Towa Tei

Towa Tei is a Japanese artist, record producer, and DJ born on September 7, 1964, in the city of Yokohama. As a teenager, Towa Tei started experimenting with music, purchasing his first synthesizer at the age of 16. While pursuing studies at the Musashino Art University Junior College of Art and Design, he showcased his work on a radio program by Ryuichi Sakamoto. In 1987, Towa Tei moved to the United States; by 1990, he gained recognition as a member of Deee-Lite, a house act that released their debut album, World Clique, featuring the global hit single "Groove Is in the Heart." Following this success, Towa collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto on his albums Heartbeat (1991) and Sweet Revenge (1994). In 1994, Towa Tei returned to Japan and launched his solo career with the album Future Listening! (1994), a thrilling fusion of dance music, electronica, and world music that peaked at number 50 on the Oricon charts. His second solo effort, Sound Museum (1997), became his highest-charting work, peaking at number 17 in Japan. The album included the single "GBI (German Bold Italic)" featuring Kylie Minogue and Haruomi Hosono. In 1999, he released Last Century Modern, which featured the Top 40 hit "Let Me Know" with Chara. Over the following decades, Towa Tei continued his eclectic musical journey with numerous albums, such as Flash (2005), Big Fun (2009), Sunny (2011), Lucky (2013), and Emo (2017). In 2023, he simultaneously released the albums Zoundtracks and Touch, both of which cracked the Japanese Top 100.