Graves (Dj)
Graves (Dj)
Early life
Graves (Dj) grew up in Oahu and earned a worldwide reputation as a music producer and DJ. After graduating from Castle High School, he moved to the Mainland to learn audio engineering.
He came back home and worked at Island Sound Studios in Hawaii Kai, then known as Avex Honolulu Studios, deejaying almost every night at clubs in Waikiki and elsewhere, often for little pay .
A native of Honolulu, Mochizuki first came to prominence after working as an engineer on Kanye West’s Grammy Award-winning 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
Career
Graves (Dj) started his music career by playing guitar with friends in the neighborhood.
His big break came at Avex, assisting Kanye West on his 2010 album, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” and West’s Jay-Z collaboration, “Watch the Throne.” Mochizuki won a Grammy for his sound engineering work on “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” a complex album that many consider West’s masterpiece and some call one of the best rap albums of all time.
After parting ways with West in 2013, he began making music with a short-lived EDM outfit before adopting the name Graves in 2015.
Mochizuki started releasing his music online and quickly garnered a fan base for his kinetic, atmospheric, and often experimental sound.
He earned credits on albums by Kid Cudi, Justin Beiber, Big Sean, and others.
Grave's (Dj) breakthrough came when he won a contest with other local producers as “OOF” to play at the 2014 Electric Daisy Carnival’s Discovery Stage in New York. After that, he started producing an emerging type of electronic dance music with hip-hop drums deemed “EDM Trap” that got plays on the world’s biggest music festival stages from superstars like Diplo and Flosstradamus.
Graves’ diverse production from dance, to hip-hop, and even indie rock and reggae has gained him an ardent fan pool and praise from some of the top industry voices.
As a recording engineer, he has credits with Kanye West, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Kid Cudi, Justin Bieber, and Big Sean. As a producer, his music has been championed by the likes of Skrillex, RL Grime, Baauer, Diplo, and Porter Robinson.
His brand
Mochizuki once used the out-of-control moniker of Christian The Lion/Glitchdick but rebranded himself simply as Graves in 2015.
The former guitar-playing punk rocker turned worldwide touring producer has grown into a confident artist and father.
In one of his numerous interviews, he says that “He says he is now nurturing his own distinct sound as a solo musician.
His new single will be released soon, the follow-up to his 2017 EP debut named “Hilo.”
Relationship with artists
Traveling between Oahu and various Los Angeles, California studios like Skrillex has made him connect with some of the electronic dance music’s biggest artists, including RL Grime and Flume (musician). Those relationships have helped him shape his sound, he says.
In his one of his charts with fan, he openly acknowledges Bruno Mars as someone who followed a similar path to musical success, including leaving the Islands to get recognized by a broader, more accepting audience. Graves (DJ) says that although his success took years, he doesn’t “want anyone’s sympathy, ever,” because he’s always been doing what he loves.
Interview
When asked in one of his interviews why he chooses Hawaii, he told the reporter that “Hawaii is where he wants to stay.
His advice to those who hope to achieve similar success: Work on your music every day, just like he did, and pick a focus”.
Graves (DJ) also says.
“In my head, I know how I want my next project to sound, sonically.
Visually, I know how I want it to be represented.
That took me a while to build.
It wasn’t something that just came.
It took me training my brain.”