Aesop Rock Liquid Room

The upcoming week sees a posse of New York' leading underground hip hop DJs storm Tokyo. This weekend, DJ Spinna will be in town for gigs at Womb and Yellow as part of a Japan tour, while next weekend newly founded New York hip hop label Def Jux will be hosting a night at Liquid Room.

In town last September for a gig at Yellow, DJ Spinna has become a regular visitor to these shores, even working with Japanese hip hop rapstress Tiger on her debut single "Go On, Together, Forever In The Rhythm." One half of the old skool hip hop duo Dope Fresh Crew, DJ Spinna has just released the new album All Mixed Up on the Urban Theory imprint.

Def Jux, meanwhile, is the label founded by El-P of the crew known as Company Flow. The label will be bringing over a number of artists on its roster including, in addition to El-P, Cannibal Ox, Aesop Rock, Mr. Lif and Fakts One.

El-P Yellow

Debuting with the compilation Def Jux Presents..., Def Jux artists provide a voice outside the mainstream of rap as represented by the West Coast's Dr Dre and the East Coast's Puff Daddy. The album was tipped particularly for the raw lyrics of the track "Straight Off the D.I.C" by Cannibal Ox, the two-member Harlem-based team of Vast Air and Vordul. It also features songs by Aesop Rock and El-P. Cannibal Ox's own full-length, The Cold Vein, was released in May of this year.

Mr. Lif Yellow

In a recent interview with UK hip hop website ukhh.com, Vast Air describes his musical inspirations: "I don't think there's anything new under the sun. I think what you got from Muddy Waters you can get from Cannibal Ox, too. If that energy is there it doesn't matter who made the music. If those same struggles exist, and someone's good at what they do then it's gonna be hot. You got people like Muddy Waters and Jimi Hendrix - all of these geniuses, and they did what they do in their field, but it can draw other people into that field even if they're not into it. That's what we're trying to do with my crew."

Finally, those frequenting Shibuya may have noticed a big sign for a new club, Simoon, alongside the Yamanote line tracks. Opened a few months ago by hip hop events organizer Takahiro Maeda, the club has regular hip hop and reggae nights during the week, and hosts leading house parties on the weekends. Tokyo's top lesbian party, Gold Finger, has also taken up residence on Saturdays once a month.

DJ Spinna@Womb, 8/17, 10pm, JY3500, w/1d. Tel: 5459-3939. www.womb.co.jp

DJ Spinna@Yellow, 8/19, 4pm, JY3500, w/1d. Tel: 3479-0690. www.club-yellow.com  

Def Jux@Liquid Room, 8/25, 10pm, JY4500 (adv), JY5000 (door). Tel: 3200-6831. www.liquidroom.net  

Simoon: 3-26-16 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. Hours: 10pm-5am. Tel: 5774-1669. www.simoon.net