DJ Hiroshi Fujiwara for Boon Magazine [2005]
Often recognized as an Ura-Hara streetwear legend, Hiroshi Fujiwara has also been spinning decks for more than 30 years. Being a pioneer among Japanese DJs, he released his first compilation album, "HIROSHI'S KICK BACK" in 2005. For years, he has been mixing and distributing tapes and CDs to his friends and acquaintances, but his roots as a disc jockey go way back to when he was in middle school.
This collaborative article between TOKYOMILKSHOP [@tokyomilkshop] and Sabukaru [@sabukaruonline] is part of an ongoing series that explores the forgotten history of Urahara culture through vintage magazine scans and everything pre-internet. Keep an eye out for more topics to come.
This encounter eventually led him to London, but before that, a particular episode revealed a glimpse of his forthcoming DJ career.
Fujiwara was already creating his own sound by mixing soul and other vintage music sources into the mix. “I would bring in old records that I was listening to in real-time, like James Brown and KC & the Sunshine Band, and spin them around,” added the Ura-Hara legend.
In 1988, he joined Seiko Ito's rap unit for his album, "TINNIE PUNKS" with Kan Takagi, and in 1990, he founded one of Japan's first Hip-Hop labels, MAJOR FORCE.