BAKU x D-Styles - It's a Jazz Thing [TAPE+DL Card]

BAKU x D-Styles, a split mix by two producers/DJs/turntablists who are both active in the hip-hop scene in Japan and the US. This is a wonderful mix that explodes with the unique worldview of BAKU, who freely plays turntables as an instrument, and D-Styles, with the theme of "jazz" as a musical expression. Released in two formats: CD and TAPE (with DL card).

BAKU, who started his career as a DJ in his mid-teens based in Tokyo, is currently releasing various works and working as an artist based on his own label, KAIKOO, and last year (2023) released his latest album, MO' BETTER TRUTH, which features more than 30 rappers and musicians. Meanwhile, D-Styles is known for being a member of the two major turntablist groups, Invisibl Skratch Piklz and The Beat Junkies, and for being a resident DJ at the legendary LA event, Low End Theory, as one of the central members. As members of The Turntable Symphonograph Orchestra, an orchestra formed by a total of 20 DJs/turntablists from Japan and the United States, the two performed together at a concert held at the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi in 2018. While being in different scenes in Tokyo and the West Coast of the United States, they have built their own unique styles as DJs/turntablists as well as producers. This mix, "It's a Jazz Thing," marks the first time that BAKU and D-Styles have collaborated on a release, and is a work that showcases the strong personalities of these two artists.

As the title "It's a Jazz Thing" suggests, the theme of the work is "jazz". However, it is not just "jazz" as a musical genre, but "jazz" as an interpretation and concept of musical expression, and the mix using turntablist-specific "improvisation" (= improvisational performance) such as scratching and juggling is an important key of this work. BAKU's side is composed of three parts, "AWAKE", "FUNCTION", and "RETURN TRIP", while D-Styles' side is composed of four parts, "TAKE OFF", "CLIMB", "CRUISE", and "DESCENT". In each part, a story is drawn by various songs that cross genres such as hip-hop, which is the commonality between the two, as well as jazz, soul/R&B, reggae, and bass music, and it is a wonderful mix work that explodes with the worldview unique to BAKU and D-Styles, who freely play turntables (= record players) as instruments.

*The title logo tag was newly drawn by "TABOO1".

■ BAKU Profile:
Based in Tokyo, he started his career as a DJ in his mid-teens, and currently releases various works and works as an artist based on his own label "KAIKOO". Last year (2023), he released his latest album "MO' BETTER TRUTH", which features a total of more than 30 rappers and musicians.

■ D-Styles Profile:
D-Styles is known for being a member of two of America's leading turntablist groups, "Invisibl Skratch Piklz" and "The Beat Junkies," and also for being a resident DJ at the legendary LA event, "Low End Theory," and is widely known as the man who elevated the turntable to the level of being called a musical instrument.


Release date: Friday, September 27, 2024