DJ Krush is the performing name of Hideaki Ishi, a producer and DJ from Tokyo, Japan, born in 1962. He works in hip hop, acid jazz and related electronic styles, and is associated with turntablism and downtempo.

Background and early career

He drops out of school at an early age and later joins a local gang, then the Yakuza. His interest in hip hop begins in the early 1980s after seeing the film Wild Style. In 1987, he forms Krush Posse, which becomes widely known in Japan and appears in a range of media as a leading hip hop act.

Solo work

After Krush Posse breaks up in late 1991, he starts a solo career. He becomes known as the first DJ to use turntables as live instruments, often performing free sessions with live musicians on stage. His first album, Krush, appears in January 1994, and he goes on to release a large number of records in Japan, Europe, the United States and elsewhere.

His solo releases chart strongly in Japan and internationally. Zen, his sixth album, receives the Best Electronica Album award at the 2002 AIFM Awards in the US. Jaku, his eighth album, reaches the top of CMJ’s RPM chart in the US for three weeks. He also releases Stepping Stones, a self-remixed best-of set, and Suimou Tsunenimasu, a career-spanning collection issued in Japan in a special DVD box.

Collaborations and other projects

Krush works across film, television drama, commercials and live sessions with musicians from different genres. He collaborates with artists including Black Thought of The Roots, Herbie Hancock and k.d. lang. He also provides a track for Black Thought’s solo album and remixes material for Herbie Hancock and k.d. lang.

In spring 1998, he forms the production unit 流, also written Ryu, with DJ Hide and DJ Sak, collaborating with Nigerian percussionists and releasing a single and an album on Polydor Japan. From the end of 2000, he becomes involved in a project focused on global issues in the 21st century, and he contributes a track to its first benefit compilation, African JAG vol.1, released in 2005.

From 2009, he joins Bill Laswell’s project alongside artists including Bernie Worrell and Toshinori Kondo. After a performance at Montreux Jazz Festival, he appears on the project album Incunabula, released in 2010, with Herbie Hancock also taking part.

Film work and later activity

In 2009, he scores the animated film FIRST SQUAD, which screens in cinemas across Russia and wins the Kommersant Award at Moscow Film Festival.

By 2011, he marks 20 years of his solo career with a commemorative showcase in Tokyo, a seven-hour set, a Monthly Single Series of ten singles, and a world tour covering 16 countries. He has performed for more than five million people across 313 cities in 50 countries.

Associated acts

He is associated with Kemuri Productions, 流, Tokyo Rotation K2 and Method of Defiance.