Ep. 3: Def Tech

The Japanese Music Café, or The J-Café, is a weekly podcast hosted by JD. We interview guests on their experiences and likes around Japanese music - pop, rock, hip-hop, rap, city pop - and dive into an artist's discography together.

In this episode of the J-Café, JD and Jess have a conversation about Def Tech - a Japanese-Hawaii duo that incorporate reggae with elements of pop, rock, and hip-hop! Def Tech is an indie group formed in 2001, consisting of members Shen, a musician who grew up in Oahu, Hawaii and Micro, who was born and raised in Tokyo. Their breakthrough came in 2005 with the release of their self-titled debut album, which featured the hit song “My Way.” My Way was an instant success, blending English and Japanese lyrics and drawing listeners in with its catchy reggae rhythms and positive vibes. Their debut album sold over 2 million copies and became the third highest selling album of 2005, which is a rare feat for an indie label artist in Japan even to this day.

Shen being from Hawaii and Micro being from Japan, this fusion of cultures became the hallmark of their music, making reggae more accessible to mainstream audiences in Japan. Def Tech played a role in popularizing reggae culture in Japan in the mid-2000s, where reggae was still a relatively niche genre.

You can find a playlist of songs from this episode on Youtube: https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL63Hu4pw-Eln__s7aOcPy2_xmtBKdSoot&si=Oy0AcpE-jYV-zQf2

You can follow the J-Café on Instagram, Bluesky, and YouTube at @japanesemusiccafe

Intro Song: "anime" by suportedsilvax2000 (Pixabay)