

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