Performance · Production

TOWA TEI

Yokohama, Japan

TOWA TEI is credited on 338 releases across 188 albums tracked on Gatefold, active 1985–2026 — the collector-built map of who actually made the music.

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Photo of TOWA TEI

338

Pressings credited

188

Albums

5

Decades active

200

In collections

Biography

Towa Tei (鄭 東和, Tei Tōwa; born September 7, 1964) is a Japanese artist, record producer, and DJ. Born in Yokohama, Japan, Towa was a member of Deee-Lite, from the US label Elektra Records in 1990, notable for their international hit single, "Groove Is In the Heart". He made his solo debut with the album Future Listening! in 1994. He has since relocated from New York to rural Nagano Prefecture in Japan. Towa's second studio album, Sound Museum (1997), became his highest charting effort at number 17 on the Oricon charts. Its single, "GBI (German Bold Italic)" featuring Kylie Minogue and Haruomi Hosono, reached number 50 and 63 in Australia and the United Kingdom, respectively. He saw continued success with 1999's Last Century Modern as its single, "Let Me Know" featuring Chara, peaked at number 34 in Japan, his highest entry. Towa has collaborated with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yukihiro Takahashi, Akiko Yano, Ringo Sheena, and Arto Lindsay, among others. His concept party, "Hotel H", started in 2009 as a social spot for music industry people in Tokyo.

Bio from Wikipedia

Credited work

338 releases · 188 albums · active 1985–2026

  • Performance · 536
  • Production · 205
  • Other credits · 150
  • Engineering · 44

Studios: Calliope Studios · Apollo Studios, New York · Tokyo FM Studios · Platinum Island Studios

Discography

Records they worked on — most-collected first.

Frequent collaborators

Around the web

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