DJ Krush

Biography

Hideaki Ishi (石 英明, Ishi Hideaki; born July 29, 1962), better known by his stage name DJ Krush, is a Japanese record producer and DJ. He is known for his atmospheric instrumental production which incorporates sound elements from nature, and extensive use of jazz and soul samples.

Early life

Ishi was born in Tokyo in 1962. He dropped out of school at an early age and joined a local gang and, a few years later, the yakuza. Early in his career as a yakuza underling, Ishi discovered a severed finger wrapped in paper on his desk. Later, after discovering that it had belonged to a friend, he decided to leave the yakuza and cut ties with the criminal underworld. Ishi was inspired to start DJing after seeing the film Wild Style in 1983. "When I discovered the film Wild Style in 1983 I found what I really wanted to do, to express myself," he said in a 2015 interview. "Breaking, grafitti, rap, DJ… I always liked music so I chose DJ. My body wasn’t built for breaking, DJing was the thing for me."

Career

Aside from being considered one of the pioneers of Japanese hip hop, Ishi has established himself as one of the most respected artists and producers in the hip hop industry, both in Japan and abroad. Upon entering the industry, Ishi, with his experimental beats and instrumental sounds, changed the face of hip-hop at a time when it was dominated by the American rap scene. He is reluctant to identify his music with any particular genre, for it would place limits on his listeners and on his talents. He has been regarded as ambient, trip hop, some combination of the two, and hip hop. DJ Krush prefers to exercise an ideological distance from the genres he is usually grouped into, while maintaining a healthy appreciation for all music forms and styles. Still, in general, he admits to having more affinity to the musical underground than the mainstream. "Hip hop in Japan is divided in two parts. Mainstream and Underground," he says. "Underground is more interesting and I feel comfortable here."

Studio albums

Krush (1994)
Strictly Turntablized (1994)
Meiso (1995)
Ki-Oku (1996) (with Toshinori Kondo)
MiLight (1996)
Kakusei (1998)
Ga (1999) (with DJ Hide and DJ Sak, as Ryu)
Zen (2001)
The Message at the Depth (2002)
Jaku (2004)
Butterfly Effect (2015)
Kiseki (2017)
Cosmic Yard (2018)
Trickster (2020)
Saisei (2024)
TOKYØHUM (2026)

Compilation albums

Reload: The Remix Collection (2001)
Stepping Stones: The Self Remixed Best: Lyricism (2006)
Stepping Stones: The Self Remixed Best: Soundscapes (2006)

Mixtapes

Cold Krush Cuts (1997) (with DJ Food and Coldcut)
Holonic-The Self Megamix (1997)
Code 4109 (2000)
OuMuPo 6 (2006)

EPs

Bad Brothers (1994) (with Ronny Jordan)
The DJ Krush EP (1995)
Meiso: Another Maze (1996)
Selektions (1997)
Code 1255 (1999) (with Gravity)
Saihate (2016) (with Bill Laswell)
道 -STORY- (2022)

Singles

"Lost and Found" b/w "Kemuri" (1994) (with DJ Shadow)
"A Whim" b/w "89.9 Megamix" (1995) (with DJ Shadow)
"Big City Lover" (1995)
"Dig This Vibe" (1995) (with Roni Size)
"Meiso×Meiso30 October 1995 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Only the Strong Survive4:162Anticipation4:463What's Behind Darkness?3:074Meiso4:035Bypath 10:376Blank2:207Ground5:578Bypath 20:469Most Wanted Man4:0110Bypath 31:13113rd Eye4:4812OCE 95043:3713Duality8:5014Bypath - Would You Take It?0:48" (1996)
"Headz 2 Sampler" (1996) (with Zimbabwe Legit)
"Only the Strong Survive×Only the Strong Survive1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Only the Strong Survive (DJ Krush album version)4:172Only the Strong Survive (DJ Krush remix)4:323Only the Strong Survive (The 7th Samurai mix)5:084Only the Strong Survive (Underdog remix No. 1)4:415Only the Strong Survive (Automator remix)5:116Only the Strong Survive (Dillinja remix)4:237Only the Strong Survive (Two Parts mix)7:00" (1996)
"Milight×MiLiGHT1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 28 tracks1Intro1:302From Rino0:293Shin-Sekai3:254Jikan no Hashi 10:555From Stash0:336Real4:287From Tragedy0:378Jugoya4:319Listen7:0610From Shawn J. Period0:4511Supanova4:3012From Finsta Bundy0:2813Jikan no Hashi 22:1514From DJ Cam0:4315Le Temps9:3716From Kemuri Production1:5617Hitotsu no Mirai6:0218From Futura 20000:3119From DJ Krush0:5220Jikan no Hashi 32:0821From Lee Q0:3322From Mos Def0:3723Shinjiro4:1824From Ken Duro Ifill0:2125Light (Can You See It)4:4226Mind Games5:0127From Eri Ohno1:0828Skin Against Skin5:50" (1997)
"Final Home×Final Home1999 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAFinal Home (vocal version)4:44BFinal Home (vocal version radio edit)3:59" (1999)
"Tragicomic×Tragicomic21 June 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Tragicomic4:392Tragicomic (Beyond Real mix)4:343Tragicomic (instrumental)4:38" (2000) (with Aco and Twigy)
"Never Too Soon" (1999) (with DJ Hide and DJ Sak, as Ryu)
"Rhythm Asobi" (2000) (with DJ Hide and DJ Sak, as Ryu)
"Supreme Team" b/w "Alepheuo" (2003)
"Koufu no Tsubasa: Breathe of Wings" (2011)
"Kuon: Far and Away" (2011)
"Shuya no Chiheisen: Sleepless Horizon" (2011)
"Kagi no Te: Phasic Swing" (2011)
"Kouro: Optical Path" (2012)
"Kuroi Ame: Black Rain" (2012)
"Aoi Ame: Green Rain" (2012)
"Genun: Passage of Time" (2012)
"Kyofu: Conflicts" (2012)
"Yushin: Brave Heart" (2012)
"Shuen" (2014) (with Bill Laswell)

Guest appearances

Monday Michiru - "Cruel 2 Be Kind" from Double Image (1998)
Luna Sea - "Sweetest Coma Again" and "Kiss" from Lunacy (2000)
Ryuichi Sakamoto - "Zero Landmine" from Zero Landmine (2001)
Yasushi Ide - "Black Night×Black Night2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksABlack Night (original version)6:15BBlack Night (dub version)6:16" (2006)
DJ Kentaro - "Kikkake" from Contrast (2012)

Productions

Inoran - Sou (1997)
Kukoo Da Baga Bonez & World - "Krush Ya Dreams" from Insane Psycho Home (2002)

Remixes

Monday Michiru - "When I'm with You (DJ Krush Mix)" from Groovement (1994)
k.d. lang - "Sexuality (DJ Krush Full Mix)" (1995)
Roy Hargrove - "Roy Allan (DJ Krush Remix)" (1995)
Naniwa Man - "L.O.V.E. '95 (DJ Krush Mix)" (1995)
DJ Vadim - "Variations in U.S.S.R. (DJ Krush Remix)" from U.S.S.R. Reconstruction: Theories Explained (1997)
Miki Nakatani - "Tengoku yori Yaban (DJ Krush Mix)" from Vague (1997)
Sugizo - "Eternity in Luna" from Replicant Truth? (1997)
Sugizo - "Spiritual Prayer" and "Shangri-la of the Europa" from Replicant Prayer (Remixes) (1997)
Monday Michiru - "Givin' It (DJ Krush Remix)" from Adoption Agency (1999)
Kodō - "Ibuki Reconstruction" from Sai-So (1999)
Toshinobu Kubota - "Soul Bangin' (DJ Krush 80's Mix)" (1999)
Boom Boom Satellites - "On the Painted Desert (DJ Krush Remix)" from On the Painted Desert - Rampant Colors (1999)
Aco - "Aishu to Ballad (DJ Krush Remix)" from The Other Side of Absolute Ego (2000)
Dragon Ash - "Deep Impact (DJ Krush Remix)" (2000)
Nigo - "Something for the People (DJ Krush Remix)" (2000)
Herbie Hancock - "The Essence (DJ Krush Main Mix)" (2001)
Boredoms - Rebore, vol. 3 (2001)
Tetsuya Komuro - "Blue Fantasy Remix" (2002)
Akira Sakata - "Kaigarabushi (DJ Krush Remix)" (2002)
Soulive - "Turn It Out (Remix)" (2003)
Angelina - "Babybayboo (DJ Krush Remix)" (2003)

Compilation appearances

"Only the Strong Survive×Only the Strong Survive1996 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 7 tracks1Only the Strong Survive (DJ Krush album version)4:172Only the Strong Survive (DJ Krush remix)4:323Only the Strong Survive (The 7th Samurai mix)5:084Only the Strong Survive (Underdog remix No. 1)4:415Only the Strong Survive (Automator remix)5:116Only the Strong Survive (Dillinja remix)4:237Only the Strong Survive (Two Parts mix)7:00" and "A Whim" from The Story of Mo'Wax (1995)
"Shin-Ki-Row" from Altered Beats: Assassin Knowledges of the Remanipulated (1996)
"Ryu-Ki" from Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip (1996)