“To those involved deeply in UK Garage music since around its heyday in the early 2000’s, I will always be known as someone who has loyally and persistently championed the sound and much of what has come from it.” —DJ Sushi Though this statement is one that still holds true today, if you ask the typical question “what does he play?” among clubgoers (and sometimes even fellow industry-types) in Chicago, the answers tend to be inconsistent when it comes to DJ Sushi. Embracing this mystique, he plays up the unpredictability factor throughout his performances, oftentimes surrendering his playlist to his crowd but never losing the plot. With his progressive rejection of genre classification in favor of a broader view of track selection, focusing on similarities in composition and elements, he took a situation that could have potentially yielded a lump of muddled musical coal and turned it into a symphonic diamond. Already recognized by the likes of URB Magazine early on in his career, Sushi came up in the Chicago rave scene as most did — a “mix ’n blend” DJ. His love for Hip-Hop and R&B throughout childhood, coupled with his teenage love for sounds like Chicago House and assorted Breakbeat Rave music, made 2-Step Garage an obvious yet challenging genre to start with as an DJ. However, it was his deep admiration of Hip-Hop culture as a whole, as well as DJ influences such as Qbert and Rossi B & Luca, that later motivated Sushi to incorporate turntablism elements into his live performances. Armed with a brand new bag of tricks and an outright refusal to be silenced due to the limited reach of UK Grime in the States, Sushi soon began competing regularly in “quick-mix” competitions in the Midwest, placing in 1st or 2nd in the majority of them — even besting some “hometown heroes” with considerably larger, established fanbases — and often celebrating victories with "partner-in-Grime," Whoa-B, with whom occasionally performed with as "B.Raw." Riding high on their growing recognition, their crew Brüt Force became the go-to promoter for UK Grime in Chicago, giving way to an event partnership with Vice Records. In the years to follow, Sushi continued to gain recognition as a DJ and grew Brüt Force’s name as Chicago’s promoter for niche UK Bass/Dance music through the Bassweight event series, but 2013 would finally be the year he established himself as an industry “triple-threat” — teaming up with young up-and-coming artist, The Magnum Carta, to form a unique production duo incorporating old and new elements of dance music, Rachét. With his career spanning over a decade, Sushi’s role as a conduit for the freshest UK music carries firmly into the present, the labels supporting him a Who’s Who of UK dance music old and new — including the likes of Black Butter and Ice Cream Records, respectively — but never limiting his willingness to please his audience with some Chicago throwbacks, new EDM bangers, or even Top 40 tunes. Although some claim the emergence of EDM has created a divide between underground and mainstream dance music, Sushi’s versatility and simple self-dedicated focus on the dance element of music have allowed him to ride the fine line in between — satisfying his calling as a trusted name to support niche UK acts in Dubstep and Bass music, while also affording him the opportunities to perform at epic music festivals and support internationally successful artists in EDM. PRESS/FEATURES: URB Magazine (June 2003); Mixcrate "Pick of the Week" (October 8, 2012); UKGarage.org (October 2011 & August 2012); Columbia Chronicle (May 2007); Shepherd Express (June 2007); Skank The F**k Out! (April 2012) EVENT HIGHLIGHTS: North Coast Music Festival @ Union Park (Chicago, IL - 2012); West Fest (Chicago, IL - 2014); Official Lollapalooza After Party w/ SBTRKT & Disclosure @ The Mid (Chicago, IL - 2013); Official Lollapalooza After Party - Black Butter Records Showcase w/ Rudimental & Kidnap Kid @ evilOlive (Chicago, IL - 2014); Run The Road: Volume 2 Record Release Party (for Vice Records - Chicago, IL - 2006); The Streets "The Hardest Way to Make an Easy Living" Record Release Party (for Vice Records - Chicago, IL - 2006); Stellar Spark 2 @ The Rave (Milwaukee, WI - 2003); Garage Conference (Dallas, TX - 2004); Transatlantic 4: The Garage Mashup (Miami, FL - WMC Week - 2005); Sonar (Baltimore, MD - 2005) BILLED ALONGSIDE: Disclosure, Big Boi (from OutKast), Axwell, Steve Aoki, Steve Angello, Knife Party, Chuckie, Excision, Alesso, Paul Oakenfold, Tommy Trash, Yelawolf, Pretty Lights, Girl Talk, DJ Autobot (of Flosstradamus), Felix Da Housecat, Rudimental, Digitalism, Kidnap Kid, Atmosphere, STS9, Todd Edwards, Youngsta (Rinse FM), Truth, Reid Speed, DJ Q (Ministry of Sound Radio), DJ Dan, Danny the Wildchild, Paul Johnson, DJ Funk, DJG, Joe Nice, Freaky Flow & MC Flipside, Skylab 2000, DJ DB, Submerge 101, and many more. COMPETITION RANKINGS: Midwest DJ Summit 3.0 - 1st Place (2006 - sponsored by Sam Ash); Chicago Northside vs. Southside DJ Competition - 1st Place (2006 - sponsored by Underground Semetry); Take the Decks - 2nd Place (2008 - sponsored by Sam Ash); Unititled DJ Battle - 2nd Place (2009 - sponsored by Untitled and Original Penguin Clothing)