"Tatsuya Yoshida, born in Kitakami, Iwate is a Japanese musician; drummer and composer who is the only consistent member of the renowned progressive rock duo Ruins, as well as Koenji Hyakkei. He is also a member of the progressive rock trios Korekyojinn and Daimonji. Outside his own groups, Yoshida is renowned for his tenure as drummer in the indie progressive group YBO2, a band also featuring guitarist KK Null, whom he also joins in the current line up of Zeni Geva and he has played drums in a late edition of Samla Mammas Manna. He has been cited as "[the] indisputable master drummer of the Japanese underground". Along with his participation in bands, he has also released several solo recordings."

Dairo Suga / Composer, Pianist

"Born in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan in 1974

If we were to name the instrumental music artists who have emerged from Japan, a small island nation on the far east of the world, and become famous around the globe, it would be a short list.

In Japan, only a handful of musicians and performers have true name value: Seiji Ozawa, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Toru Takemitsu, Yuji Takahashi, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Akiko Yano, Kitaro, Sadao Watanabe, Terumasa Hino, Yasuaki Shimizu, Yosuke Yamashita, Aki Takase, Toshinori Kondo, Otomo Yoshihide, Keiji Haino, Mitsuko Uchida, Hiromi Uehara, ...

No doubt you know some of these artists.

From the 1960s to the 1980s, many Japanese artists were active internationally in the fields of classical music, contemporary classical music, jazz, synthpop, and noise music. But recently it's Japanese artists in animation or contemporary art who have been getting all the attention.

In 1974, Dairo Suga was born in Kamakura, a city near Tokyo with a long history. Raised in Kamakura, he went on to study at Berklee College of Music in Boston and now works as an interdisciplinary composer and pianist. He has gained prominence for his flexible, collaborative approach that traverses jazz and other genres, and for his emotional musical style that is beautiful and noble.

In Dairo Suga's "pianism" we can see the influence of many other acclaimed jazz musicians, such as Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Bud Powell, Jaki Byard, Dollar Brand, Egberto Gismonti, and Randy Weston. And yet in the dynamic moments and aesthetic lacunae of his performances we also glimpse his highly Japanese originality.

Suga's compositions are known to explore themes of the enigma of life. This tendency has its roots in how Suga initially aspired to be a biologist when he was younger and even majored in biology at university. In his music we can sense his deep affection for life, something akin to Monet's lilies, like a vast, profound ocean.

From jazz to rock, pop, and contemporary classical music, Suga's quest for musical expression never ceases. His collaborations include with traditional Japanese instruments, electronics, basketballs and contemporary dance artists, while recently he has also composed film and theatre soundtracks.

He has toured Europe with the likes of Shibusashirazu Orchestra and Orquesta Libre, and is planning a European tour with his own band."