On April 23 2007, Ninja Tune and Beat Records will release 'ENTER' the first debut studio album from Japan's finest turntablist, dj KENTARO. Just as the 2002 DMC World Finals proved to be a new start for the world champion DJ, this album will undoubtedly prove to also be a new start for dj KENTARO, the recording artist.

The world first heard Kentaro's name at the 2002 DMC/Technics World DJ Championship Final in September 2002 when he became the first ever Asian World Champion of the renown DJ competition.
Persuaded by Mr.Ozaki of DMC Japan who assured me Kentaro would win the championships, I followed Kentaro there and witnessed the historic moment. It was a total landslide victory - out of the 16 judges on the panel, 15 picked Kentaro as champ and the difference in points between him and second place was a double score, a feat very rarely achieved in the close cut world of turntablism. The routine that won it has been eternally engrained in my eyes and ears, as is the sound of the excitement from the crowd there that night.

In that routine, he displayed a four-part structure - one often used in ancient poetry of introduction, development, turn and conclusion - in which he skillfully jumped between hip-hop, house, reggae, rock, expressing the ever present message in his career of 'No Walls Between the Music'. At the time in the battle DJ scene, fancy ideas and tricky gimmicks were the order of the day and there was little emphasis on musicality. What Kentaro's routine did was disregard all these trappings of the times and counter the trend with both musicality and skill, resulting in him being awarded the much coveted champion belt.

'89 world champion Cutmaster Swift said about Kentaro, 'He brought the wind back in turntablism and he's taken it to the next level as music'. As these words imply, his routine was one that changed many things for him and those after him - for him, he not only became the first ever Asian champion of the competition, he was now in the league of champions, alongside turntable giants such as Roc Raida, Q-Bert, A-Trak and Craze.

After taking the world as a battle DJ, dj KENTARO continued to expand his methods of expression through the turntables - after winning the title, in the summer of 2003 he performed at both the Fuji Rock and Metamorphose festivals and that led on to his first tour of Europe. As he proved with his world dominating routine, his exceptional grasp of a wide range of music led to crowds and critics showering him with praise and to date, he has toured Europe 6 times, footage of which was included in the dj KENTARO DVD 'National Geoscratch', released in 2005. Outside of Europe he has toured the world extensively, from Jamaica to China, Korea, Taiwan to New Zealand - and the list keeps going.

Under a different name and a different musical persona, he also DJs as 'KEM DJ' - the name KEM coming from the japanese for 'kemuri' meaning smoke - playing, as the name goes, a smokey set of beats carefully picked for the occasion. This and his numerous collaborations with other artists/bands (including sessions with a japanese 3-string guitar, shamisen, player) showcases his development from being just a turntablist to a musician, naturally progressing on to the production of his own original works.

Though going back in time a bit, it is worth mentioning his production works preceding this debut album, 'ENTER' - in 2002 he featured on a track on his hometown comrades (both hailing from Sendai) japanese hip-hop trio Gagle's album, '3 Men On Wax' where he created a track strictly using the turntable called 'Duruchiki Hour'. He also featured on MPC-wielding duo, Hifana's album 'Fresh Push Breakin'' in 2003. In 2005 he also co-produced a track with Gagle producer Mitsu The Beats called 'Cannon Baller' which was released on a compilation, 'Mess-Age presents Rap Sound Burger'.
While honing his production skills he was approached by Ninja Tune to mix the next release in the Solid Steel series using tunes from the label - the result was 'Solid Steel presents DJ Kentaro : On The Wheels Of Solid Steel' which started with an original track from Kentaro himself. The CD was released in Japan in late 2004, and later released worldwide, to extraordinary critical acclaim. The next step for him was to remix Ninja Tune dons, Coldcut's first single from their new album, 'Everything's Under Control'. Then in the spring of 2006, he announced his signing as an artist to Ninja Tune.

Ninja Tune was set up in 1990 by Coldcut and is widely known as one of the best dance music record labels in the world releasing music from artists in UK, US, all Europe, as well as having close ties with Japan all of a consistently high quality. The perfect match between Kentaro's turntablist skills combined with his wide ranged musicality and NInja Tune is one that is obvious to anyone. Kentaro himself says 'I can't think of any other label I'd like to release from..it's definitely one of my favourite labels'.

Hip-hop, breakbeats, reggae, drum'n'bass, electronica...the sounds packed into this first full-length studio album shouldn't surprise those who know what to expect from dj KENTARO but even when looking at the broad spectrum of dance music in current you'd be pressed to find an album more balanced in all directions, crossing over musical boundaries without sounding forced. It is exactly the message expressed at the 2002 DMC finals of 'No Walls Between The Music' all concentrated and materialised into one album, and the collaborations on the record add to the expanse of 'ENTER' -

All the artists featured on the album are artists Kentaro has played with in the numerous events, live shows and tours he has performed at over the years and the hand-picked lineup is bound to bring a grin to many faces. One of the acts responsible for the new school movement in hip-hop in the 90s and still going strong today, Pharcyde. The Baltimore bred group on everyone's lips after releasing their debut album 'YoYoYoYoYo' from Ninja sub-label Big Dada in 2006, Spank Rock. Veterans in the UK hip-hop scene after releasing 3 albums also on Big Dada, New Flesh. Leader of the Cincinatti hip-hop crew Five Deez and receiving just as much, if not more, praise for his solo works, producer/MC, Fat Jon. Having such respected and skilled artists from around the world on one record is in itself a delight but the way all 4 artists ride and harmoniously fit dj KENTARO's sound is a ride in itself.
On the japanese side are 3 sets of artists all with strong ties to Kentaro - while always laying their roots in the reggae/dub scene a band that continues to expand its horizons musically, Little Tempo. Creating a genre themselves by doing what they do with an MPC and a turntable before anyone else in the world, now on their way to becoming world renown, Hifana. The MC with the most original and absorbing style Japan has to offer, Hunger from the hip-hop group Gagle. While all 3 tracks are of a totally different nature, Kentaro manages to give them all a certain touch that makes them distinctively a similar colour. As a fellow japanese, I can't help but be happy that their sound will now be known to the world through Ninja Tune.

But it's not only the tracks with guest vocalists that make up the album - the instrumental tracks on the album are just as, if not more, expressive of Kentaro's musically liberated nature and they can be said to be the driving force of 'ENTER'. Each track was carefully crafted to stir the imagination, and the length to which they show the richness of Kentaro's expression will without a doubt leave a lasting impression on everyone that comes across it. Most of the tracks were also mixed by dj KENTARO himself (half were done together with Alan Mawdsley, a mix engineer that mixes many of Ninja Tune artists) and his acute sound sensibility is also an aspect to check on the album.

How much influence will 'ENTER' have on the dance music scene the world over? And how will that influence reflect back to dj KENTARO? Questions I ask myself like this only make me restless waiting for the release date..2007, the year that will always be remembered as the year dj KENTARO entered your world -