DJ Krush: From the other world

Renowned for his work as a producer, remixer and DJ, DJ Krush has undertaken a true musical journey during his long and illustrious career. Gaining a huge reputation around the globe on the strength of his ethereal and emotive studio creations and lush, otherworldly live performances, Krush has added a new twist to his musical offerings with his latest album Jaku, which reaches new levels of musical understanding and depth, earning stellar reviews from fans and critics alike with its successful marriage of electronic rhythms and traditional Japanese instruments in the process. Inthemix.com got down with Krush on the eve of his forthcoming Australian tour to talk about his music and the new-found cultural significance which it holds for him.

Born Hideaki Ishi in 1962 in Tokyo, Krush never really held too much interest in school – music was his passion from day one. “I don’t know what I would be doing now if I didn’t discover music” says a laughing Krush from his Tokyo home through the aid of a translator. “I guess I’d either be dead or digging ditches for the government in Tokyo! I used to be in bands in high school, and I listened to all sorts of music when I was younger, a lot of hard rock like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, punk music, soul music, jazz. But after I saw [the classic hip-hop movie] Wild Style it all made sense, everything fell into place. I saw what the DJ could do. I was a drummer originally so I was used to playing instruments with rhythm. I ran out and got some turntables as soon as I saw Wild Style and have been playing ever since”.

Krush’s turntables skills developed quickly, earning him a rep as a DJ on the rise around Tokyo’s Western Pop-influenced Harajuku neighborhood. It was during a Sunday afternoon street party session in this neighbourhood that Krush earned his moniker from some visiting American MCs, who thought so much of Krush’s skills that they jumped on stage and began free styling during one of his sets. “We used to play at these street parties in Harajuku” reminisces Krush. “There were a few American MCs in the crowd who got on the mic and started rhyming. They liked how I moved the crowd, and kept chanting “crush ‘em, crush ‘em”. The name stuck after that”. Krush moved on from these infamous block parties to become a founding member of the Krush Posse, a group formed in 1987 that went on to become one of Japan’s premier hip-hop crews.

After the crew went their separate ways in 1992, Krush decided to strike out by himself. He had already begun turning heads as one of the first DJs to use a turntable as a live instrument through his innovative and distinctive scratching techniques, while also performing sessions with live musicians on stage. Krush set about translating his live techniques into a studio album, which resulted in his ground-breaking debut, 1993’s Krush. Released in Japan by Sony, the album gained the attention of Mo’Wax boss James Lavelle, who was on a quest to re-write the sound and look of hip-hop for those who chose to avoid the worldwide phenomenon that was gangster rap in the mid-90’s. For the rest of the decade, Krush helped to spearhead a movement helped create hip-hop with a difference, injecting an experimental edge to his music that pushed the boundaries of hip-hop in new directions. Krush went on to release a string of influential albums including 1994’s Strictly Turntablized, 1995’s Meiso and 1997’s Milight, collaborating with hip-hop’s finest talents from the likes of Black Thought and Malik B of the Roots, Guru of Gangstarr, and CL Smooth through to more experimental artists such as DJ Shadow and DJ Cam, becoming one of the most in-demand remixers and DJs on the planet in the process.

While hip-hop was undoubtedly Krush’s major influence during his formative years, he began to open up to the possibilities of electronica and live instruments in the late 90’s. Krush’s experimentation first began to take shape when he released a collaborative album with Japanese jazz master Toshinori Kondo entitled Ki-Oku, which saw Krush provide a collection of sparse, subtle electronic beats over which Kondo played a variety of western wind instruments. Encouraged by the results of Ki-Oku and the new possibilities that came with it, Krush began to experiment further with live instrumentation in his production forming a collective entitled RUY (comprised of himself and DJs Hide and Sak) which focused on combining live instrumentation with pre-programmed beats. During this time, Krush began applying the lessons he learnt from his collaborative projects to his solo albums. Both 2001’s Zen and 2003’s Shinsou – ‘The Message At The Depth’ illustrated Krush;s new-found fascination with mixing electronic rhythms and live instruments, venturing into uncharted musical depths that were loosely based on hip-hop beats, but noticeably darker, deeper and more up-tempo.

Krush’s new musical direction has now led him to create his latest master piece – Jaku, which sees him taking his fusion of live instruments and samplers to the next level as he incorporates traditional Japanese instruments, resulting in a perfect union between old and new Japan. The results are something that Krush himself has trouble describing.:”I would describe my music as ‘DJ Krush’” he says with a laugh when asked to describe the soundscapes from his latest offering. “A lot of people have tried to define my sound, but I would prefer to look at it as my own music rather then trying to describe it using someone else’s terms”. But while Krush chooses not to define his own sound, the concept that underpins Jaku is a lot more straight-forward. “The main theme behind the album is ‘Wa’, which is a Japanese concept that has many meanings” notes Krush. ”’Wa’ basically means all things Japanese, but it also represents the state of being united, well-balanced and having no conflict or alienation, which is a concept that seems to be missing in the world today. The world seems so divided with war and cruelty, so I wanted to make an album that counter-balances all of the non-sense. All I can do is to make music. I will continue to do it and contribute what I can.”

Jaku also represents a cultural coming of age for Krush. As one of Japan’s most famous musical exports, it might surprise many listeners that Jaku represents Krush’s first attempt at regularily incorporating traditional Japanese instruments into his work. According to Krush, the time was right to make this move. “I feel that a lot of the younger generation of listeners has never heard these traditional Japanese instruments” he notes thoughtfully. “After years of traveling all over the world on tour, I felt that I should make an album with traditional Japanese instruments and philosophy. As I have grown older, My desire to rediscover the traditions of my culture grew, so incorporating traditional Japanese instruments into my music seemed like the prefect way to express myself. It didn’t feel right to use these instruments before now. I felt a bit awkward to go back to it when I was younger. Sometimes, learning about your culture’s traditional arts is a bit embarrassing. But I am older now and wanted to look into this. I thought, these instruments sound amazing, the philosophies behind them (such as ‘Wa’) are pertinent for the present day. I wasn’t really sure how I could use them, but when I set out to record Jaku it all fell into place. I managed to find the best musicians for each of these instruments and they were kind enough to be part of the record.”

In an effort to share his new level of cultural understanding with the world, Krush is embarking on a tour which is due to reach Australian shores in early February. Krush says he can’t wait to return to Australia, which he rates as his favourite country outside of Japan, and is looking forward to translating his philosophies to his audience through the medium of music. “My show is really about connecting with the audience through a mixture of records and samplers” says Krush. “I try to communicate what I feel that night to the audience depending on the energy I receive from them – I enjoy sharing a vibe, a time, a flow a space and a groove”. And while he can now be well and truly referred to as a veteran of the global electronic music scene, Krush has no desire to stop making music soon. “For me, music is all I know” says Krush in conclusion. “I don’t care if I have to have a nurse to wheel me out on stage! I’ll be making music until the end”.