Show and Prove with Taiji

On Taiji's Facebook page, he simply describes himself as a "Japanese DJ, Producer, Turntablist." But he is so much more. Taiji is also an instructor at the KOBE RevolveR DJ School and Miki Music Salon, winner of the Jose Cuervo × MySpace BGM Contest, title holder at several DMC, Vestax, and other DJ tournaments, but most importantly he's a great innovator. The multi-talented DJ stepped behind the 1's and 2's at this year's DMC World DJ Championships for the Japan qualifier in the Kansai regional heat for a guest set in July and it spoke to his impressive resume more than any short bio that we could come up with.

After a dramatic intro, Taiji moves into a scratch routine that weaves in and out of short stabs and long scratches that remind us of a Reggaeton beat. Be careful to note his left hand as he slaps the record backwards and forwards to create a unique sharp yet extended scratch. He switches it up to a beat juggle that shifts from a quick back and forth to a Run DMC beat, and finishes with a handy cross over juggle. He has built in sections that raises the tone as he chops it up to transition between techniques. Towards the end he incorporates a beatpad and uses the turntable as a fader to control the length of the sample. You may want to watch this one a few times to pick up on all of the little nuances of the set.

Stay up to date with Taiji on his Facebook page, Twitter, and Youtube.