DJ Krush

DJ Krush
Background information
Native name 石 英明
Birth name Hideaki Ishi
Born July 29, 1962
Tokyo, Japan
Genres Instrumental hip hop, trip hop, turntablism
Occupation(s) DJ, producer
Instruments Sequencer, turntable, sampler, mixer
Years active 1985–present
Labels Shadow, Mo' Wax, RED Ink, FFRR
Associated acts Krush Posse, Ryu, Toshinori Kondo, DJ Shadow
Website www.sus81.jp/djkrush/

Hideaki Ishi (石 英明 Ishi Hideaki, born 1962 in Tokyo, Japan), better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a hip hop producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.

Early life

Ishi was born in Tokyo in 1962. He dropped out of school at an early age and joined a local gang and, a few years later, the yakuza. Early in his career as a yakuza underling, Ishi discovered a severed finger wrapped in paper on his desk. Later, after discovering that it had belonged to his friend, he decided to leave the yakuza and cut ties with the criminal underworld.[1][2] Ishi was inspired to start DJing after seeing the film Wild Style in 1983.[2][3]

Career

Aside from being considered one of the pioneers of Japanese hip hop,[4] Ishi has established himself as one of the most respected artists and producers in the hip hop industry, both in Japan and abroad. Upon entering the industry, Ishi, with his experimental beats and instrumental sounds, changed the face of hip-hop at a time when it was dominated by the American rap scene. He is reluctant to identify his music with any particular genre, for it would place limits on his listeners and on his talents.[5] He has been regarded as ambient, trip hop, some combination of the two, and hip hop. DJ Krush prefers to exercise an ideological distance from the genres he is usually grouped into, while maintaining a healthy appreciation for all music forms and styles.[6]

Discography

Albums

EPs

Singles

Mixtapes

Compilations

DVDs

Guest appearances

Remixes

Compilation appearances

References

  1. ↑ Fuller, Thomas (2002-01-18). "DJ Krush Gives the Turntable an Asian Spin - NYTimes.com". International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2012-05-09.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Liu, Jeff. "DJ Krush: Kracking the Code". Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  3. ↑ Song, Berwin (21 December 2011). "DJ Krush interview". Time Out Shanghai. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
  4. ↑ Condry, Ian. Hip-hop Japan: Rap and the Paths of Cultural Globalization. Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press, 2006.
  5. ↑ Manabe, Noriko. "Representing Japan: ‘national’ style among Japanese hip-hop DJs." Popular Music, 32, pp 35-50 doi:10.1017/S0261143012000530.
  6. ↑ "Asia Pacific Arts: Krushing Labels". Asiaarts.ucla.edu. Retrieved 2013-05-13.

External links