Event preview by SUZANNAH TARTAN Turntablists are to the new century what lead guitarists were to the last: explorers of new sonic frontiers. The edginess comes not from gangsta rap-style posing but the heady exuberance of beats cut fast and fine.
For next-generation turntablism, "Tight," the Nakameguro Yakkyoku's monthly hip-hop event, has become the gig to catch. The next installation, with guest DJ Krush (above), should be an aural history of Japanese turntablism present and future.
If DJ Krush is the godfather of Japanese hip-hop DJs, then the Nakameguro Yakkyoku (which translates loosely as "drugstore") consists of some of his most talented progeny. Nakameguro DJs Quietstorm and Yas are no strangers to pushing the creative envelope; both espouse a rather cerebral, though no less passionate, brand of DJing that is both technically fine (dig the scratching) and eclectic (expect everything from the Roots to Quincy Jones).
On a score of white-label mixed tapes and, more recently, CDs from hip-hop label Mary Joy, Quietstorm has produced a body of work that straddles the thin line between turntablism and sonic art. DJ Shadow and Thurston Moore would feel equally at home.
Given the utter dross that can pass for hip-hop, especially in the United States, it sometimes seems like Japan is the genre's one saving grace. If you think hip-hop has devolved to meaningless posturing, then "Tight" is a reminder of just how crucial and creative this music can be.