Shuya Okino

Shuya Okino is a Japanese DJ and composer, who formed Kyoto Jazz Massive in the early 90s and helped build up the crossover jazz music scene in Japan. He released his first solo album in 2006, which brought together legends in crossover music including Josh Milan (Blaze), Dego (2000Black), Yukimi Nagano (Little Dragon) and Pirahnahead. He later formed the Kyoto Jazz Sextet, which has released multiple popular albums. As a DJ, he tours the world, performing in Asia, Europe and the USA.

A Krug Lover for many years, Shuya Okino has embarked on a creative journey with the House in both Japan and France. In 2023, he came to the Krug Family House in Reims where he discovered the two champagnes of Les Créations de 2011 and felt inspired to create two original Krug Echoes.

For these musical compositions, he embraced the challenge of translating the different flavours and stories of the champagnes, imagining musical signatures that would conjure up the duality of the harvest, as well as build layers of melodies to echo the aromatic facets of each cuvée. The first, “Prism” mirrors the sense of contrast in the creation of Krug 2011, while the second, “Fire Bloom” captures the roundness and crescendo of flavours in Krug Grande Cuvée 167^ème Édition.

Discover Les Créations de 2011

A talk with Shuya Okino

Do you remember your first sip of Krug?

It was during a Krug food and music pairing event for which I partnered at a French restaurant in Tokyo.

What do you have in common with Krug?

I have built my image on being sophisticated while valuing craftsmanship, in my case that of my musicians and, for Krug, the individual plots’ wines.

Tell us about your compositions for Les Créations de 2011.

I composed “Prism” to mirror the sense of contrast in the creation of Krug 2011 and “Fire Bloom” to capture the roundness and crescendo of flavours in Krug Grande Cuvée 167^ème Édition.

How did Les Créations de 2011 inspire your compositions?

I was inspired by the challenge of translating the different flavours and stories behind the creation of Krug 2011 and Krug Grande Cuvée 167^ème Édition into music.

How do you approach pairing music and champagne?

I thought about the musical signatures that would conjure up the duality of the harvest year for Krug 2011 and sought to build layers of melodies up to a finale echoing the many aromatic facets of Krug Grande Cuvée 167^ème Édition.

What parallels do you see between composing music and crafting champagne?

I recognised parallels between bringing together the different flavours and aromas from many plots’ wines in the final blend and uniting different musical instruments and signatures to create a matching composition.