Dj Krush - 3 September in Gamla Bíó

DJ Krush launched his solo career in the early 1990s. Widely acclaimed for his releases on the UK label Mo’ Wax, he is recognized as a pioneer of trip-hop and abstract hip-hop, known for his heavy, spatial beats and genre-defying productions. He remains one of Japan’s most internationally respected artists.

In 1992, he embarked on a full-fledged solo career. Striving to explore and express a form of hip-hop that could stand on its own through DJing alone, his work soon began gaining international attention. In 1994, he released his debut solo album KRUSH. That same year, his second album Strictly Turntablized, released through the UK label Mo’ Wax, generated considerable buzz, especially across Europe.

This was followed by a string of seminal releases: Meiso (1995), MiLight (1996), Kakusei (1998), and Ki-Oku (1996), a collaborative album with legendary trumpeter Toshinori Kondo. These albums featured both underground and major artists alike, establishing DJ Krush as a key figure in the global trip-hop and abstract hip-hop scenes.

His solo works have consistently ranked highly on domestic and international charts. His 2001 release Zen received the AFIM Indie Award for “Best Electronica Album”, often dubbed the “Indie Grammy.”

As a remixer, DJ Krush has worked with Herbie Hancock, k.d. lang, and Ronnie Jordan, and has contributed to projects by Miles Davis, Black Thought, Galliano, Pete Rock, Coldcut, and others, transcending genres and borders with consistently acclaimed results. He also joined Bill Laswell’s supergroup Method of Defiance, performing alongside artists such as Bernie Worrell and Toshinori Kondo.