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Launched in 2024, HUGEN is a music project by TP. Working from a foundation of alternative electronic music, the project creates songs that portray everyday emotions and human connection. In its second year, HUGEN performed on FUJI ROCK FESTIVAL’s ROOKIE A GO-GO stage. In 2026, the project expanded to international festivals, appearing at RISING and Vivid Sydney in Australia. HUGEN continues to pursue an active programme of live performance and music production.

Liberal a.k.a. Toshiki Iwama (SANABAGUN.) was born on 24 November 1990 in Misawa, Aomori. After working as a ship’s navigator and engineer, he moved to Tokyo alone, unable to give up his dream of pursuing hip-hop. In 2013, he formed SANABAGUN., a hip-hop team whose members were born in the Heisei era. Moving freely between band sound and tracks, he has become one of the most important bridge-builders in Japan’s hip-hop scene. His motto is: ‘Life is the ultimate freestyle—do everything in your power and overturn fate.’ Liberal Style.

Fried Banana Shop is a three-piece formed by music lovers who met in their neighbourhood during the dispiriting days of the pandemic. The group consists of Ryuju, founder of the creative collective w.a.u; guitarist Tomo; and saxophonist Yoji, and performs across Tokyo’s live-house and club scenes. Rooted in jazz, indie pop and rock, they reinterpret dream pop and alternative jazz to create a soft, warmly textured world of their own. They actively collaborate with vocalists and rappers from across the scene, presenting a genre-fluid, cross-disciplinary sound that moves beyond the conventional framework of a band. They also perform DJ sets, revealing multiple dimensions despite being an instrumental group. In 2026, their single Raccoon was selected as the cover of Spotify’s official Modern Jazz Japan playlist, while the EP Goldenrod appeared on the cover of Fresh Finds Japan. That same year, they were named to TuneCore Japan’s INDEPENDENT ARTIST 100 - 2026. They have also appeared at in-store events including LACOSTE + Polo Factory Event at Lacoste Harajuku and DRIFTWOOD by JOHNNIE WALKER BLONDE.

IN-KYA in Canada is a three-piece dance-music band formed in Niigata in 2018, consisting of Kannon on synths and vocals, Ronpo on synth bass, and Nagitsuki on guitar. Since every member composes, their individual musical identities intersect throughout the band’s sound. High-register vocals meet dance music rooted in house, disco and electronic styles, creating a distinctive, pop-minded and irresistibly idiosyncratic groove. Their releases have been selected for numerous official Apple Music and Spotify playlists, while their arrangements and remixes for major-label artists have also earned recognition beyond the band’s own work.

Fun hip-hop has finally returned to Japan!!! 夢(BOY) (pronounced Yume Boy) is a four-MC rap crew born in Nerima, amid winds that still carry the scent of ’90s Japanese rap. Bright lyrics reminiscent of the 2000s arrive with a little irony, as four carefree rappers deliver peaceful music that is as real as possible!!!

Born in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, MAHLIQ is a former member of lyrical school. Strongly influenced by Western music from the late 1990s and 2000s, he is a singer and rapper known for an ennui-tinged, melancholic voice and a distinctive groove.

A two-MC hip-hop team whose creative work centres on reinterpreting the ’90s and 2000s. Founded in 2016 as an organisation dedicated to the development of traditional romantic thought and good-music culture in Tokyo and across Eastern countries. They lead the independent label Doggy G Central Records, a collective of more than ten creators, and have established an entirely in-house practice spanning music production, video, design and merchandise sales.

Contrail Club is a four-MC hip-hop crew from Tokyo. Rooted in authentic boom bap, the four pass the mic to weave the reality and intensity of everyday life without relying on trends or ornament. In January 2026, they released their fourth EP, DARK HORSE, produced in full by IKE of Doggy G Central Records. From the live-band set at their own event TRIPLE CROWN onward, they continue to shake Tokyo’s scene with overwhelming energy that never lets the street down.

SUNGA began DJing in 2000. Moving through techno, house, tribal, jazz, punk and noise, he absorbs a wide range of genres into a groove of his own and draws dance floors into a whirl of intensity. He is a member of BLACKSHEEP, a party collective that has staged more than 100 events. At Enoshima OPPA-LA, he runs his own party FUTURE and has shared the bill with Todd Terje, Solar and Prins Thomas. He appeared for three consecutive years, from 2024 to 2026, at the Studio Adventure countdown festival on Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam. In January 2026, he released Up, his second EP on Hole and Holland; the record sold out immediately and has since been re-pressed. His music for Evisen Skateboards, TIGHTBOOTH, adidas and others has also earned strong recognition. He runs the label EEZEE.

Dazzle Drums is the duo of Nagi and Kei, who each began DJing in the 1990s. Their sets centre on house music and dance classics while weaving in new releases from across a wide musical range. Since 2005, they have released music through numerous overseas labels, with their tracks played by DJs in Japan and around the world. They now run the Green / Yellow Parrot Recording label. Following an appearance at Gilles Peterson’s Worldwide Festival in 2016, they began performing regularly outside Japan. Since 2022, they have returned each year for a ten-show UK and European tour across seven cities. Their regular parties include Prisma at NUMM on the second Sunday evening of each month, SEARCHIN' with Toshio Matsuura at Bridge Shinjuku on the third Friday, and REDBAR on the fourth Friday. Their monthly mix show airs on Argentina’s The Cabinn FM on the second Tuesday.

Tokyo-based DJ and organizer, her style blends house, disco, and electronic-tinged grooves, with a taste for Italo, acid, and progressive house. Adventurous yet playful, her sets radiate a slightly tangy happiness—crafting powerful, floor-focused journeys where communication and energy flow naturally. She was a resident at Aoyama Tunnel and is the founder of PLAYGROUND, a three-floor party at Aoyama Hachi known for its vibrant crossroads of genres and good vibes. She has also supported acts like Move D and Cinthie at Vent.

Yuki Kawamura a.k.a. Venus is a DJ, writer, producer and founder of OIRAN MUSIC. Since debuting with Shakunetsu in 2001, she has performed around the world, including before 100,000 people at Love Parade Mexico 2003. Her recent work spans music production for CYBERPUNK 2077 and a remix for SQUARE ENIX’s NieR Re[in]carnation Chill Out Arrangement Tracks. In 2025 she officially covered Jose Padilla’s Balearic classic Adios Ayer ft. Naz, released her first album Love Forever, and became the first Japanese woman to perform at Ibiza’s Cafe del Mar. She also runs Shibuya OIRAN and writes a fortnightly music essay for Gentosha Plus.

Born in 1992, Hiroki Uzawa turned to DJing after a decade of performing in bands. Guided by a Balearic sensibility, he is now active primarily in Tokyo’s music bars. Drawn to alternative atmospheres, he moves within sustained musical flows between moments when the body responds and consciousness sinks inward. Gradually blurring the contours of a space, he quietly transforms the perception of time and place, weaving between elevation and introspection.