DJ Krush recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of his solo career. Rewind back to ten years ago, DJ Krush, after seeing the movie Wild Style, became inspired to change gears and head out on a journey to realise his own DJ dreams. Soon he had formed the band Krush Posse, incorporating rappers into his group. The group won ‘Favorite Act’ at various media appearances and ultimately the title of ‘Best Japanese Hip-Hop Act’. Following the break-up of Krush Posse in 1992, DJ Krush launched his solo career and went in search of a fresh sound all on his own. By mostly using turntables for live performance, an uncommon instrument in those days, he quickly caught peoples’ attention and gained a reputation for his skills. The first full-length album, Krush, released in 1993, sonically infused layers of Jazz, RnB, Soul, Dub,Old-school beats and brief lyrical speech. It was an album classified as hip-hop only in name.


The outcome of his unique skills was an offer by Mo’Wax to sign with them, making him the first Japanese artist aligned with the prominent label. Sophomore album, Strictly Turntablised, released in 1994, saw Krush accomplish some of his most primarily defining sounds. After 1994, his global success continued to grow. He released numerous records around the world, toured Japan, USA, and Europe, and topped international charts. DJ Krush’s status as one of the pioneers of hip-hop and electronic music stands strong not only in Japan but also internationally.


Following an extensive tour around Europe, DJ Krush hit The Corner Hotel for the Melbourne leg of his world tour. Guest DJ, Ramson, spun some good tracks, playing everything from Wu-Tang to Pela, and Soul to Mos Def, starting things off with a profound input of personality and utilizing a wide-ranging selection of samples. By producing countless, highly acclaimed hip-hop albums, DJ Krush can easily be viewed as a huge figure for hip-hop music, yet it’s way too easy to label him as just a hip-hop DJ.

Heavy, stomping beats with a mix of fuzzy, electronic sounds were served in the first ten minutes of his set. Masterly tapping on drum and keyboard pads, while managing a set of turntables, he then jammed out rapid beats in quick succession before tearing the whole soundscape apart. It’s nothing quite like what I have heard from his albums, again showcasing his unpredictable use of music. Punters danced away every second of this musical enjoyment, and afterwards chanted and cheered for this highly skilled craftsman from Japan, as if to say “You are welcome back anytime, DJ Krush, with your fresh beats and turntable mastery!”