DJ Yazi has been active since the mid-1990s, as a member of Tokyo’s notoriously avant-garde hip hop group called Think Tank. The record label Black Smoker Records founded by the group took their experimentalism to a series of club nights called El Nino, and DJ Yazi remains its resident for two decades. Drawing inspiration from across the musical spectrum: the mentality of hip hop, the intensity of dub and jazz, the ferocity of techno and the euphoria of house. As a DJ he moves fluidly across styles, with his sets connected by a strong focus on deep and tripped out grooves. His attention to details, precision and masterful control over the decks clearly show his long time involvement in this art form. He also performs with Haruka as Twin Peaks, an improvisational live/ DJ hybrid act. He currently hosts a regular techno/ industrial themed night called Konvektion at Contact, Tokyo together with Takaaki Itoh. After appearing in a Tokyo satellite event series New Assembly presented by Berlin Atonal in early 2017, he caught the attention of the festival directors, and made his European debut in Berlin playing Herrensauna at Tresor and Berlin Atonal 2017.