Hieaki Ishi (石 英明, Ishi Hideaki?), commonly known as DJ Krush, was born in 1962 in Tokyo. After watching the film "Wild Style" in the early 80s, he was inspired, bought some turntables, and started to learn the art of turntablism. In 1987, along with DJs like DJ Muro, he formed the Krush Posse, which made numerous appearances as a group in late 1992 and gained him recognition by becoming the first DJ in Japan to perform with live musicians. He released his first album "Krush", which stated his presence in the scene, and he has since released eight more. He has had recording contracts with Chance Records, Ninety Nine Records, Mo' Wax (he was the first Japanese artist to join), Apollo and Sony/Columbia. He works internationally as a producer, re-mixer, DJ and recording artist, bringing the unique flavour of Japanese hip hop to the world.