Kaoru Inoue

Kaoru Inoue

DJ / Music Producer. After playing guitar in punk and rock bands from high school to his early 20s, he immersed himself in DJ culture when he first came across acid jazz in 1989. Under the names of Chari Chari and Kaoru Inoue, he has created many musical works and remixes, and has performed at various indoor clubs and outdoor festivals to pursue possibilities of alternative dance music through DJing. In 2003, he started his own music label 'Seeds And Ground' under the label 'Crue-L' (became independent in 2009) and has released many dance music under his real name, Kaoru Inoue. His rich musicality, which cannot be fully expressed by DJing alone, is reflected in the works and live performances of Aurora Acoustic, a minimal acoustic guitar duo with Daisuke Kojima aka DSK. In 2014, Kaoru revived his alias 'Chari Chari' after 12 years, regenerating it as a live band and released a 12-inch vinyl record "Fading Away / Luna de Lobos" in 2016. In 2018, he released an album 'Em Paz' under his name Kaoru Inoue from the label 'Groovement' in Portugal. Moving away from the roaring dance music, 'Em Paz' is a celestial electronic and ambient album. In 2020, he released his first new album in 18 years under the Chari Chari name, 'We hear the last decades dreaming', and in 2021, its remix album, Mystic Revelation of Suburbanity. The ethnic, organic electronic sounds have become a huge buzz. In 2023, 'Dedicated to the Island -soundwalk & music for SAUNTER magazine-' was released as a CD supplement to SAUNTER magazine 06 'Yakushima 2023' issue, published by Kilty BOOKS, a Yakushima-based publishing company. Through a new process including analog mastering, the album was released simultaneously worldwide on LP record (180-gram vinyl with a printed insert) in April 2024 on RECORD STORE DAY. Even after his 30-year career, Kaoru Inoue's music and sound is still radical, yet universal and brightens up the scene. Euphony, a bi-monthly all-round acoustic experience party with an eye toward ambient, new age, ethnic music, and even obscure sounds at the club '0 Zero' in Aoyama, Tokyo, will continue to be held after the closure of 0 Zero while seeking a new form.