Q. We know about DJ Kentaro, Japan’s greatest turntablist, but we know little about you as person, we saw you saying you are not used to speaking much in public. Can you tell us more about you and your daily routine? Do you listen to the news? What do you think about global issues in terms of politics and technology for instance?
As there’s internet in everyone’s life, all the news, updates from friends or reports come directly to everyone including me! Even friends who are abroad feel like they are very near. A lot of our local big news recently is about the 2020 Olympics being held in Tokyo which is the city I live in now. The media and people are talking about this all of the time. It is very exciting and I think this will cheer up all the people in Japan. Very positive news.
Q. And what do you think about the contemporary Hip Hop movement, how do you find the Hip Hop –Style DJ-ing since you won the DMC world Champion title in 2002?
I don’t even play “Hip Hop” or “Rap” songs any more, but as far as what I do when I dj, I think what I do is still hip hop, “Turntablism”. The selection of music maybe different from “hip hop” djs from the 90s, however what we do is still “Turntablism” which is a part of hip hop I think. Plus today’s hip hop music or tunes have diverse tastes as far as in their beats, can’t really say what today’s hip hop is.
Q. Can you name some of the early pioneers that influenced your work and who would you wish to share the stage with?
DJ Craze, off course, good friends too! There are so many to name as well. DJ Shortkut and I had a gig together last month etc.
Q. How do you find the crowd /Hip Hop/ Bass scene in the UK? Is it very different to Japan’s?
It’s obviously the leading country in the world, so whenever I come, I always get new influences.
Very inspiring people and producers are in UK.
Q. You are world-famous for your collaborations with USA/UK/France/Canada/Japan big acts in Hip Hop, Raga, D&B, Dubstep, to name some of the genres; do you have time to explore other types of music like Japan’s ethnic music or classical music? Can you suggest us any to check out?
Yes, we had this Japanese band who play the traditional drum called “TAICO” at our festival called “BASSCAMP” couple of weeks ago, and we jammed (did a session) ! It was super dope!
Q. Your album “Contrast” was one of the heaviest releases of 2012 and now you will be playing at Village Underground — London can you give us a sneaky peak of what we will expect?
Well, I will play lots of new tunes and some exclusives, so stop by please!
Q. From your perspective what are the highlights of your career and where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Being able to visit Europe more, UK is my highlight! I love UK and people in UK! (culture and music as well!).
For mixes and updates from DJ Kentaro, please visit :
https://soundcloud.com/djkentaro
https://www.facebook.com/djkentaro
Gata Malandra
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