tofubeats is the pseudonym for Japanese producer, remixer, DJ, and performer Yūsuke Kawai, who had previously recorded as DJ newtown. ∙ His first big break came in 2008, when he hooked up with Japanese “netlabel” Maltine Records to release “Flying Between the Stars (*She Is a Girl)” under the moniker DJ newtown. ∙ Directed by Takuya Hosogane and Shunsuke Sugiyama, the clip for his track “No. 1 (feat. G. Rina)” was nominated for Best Dance Video at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards Japan. ∙ In 2014, he collaborated with ’90s-era pop star Chisato Moritaka on her album Moritaka Tofu, which included the Japanese Top 5 hit “Don’t Stop the Music.” ∙ At the 2016 Space Shower Music Awards in Japan (similar to the People’s Choice Awards in the US), tofubeats was named Best Groove Artist. ∙ He launched his own label, HIHATT, in 2018, and it now has more than a dozen releases from a variety of Japanese EDM and hip-hop artists.