That’s not always the case though. A lot of DJs around the world still work hard at their craft, and it’s a lot more complicated and nuanced than just pressing play.

There’s maybe no better example of this than Japan’s DJ Kentaro. In a world where it seems most DJs prefer a laptop Kentaro is one of those DJs that still use two turntables (but no microphone) to entertain.

Kentaro is just one of many talented Japanese DJs, but he’s probably the most recognized. He’s won numerous Japanese DJ competitions, put out some of his own albums, and even won the DJ World Championships. (To quote DJ A-Trak, yes, there is such a thing.)

What first caught my eye about Kentaro was one performance at the DJ World Championships where he didn’t actually play a record — he played the label on the record.

With his hands racing over the two decks and the fader, Kentaro’s technical skills and creativity shines through with this incredible performance. Don’t believe me? Alright, check this out:

It’s incredible to me to see how quickly his hands move over the turntables, and how he’s able to keep the beats in sync. It seems like music is becoming more and more digital, but nothing’s more analog than playing a record purely by feel.

Whether or not the majority of today’s DJ actually just press play doesn’t matter as much to me knowing that skilled, creative musicians like DJ Kentaro are out there. I’m content with just watching him at work and asking “how the hell did he do that?”

Header photo from Inaudible Answer

Except “Where you least expect it” always seems to be Japan. For such a supposedly homogenous culture, Japanese people seem to wholly embrace new cultures all the time.

Don’t mess with these guys.

Take Harajuku’s infamous rockabilly dancers. Geographically, these guys couldn’t be farther from original the rockabillies, but give them an upright bass and throw them in Appalachia and they’d fit right in.

But when it comes to weird cultural crossovers, Japanese Chicano rap takes the cake for me. The same kind of Latino culture based out of southern California has found a foothold in Japan, inspiring clothing, music, and much more.

Chicano Hip-Hop Culture

Chicano hip-hop culture comes mostly from southern California, where there is a huge Latino population. During the 80s and 90s, South Central Los Angeles became a place with a dangerous mixture of crime and poverty. Out of this environment came a culture that was a mixture of hip-hop and Latino cultures.

The most obvious product of this culture has been the music. Some of it is gangsta rap, but a lot of it touches on day-to-day life and being proud of your heritage. And over time, Chicano rap has grown more and more popular, even outside of California and Latinos.

The music eventually traveled around the world and captured a small segment of the Japanese population, who have kind of adopted the culture without any reservations. Two parts of Chicano hip-hop culture in particular have become popular in Japan: the music, and the cars.

The Music

Of course, the most important part of Chicano hip-hop culture is probably the music. The rapping carries the message of the culture, telling stories and describing everyday life.

When the Japanese do Chicano rap, they still rap in Japanese instead of English, Spanish, or some mixture of the two; but the beats, the clothes, the look are all right.

The accuracy of their looks is kind of unnerving. All the details are right, from the lip liner and press on nails to the baggy clothes and facial hair. They’ve got it all down to a “t.”

But there’s more to the culture than the look and music. You cannot talk about Chicano hip-hop culture without talking about lowriders

The Lowriders

A huge part of the Chicano hip-hop culture is the cars. But not just any cars; for the culture, it’s all about the lowriders. You know, those old-school American-made cars that ride low to the ground and have hydraulics thrown in to make them bounce, lean, and everything in between.

And Japanese people, even outside of the subculture, have been embracing lowriders for decades. There are lowrider conventions in Japan, and a Japanese language version of the popular Lowrider magazine.

I think it’s hilarious to see these tricked-out lowriders bouncing up and down the street next to tiny, boxy, Japanese kei-cars.

Then again, the Japanese have a long-running tradition of modifying and decorating their vehicles. Look no further than the dekotora and dekochari phenomena of tricking out trucks and even bicycles, and it’s not hard to see why lowriders would catch on so easily.

Homage, Or Rip-Off?

When researching this post, one issue came up time and time again: is this ripping off Chicano hip-hop culture, or is it just an homage?

It’s easy to see the issue from both sides – it might seem that the Japanese are making a mockery out of another culture, but it’s just as easy to see it all as paying tribute. For some Latinos, it’s actually pretty cool to see people flying the Mexican flag and representing the culture halfway across the world.

What do you think? Is Japanese Chicano hip-hop culture a rip-off, or just a tribute? Tell me in the comments!

Read more: When East Los Meets Tokyo: Chicano Rap and Lowrider Culture in Japan

Nujabes was a hip-hop producer who was known for the chill, mellow music he made. Most people would recognize Nujabes from his work on the soundtrack to the anime series “Samurai Champloo,” including the theme for the show.

Friends

Nujabes was a bit of a recluse; a shy, quiet kind of guy. Lucky for us, his chatty friends did a lot of the talking for him.

Nujabes collaborated with rappers from all over the world, producing incredible beats for MCs from Japan, England, and the US.

When most people think of rap, they think of guys like Lil Wayne or Jay-Z who rap about themselves, how great they are, and how much money they have. Fortunately, the rappers Nujabes worked with tended to be more thoughtful, playful, and witty.

Nujabes even produced an entire album for an American rapper named Pase Rock – 2003′s “Bullshit As Usual.”

This track is a great example of why I love Nujabes so much. A typical hip-hop producer piles on booming bass and snares, building incredibly heavy, loud songs. Nujabes manages to make irresistible beats with lilting flutes and strings.

Mellow Beats

While Nujabes produced tons of music for rappers, what stands out most is his instrumental work. His instrumentals are soothing, the kind of music I listen to when I want to unwind or calm down.

Even though Nujabes was Japanese, his music was thoroughly influenced by music from all over the world. He sampled indiscriminately from genre to genre, lifting loops from jazz, soul, bossa nova, and samba albums.

He wasn’t limited to smooth, mellow beats, either. He was pretty flexible as a producer, and could dip into more fast-paced, drum-and-bass style music too.

Remixes

And like any music, you’ll find lots of remixes, refixes, and reimaginings of songs to Nujabes beats. One of the great things about the internet is its ability to facilitate these kinds of remixes and spread them as far and quickly as possible.

And of course, there’s this video, which is just people running in slow motion, making goofy faces set to Nujabes music. Pretty much a must-see.

Death

Sadly, Nujabes died suddenly in a car accident a few years back. Usually when you hear about a musician’s death, it’s sad, but it doesn’t affect you a whole lot; you don’t actually know that person. But Nujabes’ death was a real shock to me.

Since his death, there have been tons of tributes to Nujabes. The most powerful tribute was a show that all of Nujabes’ collaborators put on called “Eternal Soul.” You can check out a video of the show, which is a bit of a tear-jerker, here.

There hasn’t been a month in the last five or six years where I haven’t listened to Nujabes. His music has had an incredible effect on me, and I’m sad to think that there will never be another new Nujabes release.

Rest in peace.

Saturday Timewaster is a weekly post that features Japanese videos, music, images, or games that will certainly waste your time (some weeks more than others). We hope you enjoy!