Music producer Ram Rider's first encounter with any sort of computer came when, during the 1980s his parents bought something called an MSX while he was in elementary school. He would plug the early home computer into a TV and fiddle around with the various programs. That's how he got into making his own songs.
"At first, I would just listen to my favorite groups like Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk, and try to copy them on the computer," he says. "I was into their science-fiction imagery and their use of computers."
Those youthful efforts helped Ram Rider develop into one of the better young producers in Japan today. He makes high-energy electronic music similar to that of his friend Yasutaka Nakata (who produces Perfume and Asobi System stablemate Kyary Pamyu Pamyu), except with a sci-fi edge ... and with himself in the lead-vocalist spot. He's remixed some of the biggest names in J-pop and has worked with up-and-coming artists, including the Tempura Kidz. He has his eyes set on international success.