Turntable master DJ Kentaro is forever finessing his craft, and this month he’s bringing his lightning skills back here for one show in Sydney. The man is promising “an intense audio/visual experience” synchronising his beats with an array of dazzling imagery.

After taking the DMC World Champion crown in 2002, the Japanese whiz has taken his show to awed audiences around the world. A few years back, he made his name as a producer with debut album Enter (enticing the likes of The Pharcyde and Spank Rock as guests), and its follow-up is coming soon on esteemed imprint Ninja Tune. ITM bailed up DJ Kentaro for a chat before he jets down under.

You won the DMC DJ World Final at the age of 20, earning the highest score in the competitions history. How did that win change things for you?
Well, it changed the whole deal for sure. As soon as I got back to Japan, the whole media had eyes on me. There were really so many covers for magazines, radio and TV, including regular mainstream TV channels. It was really surprising.

Japan is still a very traditional society in many ways. Was it difficult to break the mould and dedicate yourself to music and DJing?
Well, as far as my family goes, it was not that difficult to say, “Hey mum, I will be doing DJing for my job, is that okay?” It was really natural and they understand what I’m doing. And sometimes they come to my shows and enjoy it. However, my DJing and making music got busier since 2002, so I had to quit going to university after second year of attending. So I only received an associate degree, not a four-year bachelor degree.

Japan is known for its great hip-hop culture. How are you finding the scene over there at the moment?
Well, we are an island, so I’m always curious about what’s happening outside of Japan. And plus now there’s internet, so it’s not hard to get information of what is going on outside of Japan anymore. Today, Japanese hip hop is getting bigger and bigger compared to American hip hop, including the sales of CDs. People are more interested in their own hip hop these days!

Not to mention the MC battle called Ultimate MC Battle (UMB) is now super huge these days. Even ‘pop’ hip hop acts want entry to UMB to earn respect. The battle is getting huge; there are a few regionals in the Japan and all of them are at big, sold-out venues. The final in Tokyo or sometimes Osaka is especially huge. The DVD after the final sells loads, too. So people’s interests are turning towards local these days, for sure.

You released your artist album Enter in 2007. Was it important for you to represent a range of musical styles on that record?
Firstly, I’m just simply proud to be in part of Ninja Tune family. I am so happy that they invited me into their family. I’m so glad. I just love all kinds of music and I make all kinds of different music. I wanted to show what I liked at that moment; so Enter became that.

Collaborations over the years have seen you working with artists such as The Roots and Pharcyde. How much fun is it to work and tour with these guys; and do you have any plans to team up again in the future?
Yes. I have always loved Pharcyde and they were always different from the east coast hip hop. I was really digging their style in ‘90s. I was so happy to see them at my album launch at Liquid Room Tokyo in 2007. And we did a song Keep On together that was a very memorable time. I hope we can work together in near future!

And when can we expect a new record – are you working on anything at the moment?
I am currently working on my second album, that’s coming out from Ninja Tune in later this year. Not to mention Ninja Tune is having their 20th anniversary this year, so there are lots to come from Ninja Tune along with my album.

Your touring schedule sees you crisscrossing the globe. Is there any particular destination that really excites you at the moment?
Well, it’s always good to come to Australia. I really liked Sydney, and I also liked Perth last time I was down there. Maybe because I got to spent extra days down there and there were really nice boys that took me around the city. It was nice. I also like France. It’s always happening there with lots of energy. A lot of my favourite artists are from France.

And what other artists are currently impressing you?
Well, there are many good artists and DJs. Do you know Subwave from Russia? They are DnB producers on Hospital; they are really interesting!

Being a devout lover of vinyl, how do you think technology has changed hip-hop and dance culture? Do you think it has changed for the better?
It’s now about Serato or Traktor for DJs. However, for myself it is still 75 percent vinyl and 25 percent Serato. I just can’t wait to use that software called Bridge; it’s a Serato and Ableton collaboration software. I’m definitely using that for my production and new live set for my album tour later this year.

You are coming to Australia for one show only at the Forum in Sydney. The show itself billed as an intense audio/visual experience – it’s sounding very exciting! What exactly do you have in store for us?
Well, I will be dropping some of my new routines for sure, and I am also working on some collaborations with this visual company from the USA called Soundspectrum. Some of you may already know it; it’s a great visualising software from the States. I am doing an event featuring their Whitecap software to synchronise audio and visual completely. This is happening in Tokyo in May, so for The Forum event, I may hopefully be able to show a bit of that!

When you’re not working the decks, how do you like to chill out?
I like to hang out with my family, especially playing with my dog Tsutomu-kun; it’s a Shih Tzu. I like watching movies and relaxing too. Thank you for reading, I can’t wait to come to Sydney.

DJ Kentaro plays The Forum in Sydney on Saturday 27 March, proudly presented by inthemix.