DJ Kentaro

DJ Kentaro (J)

"DJ Kentaro may be a turntablist - a world-beating turntablist, in fact, having taken the DMC World Championship title in 2002 - but that doesn't mean that only spotty geezers in puffas and baseball caps need to look out for him. Because hip hop and scratching represent merely one side of Kentaro's multi-faceted musical persona." - IDJ Magazine (UK / EU) 10/2003

“More than just a technical DJ, Kentaro is a performer, inciting the crowd into a frenzy while titillating the scratch fetishists. Starting with the Roots and winding up with Pharcyde, Wayne Marshall and Sizzla - with cut and juggle excursions through all the other artists from all over the world, Hip-hop, reggae, drumn' bass, house, electro and jungle -he slid easily to a second victory,” stated Blast Magazine.

On September 18th 2002, reigning DMC World 3rd place from 2001, DJ Kentaro (Kentaro Okamoto) re-tried for his 1st time World Champion title and claimed the title with the first perfect score ever in DMC World history. Dedicating his winning 6 minute set to his consciousness "No walls between the music", DJ Kentaro finally took 2 gold Technics 1200's and a matching Technics DJ mixer to its home country.

Kentaro’s blend of hip-hop, breaks, drum & bass and turntablism is untouchable. His tours have included the largest 40 dayz North-Western Solo European/UK tour of himself - The No-Waller's asian tour 2002, as it was mentioned above - legendary tour with the Roots in Japan 2003, tour with Pharcyde in Japan 2003, the Zamurai Japan tour 2004 w/ Hifana & Gagle from Tokyo and Sendai, Japan, and extensive dates worldwide... Jamaica, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and France. This, along with, extensive coverage in all most every hip-hop and dance music magazine and TV program available, (check out the December 2002 cover of Blast Magazine, the October 2003 of IDJ Magazine, and the March 2004 of V-Magazine) has made Kentaro a worldwide hip-hop phenomenon.

Where some turntablists are content to fill their routines with the same ol' thang, Kentaro uses his awesome technique to move beyond the crab scratch and has catapulted drum 'n' bass and dance music into a realm that nobody has yet to explore. My Favorites Songs - Kentaro's first ever mix CD - stands as a testament to his pioneering vision of melding the mentality of a battler with the street smarts and savvy of the hip-hop elite.

Lauded for years by hip-hop aficionados, Kentaro has won the respect of Japan’s Hip Hop Best Artists (tied winner was Eminem from USA) which explains why revered Japanese labels like Endeavor Entertainment, W + Kennedy Tokyo Lab, Artimage and Jazzysport. Undiluted and Virus have presented him with exclusive tracks you won't be able to hear anywhere else. And let's not forget Kentaro's exclusive turntablist cut ups - three mind blowing pastiches that are all ahead of its time. Kentaro is moving at the speed of vox. Sleep on his skills and he's gonna leave you in the dust.

After announcing himself to a worldwide audience with his Solid Steel mix "On The Wheels Of Solid Steel" for Ninja Tune in 2005, DJ Kentaro returned with his full production debut, "Enter" in 2006. Forty minutes of beautifully structured beats, musical smarts and occasional smattering of turntable magic, the record also featured guest turns from The Pharcyde, Spank Rock, New Flesh, Little Tempo, Hifana and Fat Jon.

Kentaro is best known as a phenomenal turntablist and former DMC World Champion, but on his debut record, he was more concerned with showing his muscle as a music producer. "Enter" run the gamut of styles from funk to dubby downtempo soul, drum and bass, hip hop, reggae, tribal space-jazz and epic turntable cut-up. It's not that he can't scratch the shit out of a piece of vinyl when he wants to it's just that he understands that making a great album demands a wider palette.

Utterly contemporary, completely rooted in hip hop's old skool aesthetics and with a magpie naivety which gives him a freedom within them, Kentaro enters your musical consciousness so that you can enter his. Come in…

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