Jason W. Chung (born January 27, 1985), better known as Nosaj Thing, is an American artist, record producer, and DJ based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. He has produced tracks for

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ; formerly stylized as KiD CuDi), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and fashion designer. Born and raised in Clevelan ...

Tinashe Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena, California, as a child, where she pursued w ...

, Toro Y Moi,

serpentwithfeet Jonathan Josiah Wise (born July 9, 1988), known professionally as serpentwithfeet, is an R&B singer based in Brooklyn, New York City. Wise signed with the English record label Tri Angle (record label), Tri Angle to release his debut extended pl ...

, Kučka, Julianna Barwick, and is the founder of Timetable Records.

Biography

Jason W. Chung, known professionally as Nosaj Thing, is an American artist, record producer, and DJ. Born in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. He is of Korean descent and began making music using computers and synthesizers at the age of 12. Chung emerged from the vibrant DIY culture of downtown Los Angeles, particularly the experimental venue

The Smell The Smell is an all-ages, alcohol and drug-free, punk rock and experimental music venue in Downtown Los Angeles, California. The Smell, notable for its DIY ethic, is home to many of the area's avant-garde performers and artists. The venue is main ...

, developing a reputation for blending intricate soundscapes with emotive, crisp production. He self-released the debut EP, ''Views/Octopus'', in 2006. His first studio album, '' Drift'', was released on Alpha Pup Records in 2009, followed by a remix version, ''Drift Remixed'', in 2010, curated by Chung and featuring contributions from artists such as

Jamie xx James Thomas Smith (born 28 October 1988), known professionally as Jamie xx, is an English musician, DJ, record producer, and remixer. He is known for both his solo work and as a member of the indie pop band the xx. He has been described as a " ...

and

Jon Hopkins Jonathan Julian Hopkins (born 15 August 1979) is an English musician and producer who writes and performs electronic music. He began his career playing keyboards for Imogen Heap, and has produced but also contributed to albums by Brian Eno, Co ...

. In 2012, he released a single, "Eclipse/Blue", which featured vocalist Kazu Makino. His second studio album, ''

Home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

'', was released in 2013. His third studio album, '' Fated'', was released in 2015. In 2016, he released an EP, ''No Reality''. His fourth studio album, ''Parallels'', was released in 2017. His fifth studio album, ''Continua'', was released in 2022. In 2013, Chung founded the independent label Timetable Records, which serves as a platform for forward-thinking music and multimedia projects. The label has released work by a variety of artists including Whoarei and Nosaj Thing himself. Nosaj Thing has collaborated with artists across genres and generations, including

, and has produced official remixes for artists such as

Flying Lotus Steven Ellison (born October 7, 1983), better known as Flying Lotus or sometimes FlyLo, is an American record producer, DJ, filmmaker, and rapper. He has released seven critically acclaimed albums: ''1983'' (2006), ''Los Angeles'' (2008), '' Co ...

and

Philip Glass Philip Glass (born January 31, 1937) is an American composer and pianist. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century. Glass's work has been associated with minimal music, minimalism, being built up fr ...

. His creative output also extends to film scores, fashion presentations, and art installations, including multimedia collaborations with Tokyo-based audiovisual artist Daito Manabe. Recent collaborators include

Hyukoh Hyukoh () is a South Korean indie band signed to DooRooDooRoo Artist Company. The band was formed in May 2014 and consists of leader, singer, and guitarist Oh Hyuk, bassist Im Dong-geon, guitarist Lim Hyun-jae, and drummer Lee In-woo. Career Ba ...

, Toro y Moi, Kazu Makino,

Panda Bear The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear or simply panda, is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its white coat with black patches around the eyes, ears, legs and shoulders. Its body is ...

, Pink Siifu, and Jacques Greene. In 2023, Chung and Greene released the collaborative single "Too Close," featuring Canadian singer Ouri. This was followed by "RB3" in 2024, marking the second release in their ongoing collaborative project. The duo is currently working on a new dance-oriented project, slated for release in fall 2025.

Career

''Views/Octopus''

His earliest performances were at Los Angeles' DIY avant-garde music venue

and experimental hip hop club night Low End Theory where he became part of a community of beat makers including Samiyam and

. He went on to self-release the debut EP, ''Views/Octopus'', in 2006 featuring beats made throughout this early period.

''Drift''

His first studio album, '' Drift'', was released on Alpha Pup Records in 2009. A remix version of the album, titled ''Drift Remixed'', was released in 2010.

Subsequent Releases

Between 2012 and 2017, Thing released a further three full-length studio albums, an EP, and a single. In 2013, he founded the record label Timetable Records, featuring artists such as D Tiberio, Holodec, Gerry Read, Whoarei, 4THSEX, and Daito Manabe on the roster. In 2020, Thing announced he had signed to LuckyMe Records, releasing the EP ''No Mind'' and the single "For The Light" with an accompanying music video. In 2022, he released his fifth studio album ''Continua'', featuring collaborations with

, Toro y Moi, Kazu Makino,

Serpentwithfeet Jonathan Josiah Wise (born July 9, 1988), known professionally as serpentwithfeet, is an R&B singer based in Brooklyn, New York City. Wise signed with the English record label Tri Angle (record label), Tri Angle to release his debut extended pl ...

, Sam Gendel, Coby Sey, Julianna Barwick,

Mike Andrews Michael Jay Andrews (born July 9, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Oakland Athletics. After his playing career, he served ...

Slauson Malone Standing on the Corner is an American avant-garde music collective led by Gio Escobar. Emerging from the New York underground art and music scene, they have been referred to as a post-genre band and praised for their use and blends of differe ...

, Pink Siifu,

, and Eyedress. Between 2023 and 2024, he began a collaborative dance-focused project with Jacques Greene. Their first single, "Too Close", featuring Canadian singer Ouri, was released in 2023,

Live

Throughout 2009 and 2010 he toured a live

audiovisual Audiovisual (AV) is electronic media possessing both a sound and a visual component, such as slide-tape presentations, films, television programs, corporate conferencing, church services, and live theater productions. Audiovisual service provide ...

show, featuring large scale video projections of live manipulated graphics, with showcase performances at Sónar Festival, Pop Montreal and

São Paulo Museum of Image and Sound SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of ...

. In 2016 Thing collaborated with Japanese artist Daito Manabe to create a touring show featuring real-time

augmented reality Augmented reality (AR), also known as mixed reality (MR), is a technology that overlays real-time 3D computer graphics, 3D-rendered computer graphics onto a portion of the real world through a display, such as a handheld device or head-mounted ...

visuals using multiple

Kinect Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB color model, RGB cameras, and Thermographic camera, infrared projectors and detectors that map dep ...

cameras on stage. The debut performance at

Coachella Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorad ...

was described by Pitchfork Magazine as "runaway winner for best visual production" and was billed by Sónar Festival as "extremely captivating, technologically advanced, show of inordinate beauty".

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Drift'' (2009) * ''

'' (2013) * '' Fated'' (2015) * ''Parallels'' (2017) * '' Continua'' (2022)

Remix albums

* ''Drift Remixed'' (2010)

EPs

* ''Views/Octopus'' (2006) * ''No Reality'' (2016) *''No Mind'' (2020)

Singles

* "Night Crawler" (2010) * "Eclipse/Blue" featuring Kazu Makino (2012) * "For the Light" (2020)

Productions

– "Man on the Moon (The Anthem)" from ''

A Kid Named Cudi ''A Kid Named Cudi'' is the debut mixtape by American rapper Kid Cudi, released on July 17, 2008, by New York City streetwear brand 10.Deep, in conjunction with independent record label Fool's Gold Records. The mixtape features guest appearances ...

'' (2008) and '' Man on the Moon: The End of Day'' (2009) *

Busdriver Regan Farquhar (born February 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Busdriver (sometimes stylized in all caps), is an American rapper and producer from Los Angeles. He has collaborated with rappers such as Myka 9, R.A.P. Ferreira, Nocando ...

– "Split Seconds (Between Nannies and Swamis)" from '' Jhelli Beam'' (2009) *

– "Cloud 10" (2011) *

– "Paranoia" from '' Acid Rap'' (2013) * Toro y Moi – "Enough of You" (2015) * KUČKA – "Real" from ''

Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

'' (2019) * Park Hye Jin – "Clouds" (2020) *

– "Another Day" from '' Man on the Moon III: The Chosen'' (2020) * Jamie Isaac – ''3'' (2020) * Julianna Barwick – "Nod" from '' Healing Is a Miracle'' (2020) * Eyedress – "Uncomfortable" from '' FULL TIME LOVER'' (2022) *

– "Talk to Me Nice" from '' BB/ANG3L'' (2023) *

– "No Simulation" from '' Quantum Baby'' (2024) *

– "Getting No Sleep" from '' Quantum Baby'' (2024)

Remixes

– "Camel" (2008) * Charlotte Gainsbourg – "Heaven Can Wait" (2009) *

The xx The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft (guitar, vocals), Oliver Sim (bass guitar, vocals), Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx (beats, MPC, record production), ...

– "Islands" (2010) *

– "Knee 1" (2012) *

– "Open Eye Signal" (2013) * Little Dragon – "Klapp Klapp" (2014) *

BADBADNOTGOOD BadBadNotGood (stylized in all caps) is a Canadian instrumental band and Hip hop production, production team from Toronto, Canada. The group was founded in 2010 by bassist Chester Hansen, keyboardist Matthew Tavares, and drummer Alexander Sowinsk ...

featuring Charlotte Day Wilson – "In Your Eyes" (2017) * Kazu Makino – "Salty" (2019) *

HYUKOH Hyukoh () is a South Korean indie band signed to DooRooDooRoo Artist Company. The band was formed in May 2014 and consists of leader, singer, and guitarist Oh Hyuk, bassist Im Dong-geon, guitarist Lim Hyun-jae, and drummer Lee In-woo. Career Ba ...

– "World of the Forgotten" (2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Nosaj Thing Living people 1985 births American musicians of Korean descent American electronic musicians Musicians from Los Angeles People from Montebello, California