Born and raised in the small city Lutherstadt Wittenberg in 1980, Ray already as a child had fun to jingle on each object around him that sounds. His mother gave him his name from the Soul and Jazz-legend Ray Charles, like she had already known his affinity to music before birth. “I’ve felt music in me at all times and wherever I saw a piano standing around, I just couldn't resist touching it". He even sometimes stole his mom's cooking pots and plastic bowls converted into drum sets, which he used to play with, while music shows were running on TV. For Ray's parents reason enough to get their lively junior finally a real instrument.

At age fourteen, Ray first began to play melodies and chords by ear on his Yamaha Keyboard. A year later he attended the music school, played classical music on piano. But it didn't last more than six months. The lessons were not really interesting enough to keep Ray’s attention up on it further. He rather followed the fun of playing keys of catchy songs like “Big Fun” (Inner City), or “Slave To The Rhythm” (Grace Jones). Or soundtracks like the “Axel Foley Theme” until that day he realized "why not starting to produce own tracks?!". So he moved on getting new keyboards. Computer, drum machines, synths etc. followed little by little and found there each place at Ray's home studio. Hardly a day went by that the young musician wasn't sitting in front of his machines, playing keys and rhythms, trying new variations, creating new patterns and finally getting whole tracks in the end.
But, producing music wasn't everything that interested Ray. He discovered his fervidness spinning records while hanging out with friends. At that time they already shared some records, turntables and a mixer and invited Ray to join one of their sessions. “The fun mixing vinyls had cought me rapidly at that moment and I thought instantly: Fun! ... wanna have, must have!!!”

This initiated his DJ-career, first playing on few regional parties, but shortly after he became a Resident-DJ (1997 and 1999) at the former Oxyt Muzikclub. "For me Oxyt wasn't just the venue where I did the warm-up or was finishing nights, it was my gate to the world of clubbing."

In 2000 Ray Kajioka joined the Electronic Music Club "Global Village” in Dessau, where he supported the nights with impressive live and DJ-gigs as a resident DJ. During that time he signed on Müller Records. His first release "Ichi-Ni-San-Shi" ran very successful, that Ray today still receives responses on it. Further releases appeared on Television, as well as on Dave Angels' worldwide respected label Rotation Records. This triggered more requests and Ray got booked to established clubs (Distillery, Achtermai, Tresor etc) and events (Melt Festival, Time Warp, Summer Spirit etc) in Germany.
One day in 2004, one of Ray’s demos landed on Heiko Laux’s desk. The head of Kanzleramt was impressed by his work, that Ray consequently got invited to visit the Kanzleramt-HQ in Berlin and signed the label. The now Berliner had been releasing on Kanzleramt Music ever since. Furthermore, remixes for Beroshima, Joel Mull, Pawas, as well as Dave Clarke were followed in between.

In Fall 2011, Ray returned with two remarkable releases on Kanzleramt. His "Sparks" and "Thrill" releases had been huge hits in many DJ charts. Supported by a lot of big names like Laurent Garnier, Ken Ishi, Joel Mull, Alan Fitzpatrick, Secret Cinema, Adam Beyer, Stephan Bodzin, Charles Siegling, Dustin Zahn, Estroe, Claude Young, Elbee Bad, Pär Grindvik (just to name few) ..

Today:
Right with the beginning of this year Ray Kajioka started up with remixes for Elbee Alexander Kowalski which already got great feedback each.

Forthcoming, another release on Maktub Music (New Delhi/ India) end of February/Beginning March. Further, a release-project on Shaded Music (Lithuania) will be out during March.
Also, a new release on Kanzleramt will follow. Details we will tell you soon!

Stay tuned!!!



find more about ray in the web on

www.raykajioka.com
www.facebook.com/raykajiokaofficial
www.soundcloud.com/raykajioka
www.kanzleramt.com
www.1532.se

Booking:

linda@1532.se