DJ Krush Albums (11)
What The Critics Say
As electronica's golden-era operators moved closer to the middle of their careers (to say the end would be cruel), many showed signs of incorporating techniques that were too close to smooth jazz for comfort. There are times on DJ Krush's 13th when it appears that he too had fallen victim to middle age, regardless of the traditional Japanese music (mostly flute) used as justification. But it's not a total loss, as Krush, even at the height of his acclaim as the Japanese face of insider hip-hop, always found ways to connect his lotus flower-smooth style of production to Western headz grown up on edgier beats. Here, Krush does the trick by inviting two of indie hip-hop's hottest MCs, Mr. Lif and Aesop Rock, to appear on "Nosferatu" and "Kill Switch," respectively. And while Aesop's blunt delivery is too rough for the china-shop tunes Krush creates, Lif does an excellent job upping the tension on the line without snapping it. Jaku isn't entirely fragile, although the literal translation of "tranquility" holds consistently true. "Decks-athron," with turntablist Tatsuki, finds the two fiercely dueling on the ones and twos, passing through warps in time and space, then coming out on the other side to battle again. "Road to Nowhere," with its beats and sleigh bells, could be edged out as a Madlib leftover were it not for the fact that Tokyo's Major Force label did this stuff (and released it on Krush's original Mo' Wax home) years earlier. With seniority comes a certain entitlement. And Krush had earned his dues. ~ Joshua Glazer, All Music Guide
'The Message at the Depth'
Release Date 10/7/2002
Tracks 11
Label Smi Col
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
In the world of independent hip-hop, artists either trailblaze like Quasimoto and El-P or salute their forebears like Blackalicious and Jurassic 5. Japanese breaks maestro DJ Krush is a curious exception to the rule; he seems virtually unaffected by trends yet encompasses many of them in his productions, and offers something different with virtually each release. Similar to lauded underground labels from Def Jux to Big Dada, The Message at the Depth is underground rap for the digital age, far removed from the moldy crates and dusty beats of Krush's Mo' Wax classic Strictly Turntablized. His beats are digital, heavily resampled and quantized, splintering off like drum'n'bass patterns but possessing a depth and clarity not seen since the heyday of Massive Attack. And with far fewer collaborations here than on his last record, Zen, there's more room to hear Krush at his best. A pair of instrumentals, the dark breaks symphonies "Sanity Requiem" and "The Blackhole," fare much better than the high-profile vocal features for Antipop Consortium and Anticon, which add surprisingly little to the proceedings. Anticon's collaboration, the stoner nightmare "Song for John Walker," is a sub-Cannibal Ox performance; even DJ Krush can't put together a production to make them sound relevant. The best rapping comes from Japanese MC Inden, who gets his point across on "Toki No Tabiji (Journey of Time)" without needing to resort to English. "But the World Moves On" is the only track to look back to the same grooves heard on Zen, with bassist D-Madness and alto Masato Nakamura helping Krush conjure a dark Asiatic vibe. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For Zen, Japanese producer/mixer DJ Krush works his way into a vision of sublime, downbeat hip-hop that's a snug fit with the title. The opening "Song 1" is an irresistible slice of trance-state trip-hop, with the cascading notes of a vibraphone and flute perfectly complementing the atmospheric grooves. Krush also continues the collaborational bent of previous LPs, with hip-hop heads Black Thought and ?uestlove from the Roots (appearing on separate tracks), Company Flow, and DJ Disk alongside left-field choices Zap Mama, N'Dea Davenport, and trumpeter Kazufumi Kodama. On these tracks, the beats and effects are more pointed than on the opener and, as in the past, DJ Krush proves he's a stellar jack-of-all-trades trackmaster. The tuneless bassline and production gloom surrounding "Vision of Art" are the perfect bedrock for hardcore paranoiacs Company Flow, while the frenetic, quasi-jungle programming on "Sonic Traveler" only highlights the incredible flair of guest Tunde Ayanyemi (on kudi and bata drums). And while any other hip-hop producer would burn out on at least a few collaborations, Krush just keeps turning out excellent song beds: for DJ Disk on "Duck Chase," for Zap Mama on "Danger of Love," and for Kazufumi Kodama on "Day's End." All these great appearances make any disappointment caused by the lack of solo jaunts after "Song 1" practically nil. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Code 4109 is the first "proper" mix album from one of trip-hop's reigning DJ masters -- his two previous efforts, Back in the Base and Holonic, were restricted to, respectively, material from the Ninja Tune label and his own work. It's also an excellent compilation, never sacrificing the trademarked earthy grooves on the altar of experimentalism. None of the tracks are obvious inclusions -- except for a few of Krush's own productions -- and the material that is here has obviously been worked on heavily while on the turntables; Krush transforms, tweak scratches, and attempts all manner of effects on the tracks. From the vicious detuned monster "Back to the Essence" (by Gravity) near the beginning, he spins material from those with similar aesthetics (DJ Cam, the 45 King, Jazzanova) and uses more eccentric inclusions (John Klemmer, Beats International, a Bulgarian choir, Japanese jazz artist Minuro Muraoka) as layering for the stoned beats and haunted basslines on the primary tracks. More so than most of DJ Krush's material, Code 4109 progresses through different sounds and styles with panache and dexterity. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Continuing his series of solo albums as collaborative efforts, DJ Krush touched down after a slight absence with Kakusei, another invigorating, moody, and powerful release. Steering away from the overall concept of Milight but working with another slew of musical partners, Krush once again lets his abilities at both musical creation and turntablism work together for great results. "Escapee," a track worked on with fellow beatmaster A.S.A., is almost stereotypically Krush, but it sounds so great, the crackle of vinyl and acoustic bass moan steering the course. Other musical collaborations abound, unsurprisingly: "Parallel Distortion" with DJ Sak features odd video game noises and a quirky synth bass rhythm echoing through the flow, while "Krushed Wall" has the Rhythm Troops having a blast with the usual Krush sound and tons of unexpected stops, scratches, and cuts. Some returnees from Milight surface, including members of Kemuri Productions, who appear on the quietly head-nodding "Inorganizm" and "No More," and Shawn J. Period, who on "The Dawn" works with Krush on a great series of orchestrations to flesh out the track. Plenty of strictly solo efforts crop up as well, including the abrasive electronics of "85 Loop" and the smooth-going "Final Home." Vocally, there's not as much going on this time around; aside from brief shout-outs here and there, it's strictly an instrumental affair. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
'Holonic: The Self Megamix'
Release Date 2/2/1998
Tracks 19
Label Mo Wax
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Megamixes are almost never very interesting, as they mostly consist of DJs placing their own interpretive tastes and ideas over those of the artists being mixed, but as the subtitle indicates, DJ Krush's Holonic: The Self Megamix is actually more of a greatest-hits collection than a traditional Megamix. Taking tracks (or bits and pieces thereof) from all of his previous albums, from 1994's Strictly Turntabilzed through 1997's Milight, DJ Krush turns these fragments into a cohesive, free-flowing whole. The album is heaviest on tracks and samples from Milight, even including some of the spoken-word segments from that album, but Holonic has a much brighter and less-heavy vibe than that doomy, almost-apocalyptic album. DJ Krush's music could never be called cheerful -- his jazzy, minor-key grooves and atmospheric use of found sound and unidentifiable samples is just too dark and moody -- but Holonic has a playful quality that's largely been missing from his work since the days of Strictly Turntabilzed. Neither a traditional greatest hits nor the average Megamix, Holonic is nevertheless an excellent introduction to DJ Krush's work. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Anyone who remembers trumpeter Toshinori Kondo's work with such thorny avant-gardists as John Zorn, Derek Bailey, Fred Frith, and Peter Brotzmann's Die Like a Dog Quartet may be a bit taken aback by the extreme accessibility of his collaboration with pioneering turntablist DJ Krush. Much of the music on Ki-Oku flirts with smooth-groove jazz -- Kondo's muted trumpet line on "Mu-Getsu" sounds an awful lot like something Chris Botti would play, while the duo's instrumental take on the Bob Marley classic "Sun Is Shining" comes off just a little bit muzak-y. On the other hand, "Ki-Gen" and "Ko-Ku" both find Kondo using synthesized treatments in a way that evokes Jon Hassell's work with Brian Eno, while on the latter DJ Krush layers slightly menacing keyboard washes beneath Kondo's unassuming trumpet lines. This is one of those albums that reveals more with repeated listens; if it sounds too easy at first, listen again -- there's lots of interesting stuff going on beneath what sometimes sounds like a merely pleasant surface. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The follow-up to Krush's excellent Meiso was a slightly more unusual affair, consisting of a series of collaborative pieces throughout, with only one or two exceptions, and with each particular guest bookending their respective track with a brief reflection on what the future of the world will hold. The results are a touch mixed but still a fairly good effort, as always with Krush's brand of jazz-tinged, heavy, druggy breakbeats and scratches at the center of things. His style remains pure and fierce, if anything becoming even more effectively unnerving and atmospheric with time, as the lovely blend of nature sounds and keyboards on "Jugoya" shows. The first collaboration, "Shin-Sekai," also demonstrates this perfectly; fellow Japanese musician Rino lays down a pretty fierce rap while Krush's blend of shuffling but hard-hitting drums and mysterious tones -- pianos, sighing electric guitar, and other strange moans in the mix -- carry everything before it. Producer Shawn J. Period throws in a lot of additional music, subtly but with great effect, like a strange haunted house, on "Listen," while DJ Cam, in an echo of Meiso's DJ Shadow tradeoff "Duality," jams with Krush to create the slamming mini-duel "Le Temps." Guest MCs this time out include Tragedy and partner Stash, laying down a harrowing and saddening tale of crime and its consequences on the hard-hitting "Real," while cult figure Mos Def spins his usual magic on the quietly chaotic salute to Japanese hip-hoppers, "Shinjiro." One of the most inspired moves comes at the end: a cover of John Lennon's "Mind Games," with guest singer Eri Ohno giving it a good soul revamp over the steady, big-impact rhythms. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Having won a deserved underground reputation, DJ Krush was able to take things to a higher plane with his excellent Meiso album, featuring another range of strong collaborations to help him carry out his mission of creativity with the turntables. Kicking off with the excellent "Only the Strong Survive," featuring C.L. Smooth, Meiso resembles Krush in that shorter bridge tracks crop up between longer songs, all flowing together just so. His overall approach remains unchanged: low, mid- to slow-tempo grooves and breaks, with varying low bass tones, touching on everything from jazz and funk to experimental ambient production. The album's mood is at once reflective and edgy, always threatening to get vicious just around the corner. Highlights of his strictly solo tracks include "What's Behind Darkness?" and the deceptively gentle "Blank." Most of Krush's collaborators this time around are on the vocal tip; musically, the real winner comes with the astonishing "Duality." This track is a full partnership with the equally well-ranked DJ Shadow; one can easily tell when the latter takes over the drum programming for the tune, with a shimmering darkness cascading down. Vocally, both Black Thought and Malik B. of the Roots take a spin with the tight grooving title track, getting in some wonderfully playful rhymes playing off Krush's Japanese background while the man himself shows some smart scratching flash. Deflon Sallahr of Hedrush kicks down with a confrontational effort on "Ground," while a more than logical fellow traveler in jazz and hip-hop, the legendary Guru, works out the music with Krush as Big Shug delivers a bold gangsta rap on "Most Wanted Man." ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
DJ Krush's first stateside release is a fine affair; if Strictly Turntablized is the one most often raved about in the hip-hop underground with regard to his early work, that's not for this release's lack of trying. Working with a variety of his countrymen throughout, who tackle everything from guest vocals to a variety of instruments, Krush sets the late-night, smoky urban mood from the start and doesn't let up throughout. Funky beats are spare but effective, launching grooves that unfold just enough over the course of his tracks, edgy and slightly unnerving. Many of his best efforts come on brief link tracks, like "Underneath the System," with a queasy, drugged-out feeling that any number of trip-hop wannabes would have killed to create. While he has a definite sound and style, he also knows how to create any number of variations or twists with it, with fine results. His collaborations with vocalists and rappers show him holding back just a touch to allow them full room to breathe; it's more like he's the backing musician for them, an unexpected twist given that this is his album. "Keeping the Motion" features sweet R&B singing and reasonably okay MC work from Monday Michiru, adding some fine sass to the affair, while Carla Vallet's multilingual spoken word breaks and softly crooned chorus on "Murder of Soul" also has a nice bite. On the instrumental tip, his affinities to jazz are clear. The edgy, electronic burn of "Roll and Tumble" is broken up in a neat way by Kim Shima's piano and Takeharu Hayakawa's bass. Meanwhile, both Kazufumi Kodama's calmer trumpet on the lovely, echo-heavy "On the Dub-Bue" and Kobutaka Kuwabara's more aggressive work on "Edge of Blue" bring to mind what Miles Davis might have done had he lived well into the '90s. ~ Ned Raggett, All Music Guide
