DC SHOES presents Granite Asia Tour “China Taiwan Japan” and the last leg of the tour will be held in Japan from July 8 to 13. The DC SHOES Japan global team includes Tatsuya Tamano, Kota Ikeda, Hirotoshi Kawabuchi, and Masataka Yamashiro.

DJ Masterkey
Masterkey began his career in New York during the golden age of hip-hop by working at infamous clubs Mars and Tunnel. With Dev Large, CQ and Nipps he formed hip-hop unit Buddha Brand, which performed at events including Lyricist Lounge before returning to Japan in 1995. After a series of major hits and a stint running one of Japan’s biggest hip-hop nights, he began producing top acts such as MISIA. In 2000 he produced a compilation for Def Jam (becoming the first ever Japanese artist to be released on the label) and created his own imprint, The Life Entertainment, the following year.

DJ Takeshi
As the chief hip hop buyer for record shop CISCO, DJ Takeshi was a pioneer of the scene in Udagawa-cho, the area of Shibuya known as the heart of hip hop culture in Japan. His fame led him t o become involved in the establishment of DEF JAM JAPAN, and led him to serve as a selector for MTV JAPAN. He was worked on the GRAND THEFT AUTO series and PR events for singer Utada Hikaru. His impeccable taste has won him massive respect from DJs and rappers, many of whom he works with in an advisory capacity. As a DJ, he plays alongside the likes of DJ Hasebe and DJ Watarai at the Honey Dip event at Club Harlem and Fowl at the now-defunct Yellow.

DJ UPPERCUT
Using the turntables like a musical instrument with a hybrid sensibility, Uppercut’s experimental techniques push the boundaries of the art of DJing to their limits. He boasts as remarkable sense of balancing the experimental and popular and has won a loyal following. He was the tour DJ for Utada Hikaru in 2000, and has collaborated with the likes of Jay Dee, Towa Tei and Pardon Kimura, and also provided music for the Nike Presto campaign.

DJ Sarasa
Born in Yokohama and raised in NYC, Sarasa began working as a radio DJ in Canada in 2002. She returned to Japan in 2005, and was involved in the promotion of movies “Block Party” and “RIZE”. Her DJ sets have a performance element incorporating scratching and breakdance, and have a cosmopolitan. She is very versatile, and has a broad fan base ranging from fashion-conscious teens to former disco animals in their 50s.