Towa Tei, the record producer and DJ best known for his work with the band Deee-lite, has released a new album to mark his 30th year in the music business. Entitled LP, it is his tenth solo album and his first release of new work for four years.

LP features ten new tracks, including the singles Magic and Birthday. An array of artists makes guest appearances on the album, including Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, HANA, Yasuaki Shimizu, Yoshinori Sunahara, Ko Iga, Shunji Mori, Hidefumi Ino and Kasif.

“It's catchy and pop, and it's packed with the finest tracks,” Tei said of his new memorial album. “It will make you feel good and excited both indoors and outdoors.”

Joi, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Towa Tei was born in Yokohama as Dong-hwa Chung and is a third-generation Korean Japanese. He made his musical debut as a member of Deee-lite and achieved early success with Groove is in the Heart, which became a huge international hit in 1990. The band’s debut album, World Clique, was also a worldwide success.

Towa Tei with Deee-lite in the early ‘90s. | FriscoNative 37, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

After seven years in New York, Towa Tei returned to Japan in 1994, and has since been living in rural Nagano prefecture.

His first solo album was Future Listening, which came out in 1994. It incorporated a range of styles, including electronica, bossa nova, house, jazz and pop. He has made nine solo albums in total, some under the moniker Sweet Robots Against the Machine.

LP will be released on CD and vinyl by Japan Columbia / BETTER DAYS on March 3rd. The CD costs ¥3,000 (not including tax), and the record costs ¥3,800 (not including tax). Both are available to buy from the Columbia Japan online shop.

For more information, see the official Towa Tei website.

Towa Tei also has his own YouTube channel.


By - George Lloyd.