is a Japanese
hip hop recording artist, DJ and record producer who debuted in 1997 as a record producer of the hip hop group
M-Flo
is a Japanese hip hop group consisting of record producer DJ Taku Takahashi, Verbal and Lisa.
Lisa left the group in 2002 to pursue a solo career and the remaining members then started the M-Flo Loves... project working different vocalists fo ...
. The group rose to prominence in the early
2000s
File:2000s decade montage3.png, From top left, clockwise: The World Trade Center on fire and the Statue of Liberty during the 9/11 attacks in 2001; the euro enters into European currency in 2002; a statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled durin ...
, with hit singles such as "How You Like Me Now?" and "Come Again." Takahashi was also a member of
Avex
is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...
's 20th anniversary dance music project
Ravex
Ravex (stylized as ravex; a portmanteau of rave and Avex Group, Avex) is a Japanese electronic music group, consisting of Shinichi Osawa, Fantastic Plastic Machine (musician), Tomoyuki Tanaka and record producer DJ Taku Takahashi. Established to ...
, and has produced songs for musicians such as
Crystal Kay
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host.
After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...
,
Ami Suzuki
is a Japanese recording artist, DJ, and actress from Zama, Kanagawa, Japan. Having been discovered at the talent TV show ''Asayan'', she was one of the most popular female teen idols in the late 1990s. However, in 2000, Suzuki faced legal probl ...
and
Rie Fu, and remixes for
Hikaru Utada
, who is also known by the mononym Utada, is a Japanese-American pop singer, songwriter and producer. By 2010, Utada had become one of the most influential, and best-selling, musical artists in Japan.
Born in the United States to Japanese parent ...
and
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, model, spokesperson, and entrepreneur. By 2002, Hamasaki had earned the nickname "Empress of J-pop" due to her popularity in Japan and throughout Asia. Due to her success and relevanc ...
. He formed the record labels Tachytelic Records and TCY Recording.
Taku Takahashi has occasionally rapped in his songs, such as on M-Flo's songs "Get On!" and "The Rhyme Brokers," and occasionally sung vocals ("I Wanna Be Down," "Love Long and Prosper", "Toxic Sweet").
Biography
Taku Takahashi grew up in
Yokohama
is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of To ...
, with his father employed in the construction industry. He attended high school in Tokyo, at
St. Mary's International School, along with
Verbal. In 1992, the pair formed a
rap rock
Rap rock is a fusion genre that fuses vocal and instrumental elements of hip hop with various forms of rock. Rap rock's most popular subgenres include rap metal and rapcore, which include heavy metal and hardcore punk-oriented influences, resp ...
band called N.M.D. in 1992, in which Takahashi wrote the music and performed the drums. The band received many offers from major record labels after their live performances, however as Verbal did not see being a rapper as a practical career, these offers were turned down.
The pair went their separate ways after high school, with Takahashi travelling to
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...
,
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in 1994, attending
Occidental College
Occidental College (informally Oxy) is a private liberal arts college in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1887 as a coeducational college by clergy and members of the Presbyterian Church, it became non-sectarian in 1910. It is one of the oldes ...
,
and Verbal to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
. Takahashi tried majoring in physics, philosophy and Asian Studies with little success.
He enrolled in a local music school, beginning his career as a DJ and songwriter.
Takahashi returned to Japan in the mid 1990s, and formed a musical unit with a female vocalist, called Love Soul. After sending a demo tape of this group to Artimage management, Takahashi met Masaji Asakawa from the DJ group GTS. Takahashi began producing music full-time, and in 1998 recorded a cover of
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
's "
The Way We Were
''The Way We Were'' is a 1973 American romantic drama film directed by Sydney Pollack and starring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford. Arthur Laurents wrote both the novel and screenplay based on his college days at Cornell University and his ...
" with Verbal when he returned to Japan for winter break.
This song, followed by "Been So Long," featuring vocals from
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
, was well received by Asakawa, leading the trio to form the group M-Flo, officially debuting in 1999. The group's first release, "The Tripod E.P.," debuted in the top 10 on the Japanese singles chart.
[ (subscription only)] The group achieved great success in 2000 and 2001 with the songs "How You Like Me Now?" and "Come Again," with the former selling more than 220,000 copies, and the latter approximately 390,000 copies.
The band's second album, ''
Expo Expo
''Expo Expo'' is the second studio album by Japanese hip-hop group M-Flo. The thematic concept of the record is set at a virtual world expo, with Coldfeet of Lori Fine and narrator Mako Hattori participating in the interlude. Six singles were spa ...
'', debuted at #4 on the charts.
In 2002, Lisa left M-Flo to follow a solo career, causing the band to begin releasing albums with a variety of famous vocalists. This led to Takahashi working on collaborations with a variety of artists. His first notable produced singles were
Crystal Kay
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host.
After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, '' Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese ...
's "Hard to Say" and "Boyfriend (Part II)" in 2002/2003. At the same time, he created a production label, Tachytelic Records. An audition was held to find vocalists for Takahashi to produce, with the grand winner being songwriter
Emi Hinouchi
is a Japanese urban music singer-songwriter. She was formerly signed under King Records' sub-label Venus-B and Taku Takahashi's Tachytelic Records. She is best known for writing songs for Heartsdales and for her collaborations with M-Flo.
...
. Between 2002 and 2003, the label produced six releases: Emi Hinouchi's first four singles and debut album, along with a DJ mix tape created by Takahashi called ''Tachytelic Night: Welcomes You to the Far East''. However, none of the releases were successful, with all of the releases charting under the #100 mark on
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
charts.
The label continued to promote events, such as the regular ''Tachytelic Night'' DJ set events, and Takahashi produced the
Pro Evolution Soccer 6
''Pro Evolution Soccer 6'', known as ''Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2007'' in the United States, is a video game developed and published by Konami. Released in 2006 for the PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Microsoft Windows platforms and fo ...
theme song,
Ukatrats FC's "Win and Shine." However, after 2006 the label ceased to exist.
Takahashi continued working full-time with M-Flo until mid 2007, when the tour for the group's fifth album ''
Cosmicolor'' finished and M-Flo ceased regular activities. Since then, the group released a string of compilation albums, such as greatest hit albums and outside collaborative work compilation albums. Takahashi has regularly produced songs and remixes for musicians, including several Western artists (
Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, ''I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
,
Lady Sovereign
Louise Amanda Harman (born 19 December 1985), better known by the stage name Lady Sovereign, is a British rapper, best known for the songs " 9 to 5" and "Love Me or Hate Me".
Early life and family
Lady Sovereign grew up in Chalkhill Estate in ...
,
The Ting Tings
The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo from Salford, Greater Manchester formed in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, ...
). He has participated in many DJ events, including his self-produced Orthosync events, and many
House Nation events. In 2008, Takahashi became a member of
Ravex
Ravex (stylized as ravex; a portmanteau of rave and Avex Group, Avex) is a Japanese electronic music group, consisting of Shinichi Osawa, Fantastic Plastic Machine (musician), Tomoyuki Tanaka and record producer DJ Taku Takahashi. Established to ...
, a three DJ group formed for the 20th anniversary of the
Avex
is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...
music group. The group's resulting 2009 album, ''
Trax'', was much like M-Flo's later albums, featuring a collection of vocalists from across Avex record labels.
In 2010, Taku Takahashi launched his second record label, TCY Recording, featuring dance music artists such as
TeddyLoid and
Hoshina Anniversary. He found most of them on
MySpace music. He also began working as a music director, for the
Gainax
Gainax Co., Ltd. (stylized as GAINAX; ja, 株式会社ガイナックス, Hepburn romanization, Hepburn: ) is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as ''Neon Genesis Evangelion'', ''Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise, Roya ...
animated series ''
Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt
is a Japanese anime television series produced by Gainax, as well as a series of tie-in media developed around it. The series ran from October to December 2010 on BS Nittele (a free-to-air satellite service of Nippon Television). In English- ...
'', which began airing in October 2010.
In 2011, Taku Takahashi filled in for
Kissy Sellout's radio show on BBC Radio 1 as part of "
Jaguar Skills
Jaguar Skills is a British DJ who since 2002 has performed multi-genre, cut-n-paste style DJ mixes. He has released hundreds of mixtapes through various outlets, including BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra and had a weekly 10-minute mix on ''The ...
and His Amazing Friends."
His ten-minute mix included remixes of songs from his time with m-flo and the ''Godzilla'' theme.
Discography
Albums
Produced singles
Other appearances
Below are songs featuring input from Takahashi away from M-Flo (i.e. without Verbal, or without Lisa circa 1998—2002).
References
External links
Official MySpace
Official Twitter
Official YouTube channelArtimage management label site
Tachytelic Records official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Taku
1974 births
Avex Group people
Electronic dance music DJs
Japanese DJs
Japanese electronic musicians
Japanese hip hop musicians
Japanese record producers
Living people
M-Flo members
Musicians from Kanagawa Prefecture
Musicians from Yokohama
Ravex members