Electronic-music producer Kenji Takikawa's work took a major detour following the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
"Like many Japanese people, I feel angry about the way March 11 and the consequent events that followed regarding nuclear power was handled," says the Hiroshima native who records under the name Crzkny (usually rendered in all capital letters). "Once I learned about the events, I couldn't look away from it. I feel that March 11 changed my music drastically."
Takikawa creates juke, a frantic style of dance music that features split-second vocal samples, and in the last few years he has infused politics into his sound. His Crzkny releases often maintain a dark atmosphere and feature samples related to the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant meltdown. He also organized the "Atomic Bomb Compilation," a 2012 project with a theme of "the abuse of nuclear energy," featuring contributions from electronic artists all across the country. On Aug. 15, he'll release "Atomic Bomb Compilation Vol. 2."
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