There are few people better placed to advise upon their favorite recent albums than Akie. In addition to selecting records, she’s also a buyer for renowned Japanese music store Newtone Records. In this role, it’s her job to know about music inside out, picking only the best releases to suit Osaka’s most popular record shop.
As a DJ she’s lauded throughout the scene, having released a dance music mixtape with her DJ senpai Lil Mofo via the UK label Do You Have Peace, which sold out in record time. She’s supported artists ranging from mainstream acts to underground talents, like Laurent Garnier and Laurel Halo. And she’s even been one of the few women to play at the fabled Hachioji listening bar Shelter, carefully selecting records for its world-renowned speakers.
It’s Akie’s fine-tuned ears that enable her to create dance floor journeys that last for hours; with a remarkable sense of place, she takes movers through waves of sound, before crashing back down with a blast of heavy bass or tribal drumming. Due to Akie’s dancefloor DJ prowess, she’s consistently invited back to seminal Tokyo nights like DJ Nobu’s Future Terror. Her own night at Koenji club Grassroots welcomes the likes of pioneering DJ Chee Shimizu through its doors.
When it comes to ambient music, Akie is in as much demand as for her dancier selections. In this setting, the DJ turns from ship’s captain to gentle healer, drawing from a vast mental library of knowledge to bring out records th.
