Japanese musician Juri Kido, also known as DJ Juri, will perform at this year’s Hifa sponsored by the Japanese Embassy in Harare.
BY TATIRA ZWINOIRA
She is a respected female DJ/producer in Japan who is known as the creator of the original percussive tribal electro sound called Taiko Dub.
“When I was in Grade Three while playing kendo (a style of Japanese martial arts), I unconsciously heard the sound of the Japanese drum and got the idea of Taiko Dub. Instead of using the kendo stick on my opponent, I started using it on the floor to come up with musical beats,” DJ Juri said.
When she completed high school, she moved to Tokyo where she met a dancer who introduced her to a club where she heard ’70s style music incorporating a lot of percussive beats, which gave her the idea of Taiko Dub.
“Anytime I listen to any kind of drum it inspires me to come up with musical ideas,” DJ Juri said.
For her stage performance, she plays Taiko (Japanese drum) herself and creates the live tribal beats which effectively enhance the music she produces.
DJ Juri has previously worked with various talented artistes, including a famous Japanese rapper known as Dabo on a track titled Tongking Tribe and is currently signed to a record label called Fo Records.
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“I am not a traditional Japanese drummer. People can expect a mixture of tribal and traditional music from me,” DJ Juri said. Another artiste, Yano Iyco, known as Iyco — whose style of music is a fusion of African and Japanese music citing Chiwoniso Maraire as a musical influence — will also perform at Hifa.
She began singing solo in 2009 and released an album called UTA the following year with the single titled Himawari used at the end of ABC’s television show Street Fighters in 2011.
In 2013, she released her second album titled Moyo and formed her band Iyco and Kakafurha.
Iyco gives her albums Shona names as she wants her fans to know more about her dedication to singing Japanese music fused with an African traditional style. They will be performing today at 5pm at the Lay’s Global Stage and on Thursday at 1pm at the First Street Stage.
