by Jason Ankeny
Childs View was the alias of experimental electronic composer, DJ and producer Nobukazu Takemura, who was born in Japan on August 26, 1968. After beginning his DJing career in high school, he quickly graduated to club appearances throughout Osaka, Kyoto, and Kobe, and in 1987 founded the DJ collective Cool Jazz Productions; a year later, Takemura also joined the Boredoms Eye Yamatsuka in the influential hip hop outfit Audio Sports. His inital forays into programming resulted in an appearance on the Jazz Hip Jap compilation, and in 1992 Takemura continued expanding his horizons with the formation of the acid jazz group Spiritual Vibes. He released a solo album, also called Childs View, in 1994; a remixed edition of the record soon followed, as did remixes for the likes of Tortoise. In 1997, he also collaborated with Japan alumni Richard Barbieri and Steve Jansen on the album Changing Hands. The founder of his own label, Idyllic Records International, Takemura adopted the Childs View alias to release the brilliant Funfair, issued in the U.S. on Bubble Core Records in early 1999. Hoshi No Koe followed in 2001. [See Also: Nobukazu Takemura]