One of the most highly visible and sought-after DJ/producers in the world, Towa Tei has consistently remained in the public eye since his debut. Born Doug Wa-Chung in Tokyo, Tei attended Musashino Art School, where he majored in Visual Art. In 1987, he relocated from Tokyo to New York, where he soon met the members of Dee-Lite and joined the band. Tei first earned notice for production work on the 1989 Jungle Brothers album
Done by the Forces of Nature. The following year, he broke big as a member of the New York downtown club trio Dee-Lite, scoring a massive international hit with "Groove is in the Heart" from the group's 1990 debut set
World Clique. After following in 2002 with the less successful
Infinity, Tei left the group to pursue a career as a solo artist. His 1994 debut album,
Future Listening was released, seeing international distribution through Elektra the following year. With its fresh mix of '60s lounge, soul, bossa nova, jazz, and electronica, the record would be a roadmap for club music for the next five years, and established Tei as a leading light of the club music scene both in Japan and throughout the rest of the world. Since his debut, Tei has released a string of successful records internationally, organized and deejayed at club events all over the world, and remixed and written for a list of collaborators that reads like an international who's who of modern music, including Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Yellow Magic Orchestra, K...
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One of the most highly visible and sought-after DJ/producers in the world, Towa Tei has consistently remained in the public eye since his debut. Born Doug Wa-Chung in Tokyo, Tei attended Musashino Art School, where he majored in Visual Art. In 1987, he relocated from Tokyo to New York, where he soon met the members of Dee-Lite and joined the band. Tei first earned notice for production work on the 1989 Jungle Brothers album
Done by the Forces of Nature. The following year, he broke big as a member of the New York downtown club trio Dee-Lite, scoring a massive international hit with "Groove is in the Heart" from the group's 1990 debut set
World Clique. After following in 2002 with the less successful
Infinity, Tei left the group to pursue a career as a solo artist. His 1994 debut album,
Future Listening was released, seeing international distribution through Elektra the following year. With its fresh mix of '60s lounge, soul, bossa nova, jazz, and electronica, the record would be a roadmap for club music for the next five years, and established Tei as a leading light of the club music scene both in Japan and throughout the rest of the world. Since his debut, Tei has released a string of successful records internationally, organized and deejayed at club events all over the world, and remixed and written for a list of collaborators that reads like an international who's who of modern music, including Ryuichi Sakamoto,
Yellow Magic Orchestra,
Kahimi Karie,
Scha Dara Parr,
Shonen Knife, Bjork, Chara, Ua, Bebel Gilberto,
Sketch Show, and
Maki Nomiya. He has also established the label Akashic Records as a vehicle to release his own music and introduce his favorite artists to the world.
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