The Japanese-Hawaiian reggae-pop duo Def Tech combine influences from their respective cultures to form a fresh, upbeat sound that they dub "Jawaiian Music".
Shen was born in Hawaii in 1981. Growing up, he traveled to Japan every summer due to his father’s work and became interested in Japanese music. At the age of twenty-one, he immigrated to Japan and became fluent in the language. Micro was born in Tokyo in 1980. He grew up surfing and listening to the music of Bob Marley, which have both had a strong impact on Def Tech’s sound.
In 2005, with the help of their friend JESSE, the vocalist of rap-rock band RIZE, they were noticed before their debut album was even released. Their first major appearance on the Japanese music scene was on the RIZE single VIBRATION~introducing Def Tech. Afterwards, they made another guest appearance on Bennie K's mini album The Bennie K Show.
Their debut album was a tremendous success, staying in the top three of the Oricon charts for over five months and becoming the third best-selling album of the year. Capitalizing on this momentum, they toured through much of 2005 and released their second album, Lokahi Lani.
2006 brought a new album, Catch The Wave, which sold over a million copies. The title track was also used in trailers for the Japanese movie "Catch a Wave," which was released the same year. Micro also played a role in the film as a surfer.
Towards the end of 2006, the members admitted that there was trouble in paradise and rumors of disbandment soon began to circulate. Still, the duo pressed on, touring through the winter and releasing two DVDS, Def Tech Budoukan and Def Tech OKINAWA LIVE. In 2007, their hard work paid off when Def Tech won the best album of the year at the 2007 MTV Music Video Awards Japan for Catch The Wave. Unfortunately these happy times did not last and, in September 2007, Def Tech disbanded.
Micro began a solo career, releasing his first album a month before Def Tech's dissolution. He went on to release many singles, albums and DVDs and to tour extensively. He also collaborated with other artists. In 2007, he started his own record label, PRIMARY COLOR RECORDZ and has taken an active role in producing works for its artists.
Shen, on the other hand, teamed up with JESSE from RIZE and others to form the rap group E.D.O., who released an album and performed sporadic lives. He also released a solo album called SOLAIRO in 2008.
In June 2010, Def Tech announced their reunion and a new album, entitled Mind Shift, soon followed. Their reunion tour, Def Tech TOUR 2011 The Come Back!!, took place from February 8th until March 3rd. That year also saw the duo release the albums Def Tech, Lokahi Lani, Catch The Wave and the aforementioned new album on iTunes, making them available for international fans.
Mind Shift and their following album UP both reached the fourth spot on the Oricon charts and stayed on it for many weeks, proving Def Tech remains as popular as ever.
The duo's first compilation album, GREATEST HITS, was released on April 18, 2012. It went on to hit number one on the Oricon indie charts.
With renewed ambition and impressive commercial success behind them since reuniting, Def Tech are once again set to take the world by storm with their unique sound.
