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Audio: Introducing prized local digger, Junki Inoue

Junki Inoue has been a London resident for several years now, but hailing from Japan originally, his influences span a huge range. His record collection is expansive, and his musical style exceptionally varied. While he has close ties with the London crews Toi Toi Musik and Cartuli’s Day, he’s also played for us a number of times over the years, and with an upcoming Farringdon appearance alongside Rhadoo and Sonja Moonear, we asked him to put together a mix in anticipation. A perfect encapsulation of his eclectic sound, here he showcases his talent for weaving together little-known gems with expert precision. Download: Junki Inoue fabric Promo Mix Tell us a little about where and how you recorded the mix. It was recorded at home while my family was asleep. I used two turntables, one CDJ and a mixer. I had way too many records I wanted to put in my new set, as it’s been more than two years since I recorded a set like this. That’s why it took me some time to choose the tracks in the first place. But I’m quite happy with the result. Are they mainly new purchases or records you've had for a while? It’s a mix of new and old records. About half are new purchases I’m enjoying playing out at the moment, and the rest is older stuff I’ve had for a while but didn’t get the chance to play that often in a club setting. I also included a few tracks I got from my friends recently. There’s a lot of really cool new stuff coming out, and I am lucky enough to be getting sent some promos from the people I want to support. Where do you normally go to buy records in London? I mainly buy on the Internet through sites like Discogs and Juno. However I do love visiting the physical stores as well, so I always try to go for a dig when I can. I live fairly close to Flashback Records in Angel and Shoreditch, so I go there to check their second hand stuff on a regular basis. It’s simply more fun and inspiring to me rather than just digging on my laptop. Sometimes I visit private sellers for a long digging session, where I always find interesting stuff. Do you feel that your Japanese heritage informs the music that you play these days? Yes, I think so but not completely as I feel I got westernised a little bit in terms of music since I moved here. Did your move to London bring about changes in your musical taste, and if so, in what ways? Yes it did big time. My life changed immensely! My move to London allowed me to meet so many inspiring artists and friends who have influenced me a lot so far. It definitely made me more open music-wise, and in fact I would say my musical taste became more eclectic and colourful. And it is still changing and evolving. But of course there are some things that will never change which I find hard to get rid of. Tell us about Toi Toi and what it means to be part of the family there. I’ve been working with Toi Toi for the last five years and we’ve had tons of amazing times together. It really means a lot to me. I hope there will be many more to come! Do you have any stories from playing or visiting fabric over the years? This is going to be my third time opening Room One on a Saturday, but the first gig I had with the RPR guys was a very memorable one. It’s always a huge pleasure to come back to play. What else is in the pipeline for you over the coming months? After fabric, I’ll be touring in Asia and South America for two months, which I’m super excited about. Photo: Kay Ross
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