Kentaro
DJ Kentaro, born Kentaro Okamoto, bought his first set of turntables at age 14 and began spinning the same year at a nightclub in Sendai, launching a turntablism career built around hip-hop, scratching, drum and bass, reggae and house. He first entered the DMC World DJ Championship in 1998, was eliminated at the Tohoku regional, and returned in 2002 to win the world title with a six-minute routine dedicated to his ethos of "no walls between the music," delivering what is recorded as the first-ever perfect score in DMC World history.
That victory tied him with Eminem in a "Hip Hop Best Artists" recognition in Japan and opened doors to gigs, production work and international travel that shaped the rest of his career. Signed to Ninja Tune, Kentaro released his debut mix CD, My Favorite Songs, drawing on exclusive Japanese label material from Jazzysport and Undiluted alongside his own turntablist cut-ups.
His international festival dates have included Belgium's Dour Festival and Jamaica's Mandevil, where he sourced dubplates directly from reggae artists Sizzla and Wayne Marshall. He has cited DJ KIYO as Japan's greatest hip-hop DJ and continues to prepare meticulously for high-stakes sets, crediting his DMC-honed discipline of daily practice and constant vinyl digging as the foundation of his enduring turntablist reputation.