Towa Tei

Towa Tei

Tōwa Tei in 2007.
Background information
Birth name Doug Wa-Chung
Born 1965 (age 50–51)
Yokohama, Japan
Origin Tokyo, Japan
Genres Electronica, house, trip hop, shibuya-kei, big beat, drum and bass
Occupation(s) Music producer, disc jockey
Instruments Keyboards, turntables
Labels Elektra
Associated acts Deee-Lite, ja:METAFIVE
Website www.towatei.com

Towa Tei (テイ・トウワ（鄭 東和） Tei Tōwa, born Doug Wa-Chung, 1965) is a DJ, artist and record producer born in Yokohama, Japan. Towa debuted as a member of Deee-Lite, from the U.S. label Elektra Records in 1990, and shot to fame via their international hit single, "Groove Is In the Heart". He made his solo debut with the album Future Listening! in 1994. He has since relocated back from New York to rural Nagano prefecture in Japan.[1]

His concept party, "Hotel H", started in 2009 as a social spot for music industry people in Tokyo.[2]

Biography

Towa began making demo tapes at the age of 16 having bought his first synthesizer, a Korg MS-10. While studying at Musashino Art University Junior College of Art and Design he sent his tape to a radio program of Ryuichi Sakamoto titled "Sound Street".

In 1987, Towa moved to the US to study graphic design and joined house act Deee-Lite, a trio with Supa DJ Dimitry and Lady Miss Kier, enjoying almost instant success after debuting in 1990 with their album World Clique and the single "Groove Is In the Heart".

In 1991, Towa collaborated with his idol Ryuichi Sakamoto on Sakamoto's album Heartbeat. He also appeared on Sakamoto's follow up album Sweet Revenge.

In 1994, Towa returned to Japan after seven years in New York.[1] He hinted in a 2011 interview that his time with Deee-Lite made him ill, though he didn't expand on the reasons why.[3] Towa debuted as a solo act with Future Listening! that same year, incorporating an array of musical styles, including electronic, bossa nova, house, jazz and pop. It featured collaborations with Joi Cardwell, Bebel Gilberto, MC Kinky, Hiroshi Takano, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, Toshihiko Mori, Satoshi Tomiie, Yuichi Oki of Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and Pizzicato Five vocalist Maki Nomiya.

Sound Museum followed in 1997, then Last Century Modern in 1999. 2002 brought the album Towa Tei, under the pseudonym Sweet Robots Against the Machine. Flash surfaced in 2005[1] by which time Towa was DJing regularly in Japan. He has admitted though, that he doesn't enjoy performing and prefers producing and using computers.[1]

Big Fun, featuring Verbal and Mademoiselle Yulia was released in 2009 and was the third album to feature the artwork of San Franciscan painter and graffiti artist Barry McGee.[1] For the album, Towa utilized MySpace to collaborate with artists from around the world even if he didn't know them, such as with German act Taprikk Sweezee.[1] Another collaborator he worked with for Big Fun was Miho Hatori of Cibo Matto, though they also only met on MySpace.[1]

Towa has also established his own creative company, hug inc, which among other things, manufactures his trademark sunglasses.[1]

Discography

Studio albums

DJ compilation albums

Singles and EPs

Digital singles

Remix albums

Compilation albums

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Robert Michael Poole (2009-02-19). "Towa Tei wallows in optimism for art's sake". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2011-05-06.
  2. ↑ "Oops-music.com". Oops-music.com. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
  3. ↑ Hadfield, James (May 18, 2011). "Towa Tei: The Interview". Time Out Tokyo. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
  4. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 551. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/430312/towa-tei/chart
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