Tokyo Jazz Notes: You're celebrating your twentieth year as a DJ this year ~ congratulations. What was the club jazz scene in Japan like when you were starting out?
Shuya Okino: When I started out there was no club jazz scene and in Kyoto, where I was based then, there wasn't anything happening. I decided to start my own club jazz event after I went to London and saw Gilles Peterson DJ. I realised that the music he was playing in the club was the same as the record I was listening to at home. He was managing to get the crowd excited and dancing so I thought maybe the same was possible in Japan. When I had my first club jazz event only three people turned up though! We just kept going until people took notice.
Tokyo Jazz Notes: Of course, times change as do musical styles, but most DJs have some tracks which are perennial favourites. Are there any particular tracks that you played in the early days that you still play regularly?
Shuya Okino: Twenty years ago I played RED EYE/SADE and ANOTHER STAR/JAZZ DEFEKTORS and I still play them now. They always get a big reaction from the crowd, even if they don't know these are classic tracks and it's the first time they've ever heard them played.
Tokyo Jazz Notes: What do you think of the current club jazz scene in Japan ? Are you happy with the way it's progressed?
Shuya Okino: The current club jazz scene in Japan is looking good for live acts. Root Soul's album is amazing and a lot of international DJs have picked it up, ... quasimode, Jazz collective and Soil & "Pimp" Sessions, having been influenced by Sleepwalker, are getting the younger generation involved.
Tokyo Jazz Notes: You've released your own music as Kyoto Jazz Massive and also the United Legends album as well as producing albums by other artists. Are you working on any other projects at the moment?
Shuya Okino: I'm putting some tracks together for a new solo album and have done some work with N'Dea Davenport (The Brand New Heavies), Diviniti, Clara Hill... it's sounding good but at the moment everything has been put on hold while we prepare for Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival 2009.

Tokyo Jazz Notes: What are your hopes for the scene in Japan for the next twenty years?
Shuya Okino: I hope Kyoto Jazz Massive will have a new album out finally and I can have my DJ 40th anniversary party ...
Tokyo Jazz Notes: Finally, the Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival is just a couple of weeks away now, so I'll give you the chance to explain a bit about we can all look forward to on the evening.
Shuya Okino: This year's Tokyo Crossover Jazz Festival will also be a celebration of 20 years of DJing for me, so there will be a very special Shuya Okino 20 years Anniversary Live Set featuring artists that I have worked with and been influenced by during the last 20 years. Jan Kincaid (The Brand New Heavies), Rob Gallagher (Galliano/2 Banks of 4), Monday Michiru , Naruyoshi Kikuchi, Masato Nakamura (Sleep Walker) and B-BANDJ (ex-member of MONDO GROSSO)... I don't want to give too much away about what we have planned but some songs the audience will recognise.

They'll also be live sets by Root Soul, Soil and "Pimp Sessions" and quasimode representing the younger generation of club jazz acts.
The thing about TCJF is that you can also hear DJs from all genres of music at one event, crossover/house/tech/deep/rare groove/hip hop/funk/club jazz ~ it's all there.
This interview was conducted by e-mail in August 2009. Thanks to Shuya Okino for taking the time to answer my questions.