Meet Itch: The Japanese Vinyl Hunter Who Spins Vintage Asian Rare Grooves
DJ Itch has a vast vinyl repertoire, as big as his sense of humour in promo pics (Credit: Rizman Putra)
Ichiro Nagasawa has an obsession. This should come as no surprise, considering that Ichiro, who goes by the DJ alias, Itch, is an avid vinyl digger. In an electronic scene where the majority of selectors today cram repertoires into USB sticks instead of lugging along crates of records, performers like Itch are a rare breed. Coupled with the chugging resurgence of vinyl love courtesy of advocates like White Label Records and The Analog Vault, staunch ambassadors like Itch complement this renaissance with all-vinyl sets. Itch is a breath of fresh air that makes the art of DJ-ing not just something worth hearing, but witnessing.
This, however, isn’t exactly the obsession I’m referring to. If you’ve ever encountered an Itch set, you’ll find the soundtrack to be anything but conventional, but more of an unapologetic blast from the past. Ichiro’s obsession finds itself in an idiosyncratic niche, particularly in the timeworn memory vaults of Asian groove music from decades’ past – Malay pop yeh yeh, Chinese cha cha, Singaporean a-go-go, Japanese city pop and other vintage genres. Itch finds his itchy fingers in these musical treasures, granting them a new lease of life for modern-day punters.
Itch has played at several festivals in Singapore over the past couple of years (Credit: AIRISU)
Formerly a typical salaryman from Japan, the sentimental Ichiro is now based in Singapore since his move in 2009. With the wisdom he’s picked up from digging deep into the soundtrack of his current domicile’s history, he’s shared his collection at prolific music festivals such as Neon Lights and Tropika, events like Tiko Disko and Art After Dark, and is a familiar face at record stores like the aforementioned White Label Records. By embracing the past, Itch is forging a bright future for himself as a selector.
I chat with the time-surfing vinyl-hunter himself, as he shares the story behind his peculiarly retro obsession.
Itch calls this particular image “Plastic Itch” (Credit: Rizman Putra)
Hey Itch! If you had a time machine, where would you want to go?
Hi Kevin. If I had a time machine, I would love to visit Singapore in the ’60s – the Golden Era of Singapore music. It would be so nice to catch those bands live!
I bet! Why do you love Asian vintage sounds so much anyway?
By listening to vintage sounds, it brings back nostalgic vibes, and it’s always exciting to discover a new groovy sound from the past. Sometimes, it has an inspirational, unexpected groove that can still be suitable for modern listeners and played for DJ events.
I’ve always enjoyed listening to retro sounds: jazzy tracks, Motown soul, funk, and boogie music. But as I stayed longer in Singapore, it brought my interest to the early days of Singapore’s music scene. The roots music of Singapore and other regional music was something new to me. Then, my journey of discovering and collecting awesome funk-a-go-go grooves produced in the ’60s to ’80s started. Some have good funky exotic breaks, and some English songs covered in Malay or Chinese can be much better than the original!
When did this highly specific passion start for you?
My passion in collecting vinyl records from Singapore and around the region started after I visited Red Point Record Warehouse a few years ago, and there I began to find forgotten music from Singapore’s music scene, digging into a-go-go, pop yeh yeh, Chinese disco, Melayu funk and many more groovy, exotic sounds from the Golden Era.
In a scene that favours contemporary sounds like house and hip-hop, why do you find it important to keep playing these classic genres?
Two years ago, when I started playing local vinyl records, there were not many local DJs spinning these groovy gems from Singapore or around the region. The only event I knew that played Asian rare grooves was Tiko Disko, with Sir Chico Montagut and Tiko Jackson (aka KiDG). I thought it would be interesting to introduce such forgotten groovy music to modern listeners and also bring back nostalgic moments for old-timers.
Itch fell in love with the scene’s Tiko Disko events, spearheading similar styles of music (Credit: Tiko Disko / Colossal Photos)
Can you tell us about your life before moving to Singapore? How did you start DJ-ing?
Before Singapore, I was a typical salaryman in Tokyo. I wasn’t a DJ, but I enjoyed collecting music and going to gigs. After moving to Singapore in 2009, I started to organise some home parties and invited friends from the local music scene (Rizman Putra, Spacedays, The Pinholes, Life Without Dreams, Darren Dubwise, NADA, Dharma and others) for a mini gig, and I selected music from my eclectic selection using my laptop. I think that was the beginning of my DJ-ing career in Singapore. Then, I started to get invited to spin at events organised by DJ Gonzo, and some exhibition openings as well.
As a vinyl DJ, it started from 2018, when I got invited to do a closing set for NADA at the Jalan Besar Heritage Festival, playing only vinyl records of local music from the ’60s to ’80s. Then, my DJ set was also featured in Singapore Community Radio, which helped me to spread my music selection to the local scene.
“Itch Hippie”, he calls this one (Credit: Rizman Putra)
Is such style of vintage music popular in the Japanese music scene as well?
In the Japanese DJ music scene, they are open to new genres of music. Lately, I have been interested in a music genre called Wamono, a Japanese rare groove that plays Japanese funk, boogie and city pop using Japanese vinyl from the ’60s to ’90s.
What is your favourite discovery that you've found in Asian music so far?
So many good discoveries; I cannot choose! But some of my favourites are Singaporean records with awesome grooves, such as those from Rita Chao, Naomi & The Boys, The Quests, The Stylers, The Melodians, Anita Sarawak, Kamaliah Latiff, Black Dog Bone and more. I recently got to know one of the members from The Stylers and from The Melodians, and they visited my DJ set at White Label Records. It was the happiest moment!
Where do you go for all your digging today?
In Singapore, I still visit Red Point Record Warehouse, some record shops in Chinatown Complex and antique shops. Sometimes, I purchase them online. When visiting Red Point, I always ask Mr. Ong, the owner of the shop, for his recommendations and I listen to all of them.
Itch channelling his inner George Michael (Credit: Rizman Putra)
How big is your vinyl collection currently? And do you only play vinyl nowadays?
Currently I have more than 500 LP records and it is slowly increasing, and around 200 EPs, perhaps. And yes, nowadays I focus on playing strictly from vinyl records because it’s more fun than selecting music from a screen. Also, the raw, analogue groove sound from vinyl has much better quality!
What are your current thoughts about being part of the Singaporean music scene?
I’m very happy to be a part of Singapore’s music scene and it’s nice to see many listeners enjoying my selection of nostalgic grooves from here and around the region. I hope to bring in more local and Asian rare groove music to the modern Singaporean music scene. Tiko Disko and Vinylheavy are my favourite DJs who share similar tastes in music, and I’m always happy to organise events together with them. Recently, we started an event called Rojak Champloo, focused on Asian exotic groove nights. Also, my monthly Japanese city pop and Asian boogie event, NIGHTCAP, started at White Label Records earlier this year as well.
And lastly, where do you go in Singapore if you’re itching for a good time?
My favourite hangout is Chinatown Complex, where I like to have a cold beer and listen to uncles and aunties singing old tunes on the stage.
FIVE-TRACK MIND: We now roll into a special segment where I toss you a set of circumstances, and you dish out a track (in your style, or not) that you would play in your set.
What would you play when…
1. Someone asks you how well you know Singaporean music?
2. Someone requests for an Asian city pop song?
Carefree – “Ratu Dansa (Tarian Patung)”
3. Someone brings her grandmother and you want to make her dance like she’s 18 again?
4. You feel like playing a really, really rare record?
5. Someone asks you to play a song that is more ‘futuristic’?
Mariya Takeuchi – “Plastic Love”
For more information on DJ Itch, follow his Facebook page and Instagram account, where he shares his knowledge on Asian rare grooves and other hidden gems.
