KOTSU

Born in Ichikawa, Chiba in 1995, Kotsu is a member of the house music collective CYK, formed in 2016. As a solo DJ, he has also performed extensively across Japan and internationally.

Since relocating to Kyoto in September 2020, he has maintained a relentless schedule, performing in 25 cities across Japan by October 2022. His own party, UNTITLED, has been held in Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, while he also holds resident parties in Okayama and Hiroshima, continuing to spread the pure energy of dance music and club culture throughout Japan.

As a DJ, Kotsu draws from dance music of the 2010s onward while weaving in selections from past archives, moving freely across genre boundaries. His distinctive selections, shaped by the social atmosphere and the groove of the dancefloor, have earned him a strong reputation.

CYK has invited numerous emerging DJs and producers including Baba Stiltz, Mall Grab, and Ross From Friends. The collective has expanded beyond Japan to perform across Asia, including South Korea and Hong Kong, as well as at major festivals such as Rainbow Disco Club and FUJI ROCK. Their fifth anniversary party at Contact in Shibuya in November 2021 became their biggest celebration to date.

Centered around a B2B style and a broad interpretation of “house,” CYK has performed in a wide variety of settings throughout Japan and abroad. Drawing on the traditions of house music culture, the collective also places a strong emphasis on creating dancefloors rooted in the concept of safer spaces.

Beyond DJing, Kotsu is also a graphic designer, creating numerous flyers for his own parties and CYK. His creative output spans multiple formats, including the production of a ZINE centered around his own writing. Refusing to define himself solely by the title of DJ, his work can perhaps be seen simply as the pure reaction of an absorbing body dropped into the present era.