BIOGRAPHY:
SHORT
Bay Area based producer, vocalist and DJ bringing you the finest in deep, tech, and funky house.
MEDIUM
Ori Kawa is a producer, vocalist, and DJ who has specialized in deep, tech, and funky house for 20 years, now based in California’s South Bay. He has worked for labels, artists, and clubs in San Francisco and Chicago, warming up the floor for Green Velvet, Basement Jaxx, Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, and many more. His vocal features have been released on Classic Music Company, Guesthouse Music, and Moulton Music. He has released numerous original productions as an independent artist and on his new label, Blast Havers. Currently, Ori is collaborating with Brazilian artists as well as his US crew of fellow havers of blast.
LONG
Ori Kawa is a producer, vocalist, and DJ based in California’s South Bay. He grew up performing Japanese taiko drums, shakuhachi, and shinobue. His first work in the dance music scene was for Loveslap! Records in San Francisco in the early 2000s. The studio and offices were located at Moulton Studios, then the home of many Bay Area house music legends. He got his foot in the DJ door as the talent buyer for Blowfish Sushi in San Jose, booking local and national performers.
Ori later made the pilgrimage to Chicago, studying recording at Columbia College and working for beloved nightclub SmartBar. He played supporting sets for Green Velvet, Basement Jaxx, Derrick Carter, Mark Farina, and many more. Equally important was the invaluable insight he gained while working in the venue’s office, picking up DJ’s from the airport, and hosting afterparties at his apartment two doors down from the club. He worked for Chicago labels as well, including Potty Mouth Music and Cajual Records.
During his time in Chicago, he discovered that his main instrument was his voice. After a brief but intense development period, some of his recordings caught the ear of the label boss at Moulton Music. This led to a featured vocal on “It’s All Right” by Homero Espinosa and Mark Farina that was released by Classic Music Company. It was a full circle moment, as Homero was one of the producers that had a studio in the Moulton building way back when.
From there, Ori took an excursion from house music into the funk rock world, showcasing his lyrics and songwriting. A standout from this period is the Draw 4 EP, a vibey four tracker exploring the liquid rock subgenre.
Returning to the dance music realm, he created the Blast Havers label and released collaborations with some close friends as well as artists from abroad, most notably in Brazil. A lot of the focus has shifted towards events and projects there, with ideas to bridge not only the musical styles, but the friendships, business, and cultures.