DJ Kentaro

DJ Kentaro is a Japanese turntablist whose sets draw on hip-hop, electronic music, and scratch-heavy technical mixing. He won the DMC World DJ Final in 2002 at age 20, becoming the first Asian champion of the competition and posting the highest score in its history, and he followed it with On The Wheels of Solid Steel, a 2005 mix for Ninja Tune's Solid Steel series built entirely from the label's back catalogue. His live sets put the turntable technique that won him that title front and center, rather than leaning on pre-sequenced playback.