Biography
Graduated from the Department of Philosophy, majoring in Aesthetics and Science of Arts, Faculty of Letters, Keio University.
Withdrew from the Graduate School of Shobi University, Major in Music Expression, Graduate Program in Artistic Information
From an early age, Kenjies studied piano under Ikuko Motegi of the Nikikai Opera Foundation.
In elementary school, he joined the brass band, playing alto horn and trumpet.
As a member of the instrumental ensemble club, he won a national silver prize performing alto recorder.
He learned from Ms. Motegi that the fast phrases and sequences in his beloved Famicom game Dragon Quest III were created using synthesizers. Around the same time, he was exposed to house music such as Technotronic and 1980s Eurobeat through CDs owned by his older sister, which deepened his fascination with synthesizers.
During elementary school, he failed a piano competition. He later gave up trumpet as well after being overwhelmed by the powerful sound of large ensembles involving woodwinds and strings during junior high school collaborations with students from other schools.
In his first year of junior high school, he became fascinated by CD jacket designs that looked like futuristic science fiction films, discovering house, techno, Eurobeat, German trance, and dance-pop music. Using a Roland XP-50 all-in-one synthesizer with a built-in sequencer, he began producing music at home.
Through CDs, manuals, and reference works, he independently studied the structures and techniques behind synthesizers and drum machines, including oscillators (VCO), filters (VCF), amplifiers (VCA), ADSR envelopes, spatial effects, and dynamics processing.
He spent his adolescence reading composition books on his own and practicing synthesizers and turntables for up to eight hours a day. At the time, he dreamed that house and techno music could transcend racial boundaries and bring peace to the world.
During visits to his grandmother’s home in Ibaraki, he purchased the CD-included magazine Groove techno vol.2 published by Rittor Music, which introduced him to a wide variety of synthesizers and electronic music artists.
He passionately tried to spread the appeal of techno and house music, even walking around to other classrooms, but often felt isolated from the musical tastes of those around him. (On the other hand, melodic and pop-oriented dance music such as Eurobeat, TRF, and 2 Unlimited was more widely appreciated.)
He did, however, have one close friend in his class who understood house and techno music. At first, he struggled greatly with beatmatching and synchronizing tempos between tracks.
In high school music class, he composed an Artcore track titled Deep Forest using a Roland XP-50 (All-in-One Synthesizer) and sampler.
This ambient drum and bass composition caught the attention of his music teacher and was aired on a local community FM radio station. Although his parents encouraged him to pursue economics, he studied modern literature, philosophy, cultural anthropology, modern intellectual history, essay writing, and haiku under various teachers, eventually earning admission to the Department of Philosophy, specializing in Aesthetics and Science of Arts, at Keio University.
Despite feeling some difficulty with the subject matter, he became interested in understanding the differences between minimalist music, minimal techno, and minimal art, leading him to study modern art, contemporary art, classical music history, and Buddhist art.
In seminars, he researched minimal art, manga, anime, and music video expression such as the works of Fatboy Slim.
During university, he became involved in live performances and DJ activities, and through connections with an event organizer, participated in the DVD visual project for Apartment Avant-Garde UK−JAPAN 2001: Exhibition of 16 Japanese Architects held in London, Bristol, Edinburgh, and Manchester. Using the Roland XP-50, he heavily edited spatial feedback effects to create sonic textures and composed music for the architectural visuals.
Although he once considered working in banking or trading companies while keeping music as a hobby, he ultimately chose to pursue music professionally with the desire to “deliver music to more people in an accessible way.” This led him to join Sony Music Entertainment with the goal of promoting Nordic dance-pop music aimed at family audiences.
After leaving the company, he applied to the avex Singer-Songwriter Contest. Although he passed the first round but did not reach the final selection, he later enrolled in the Avex Artist Academy, where he studied music theory and DAW software.
He also participated in the academy’s ringtone composition competition.
Providing three songs for Koisuru Fusui: Lucky Ringtone Melodies by Yukari Rika became the catalyst for his career as a freelance creator working with advertising agencies. He composed New Year-themed jazz house music for LUMINE web commercials, lounge soul music for Casa Lumie, healing music for Ozeki Corporation’s “Junmai-shu Kokusarari” web commercials, bossa nova-style background music for NEC Corporation’s “speax” web commercials, and environmental music for NTT’s “Tsunagu. Sore wa, ECO” YouTube campaign.
He later enrolled in the Graduate School of Shobi University, Major in Music Expression.
At the Tomita Method Laboratory, he studied composition, arrangement, synthesizers, TDmix, and 5.1-channel surround production under Isao Tomita, receiving some of the most important lessons of his musical life.
At the laboratory, he created a large stockpile of musical works. During the finishing stages, Professor Tomita approved his TDmixes and final productions. He also received guidance via an email titled “Your Direction,” encouraging him to study both contemporary techno trends and Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestration techniques.
However, while working on the surround production assignment for
Isao Tomita Symphonic Poem Jungle Emperor Leo ~Story of the White Lion~ (2009 Revised Edition), specifically Track 04 “The Hunters Have Come!”, he struggled with orchestral equalization.
Professor Tomita criticized the work, saying, “I cannot find your individuality in this.” Following this setback, he withdrew from graduate school.
He later joined the Roland Master Class classical piano course, but ultimately felt that “there was no place for data-driven music” there, prompting him to study English abroad in Australia.
Although he was instructed to urgently contribute “techno-oriented elements” to the theme music of Okaeri, Hayabusa, timing and skill limitations, combined with being abroad in Australia and New Zealand for homestay studies, caused him to miss a major opportunity. He returned to Japan carrying deep frustration and regret.
After leaving graduate school, an EDM piece using dolphin sounds and ocean ambience, originally presented to professors and researchers at the laboratory, was selected as the opening theme “iluca” for the Nikkei CNBC TV news program NEWSZONE and broadcast on cable television.
This was followed by “Pacific Tea Time,” an opening theme for Nikkei CNBC TV’s Asia Express, featuring sampled koto phrases suited to the program’s focus on Asian stock markets.
At the same time, he worked in Tokyo as an outsourced music creator for iPhone applications while also studying Hatsune Miku music production and video creation.
During his time at Shobi University Graduate School, he assisted with recording and DAW synchronization work for the Keio University 150th Anniversary Fanfare composed by Isao Tomita. He also helped create master tracks as an assistant and was entrusted with mailing recordings to Mr. Umeno, a beloved teacher from Keio Elementary School’s instrumental ensemble club whom he had admired since childhood, an experience for which he felt immense gratitude.
At one point, he considered abandoning music altogether. He worked part-time in factories and other jobs, but nothing lasted long, leading him to reconsider the direction of his life.
During this period, he immersed himself in coaching, business books, family psychology, performance theory, and books about work, life, success, role models, and human character, deepening his inner exploration.
Later, he registered with “Label Radar,” a platform connecting EDM artists, directors, and A&R professionals, where he began presenting his completed works internationally.
As an EDM artist, he encountered Carmelo Carone, owner of the Milan-based house music label Trax Mission and former Lufthansa in-flight DJ host. On December 21, 2019, he signed a licensing agreement for the mini-album Radio Signal E.P.
Although the release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, during that period he released the calming house track “Noon” through MojoHeadz Records, aimed at providing comfort during commuting, remote work, and time spent at home.
He also signed a licensing agreement with Bring New Unity in Konstanz, Germany, releasing “Nightdrive,” inspired by Cyberpunk 2077, and the uplifting dance track “Keep it up.”
On February 15, 2021, his long-awaited Radio Signal E.P. was officially released through Trax Mission in Milan.
Later, he released “Back to the old school” through Dbeatzion Records in Buenos Aires, Argentina, inspired by vintage Roland rhythm machine loops from the 1980s.
He also released the Latin house-inspired track “Birds” through Big Tunes Records in Miami, featuring bird sounds as accents. He subsequently signed a licensing agreement with the label and actively continued collaborations.
He later signed a ten-year licensing agreement with Fishermen Records in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Releases included the melancholic piano-driven dream house track “Lonely Piano,” the hunting horn-inspired EDM track “Hunting Horn,” and Fam E.P., featuring the old-school house track “Fam (Family),” inspired by interpersonal relationships and psychological projection within families.
He also participated in a remix competition hosted by Big Tunes Records, providing a “KENJIES Remix” for “My Sister My Brother” by singer, actress, and TV host Sara Oks.
He further released the humorous EDM track “EDM Samurai,” blending nostalgic Japanese bubble-era energy with EDM, as well as the EDM love song “Get over it” featuring winter-inspired piano melodies.
On January 21, 2022, Trax Mission released Humility for the Earth E.P., themed around humility toward Earth and environmental awareness.
On April 30, 2022, “Sara Oks / Jewish Girl (KENJIES Remix)” was officially released through Big Tunes Records.
On September 9, 2022, “Movin’ Sound” was released through GNIX, a label operating across Algeria, India, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, and distributed on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, TIDAL, YouTube, and other platforms.
On September 30, 2022, he released “Strength,” a track themed around maintaining an unbreakable spirit in the face of hardship, through Big Tunes Records in Miami.
On October 15 and 16, 2022, F-R Music in Izmail, Ukraine released “Ocean (Radio Mix)” and “Ocean (Extended Mix),” themed around the sea, alongside the melancholic piano house track “I Love Oh Oh,” developed through more than 100 email exchanges.
On September 1, 2023, he released “Faraway Universe” through Trax Mission in Milan, Italy, with whom he maintained a close relationship.
On December 15, 2023, he provided “Tension (KENJIES Remix)” as an official remix for NAVAH. He also released “8bit Stars,” an EDM reinterpretation of classic Famicom 8-bit sounds. Both works were released through Big Tunes Records in Miami.
In 2023, he released “Picante” through F-R Music in Ukraine, a track themed around the importance of food culture and borscht. On December 23 of the same year, he also released the Christmas carol “Joy to the World” as a charitable support release.
On New Year’s Day 2024, he released “2 EUR Dance” through Electric Eden Records in Belgium. On January 29, he released “Spring Song,” a synthesizer arrangement of Mendelssohn’s classical piece inspired by the Tomita Method.
Although he later collapsed from overwork, during hospitalization he produced the Eurodance number “Never Be Alone,” released through Phat Panda Records in Miami.
After his recovery, he released ambient and chillout works through Sa Calma Music in Spain.
He also released the ambient version “iluca (Dolphin Swim) [SH-101 Mix],” originally completed during graduate school, through the French label Klänge.
On July 22, 2024, he released “Prayer,” his first collaboration with “Cat-Eared DJ” DJ YURINA through F-R Music in Ukraine.
In 2025, he released the lounge-style house track “Sunset Funky Cats” through Phat Panda Records in Miami under the name “KENJIES feat. DJ YURINA.”
That same year, he released the deep house tracks “Dark Tek” and “Tek” as a solo artist through Almighty 1 Music, a label based in Colchester near London, England.
He also released “Techno for S.O.S.” through the Brazilian label AK Cartel.
In 2026, together with close ally Carmelo Carone（Milan Italy) and DJ YURINA, KENJIES（Tokyo Japan) released “Milan Tokyo,” a track themed around the synergy between Milan and Tokyo, through the Milan-based label IMMORTALIS.
Following this, KENJIES also released the peak-time techno collaboration “Above The Line” with DJ YURINA through the Swiss label Bassfeature.
Since spring 2026, he has served as a fellow of VALS LUDUS. His lifelong work centers on synthesizer-based arrangements of classical music inspired by the Tomita Method.
From left to right: Kengo Tsuda, Isao Tomita, (one person omitted), Takuya Kanna, and Kenji Saito (KENJIES).