One last deep respectful bow to Toshi Nakama

Here We Are Again

It’s never good when someone leaves this mortal coil. But when it’s a legend I was chatting with just weeks ago it comes as an even bigger shock.?

You see, Toshi Nakama aka Toshi san aka toshi05pro aka the guy that put Vestax on the DJ map and completely changed the face of the industry forever has passed away. Quickly and suddenly.

His daughter Karen posted details on Facebook. Summing up —?he had travelled to NAMM in April but came back feeling less than full Toshi. You’d never know from the photos that came back or how he took to Facebook to lambast NAMM’s extortionate stand pricing.?

The fire was still there even when he was not at his best.?

Upon his return to Japan, he was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer. Obviously, Toshi being Toshi, he tried to find a solution himself but the cancer had other ideas. In the last week, his health declined rapidly, eventually taking him this weekend.?

Bugger.

So. Many. Stories.

Everyone has Toshi stories told with nothing but love for him and his work. Seeing Toshi at trade shows was always a highlight, knowing that our deep respectful bow, firm handshake, man hug, and belly laugh ritual would be happening.?

I loved that he would trust me with the most out-there concepts knowing that I wouldn’t spill a word. Good job really because sometimes I was left speechless. Even now, there are things I could talk about but won’t.

A key memory —?one weekend back in 2014, he contacted me from London wanting to come and visit that day, some 250 miles mile due north of the capital. “Sure —?jump on a train, my studio is right by the station”. “Take too long — I hire a car” he replied. Just over three hours later, he was pulling up to my place ready for our ritual greeting on my home turf.?

He stayed for a few hours and shared his DJ vision of the future, and the direction that the industry has in part travelled. The DNA he injected into Vestax is clear to see in every manufacturer’s products today.

But my fondest memories are the most recent ones. He loved my Worxlab project, especially the respect and attention I was showing Vestax products. When he saw my Vestax Trinity print, he absolutely had to have one —?not a freebie you understand, and his only request was that I added his monogram. ?

He also insisted that my signature be bigger than his. I wouldn’t have it and compromised at doing them the same size. And then I did his bigger anyway. ;)

And then he ordered three by mistake. ;)

Four days later the print package arrived in Japan (well done Parcelforce), and Toshi messaged me to say how happy he was and complimented me on my workmanship.?

That was April 2nd. And now, nine weeks later, he’s gone.?

Obviously, there are emotions. There’s shock and sadness, but I’m overwhelmingly happy. In my own advancing years, I have reconciled that everyone dies and that instead of wasting emotion mourning loss, I choose to celebrate their life and what they brought to the world.

I feel blessed that in some small way, he was part of mine, like a long-distance mentor and inspiration to keep rocking the boat, stirring the pot, and generally causing mischief.

We didn't always agree, and sometimes he was mad at the things I wrote. The above picture brings back memories of having to persuade them to pose with a skratchworx slipmat because I'd pissed them off. It was obviously so important that I cannot remember what it was now and we clearly made up pretty quickly.

His Legacy

For me, Toshi embodied everything that I love about designers. He did his own thing, believed his gut, and challenged convention. Being Japanese, his public attitude was always reserved behind a formal suit, but chatting to him you could feel the passion for what he was doing.?

He embodied “safe is risky”. Would the other companies in the DJ industry put out the products that Vestax did? Yes, they would (well some might), but always followed what Vestax repeatedly did first. It didn’t always work out, but at least they had the guts to give it a go.?

There is no brand that garners the loyalty that Vestax still has. Nobody in this industry gets the love and respect that Toshi garners. And even in the passing of the person and the brand, that won’t ever change.?

One Last Goodbye

I always feel bad for people who leave us too quickly for they never get to see the outpouring of love that follows. Toshi however never had that issue. Whenever his name was mentioned on social media, a guaranteed comments box love-in followed.?

Even in my last conversations with him, I made it very clear just how much of a contribution he made and what an inspiration he was. He knew, even if he was too humble to take it.?

So while I’m shocked at the sudden loss, I’m also happy that Toshi was part of my life.?

One last deep respectful bow, Toshi san.?