Kuniyuki Takahashi is a DJ, producer and engineer from Sapporo, Japan. He works under his own name, sometimes shortened to Kuniyuki or Kuni, and also records as Koss. His music moves between deep house, future jazz, acid jazz, chillout, ambient, experimental music and drum’n’bass, with a strong emphasis on improvisation and organic instrumentation.

Early work and aliases

Takahashi buys his first synthesizer at 14, after becoming interested in electronic music through artists such as Yellow Magic Orchestra and Brian Eno. He begins making ambient and experimental music in the mid-1980s. By the end of that decade, he forms the EBM and industrial duo DRP, short for Deutsches Reichspatent, with Tomoyuki Murastige. DRP release Electro Brain 586 in 1990, and record a second album, Peace Offensive, in 1991. That album remains unreleased until 2015.

He begins his solo career in 1994, first working under the name Forth and then as Frr Hive for his 1997 debut album Rose Trumpet Herb, a drum’n’bass release. He starts releasing music as Kuni in 2000, and his Koss material tends toward more ambient and experimental directions.

Recordings and collaborations

In 2000, Takahashi’s track “No Way” appears on 2000 Black Records Presents the Good Good, a broken beat compilation from the label founded by Dego of 4Hero. He also remixes Ananda Project’s “Cascades of Colour” for the 2001 album Re-Release. Soundofspeed issues two Koss albums, Ring and Live Ring, while the double 12-inch Kids Breath under Kuni and the single “Precious Hall” under Kuniyuki both appear in 2002.

His output increases in 2005, when Toshiya Kawasaki launches Mule Musiq with Kuni’s “Sun Shine” 12-inch. We Are Together follows in 2006, collecting previously released tracks and remixes, alongside the Koss CD Four Worlds Converge as One. His second album under his own name, All These Things, appears in 2007 and includes collaborations with Ian O’Brien, Henrik Schwarz, vocalist Josée Hurlock and others.

In 2008 he releases Remixed and the Koss album Ancient Rain. Walking in the Naked City follows in 2009, with Hurlock and jazz pianist Fumio Itabashi. The remix album Dancing in the Naked City appears in 2011. That same year, as Koss, he works with Minilogue’s Sebastian Mullaert and Marcus Henriksson on the improvisatory double CD The Möllan Sessions.

Later releases

Feather World appears in 2013 and brings together guests including Guinean singer and musician Sona Diabaté and Norwegian jazz guitarist Bugge Wesseltoft. Also in 2013, Kuniyuki’s Remix Collection gathers his mixes of tracks by artists including DJ Sprinkles and Mr Raoul K, while Remixed 2 contains his tracks reworked by Joe Claussell, Larry Heard, Roman Flügel and others.

The Koss ambient album Silence follows in 2015. In 2016 he collaborates with Jimpster on the Kalima’s Dance EP. Newwave Project appears in 2017, focusing on stripped-down house informed by his EBM and industrial background. In 2018, Music from Memory releases Early Tape Works (1986-1993), Vol. 1, a collection drawn from his earlier recordings.

Live work

In 1998, Takahashi performs at the Rainbow 2000 outdoor festival as a member of Haruomi Hosono’s group.