禁 JIN

A record label with shiba energy and a slave to cats.

Between Taiwan and Japan, Yoshi Nori started mixing in the early 2000s in Chicago. It was that Hardy era that drew him in and further on picking up different sounds, pulling in neo Detroit minimalism, Japanese 80s disco, early 90s UK psychedelia, and the experimental punk energy of Taiwan’s early 2000s underground.

After more than a decade roaming the US, Yoshi returned to Taipei in 2006, bringing that energy back home and started throwing parties with friends at clubs like Korner and other spaces.

These parties and memorable nights went on until 2019.

By connecting with like-minded DJs in Taipei and across the region, he slowly built a small network around these parties and began playing regularly at Organik Festival, Pawnshop, Karma Klique, Vietnam’s Savage, Equation Festival and The Observatory, Tokyo’s Bonobo, Hong Kong’s Mihn, Singapore’s Outer Bounce, and Berlin’s Buttons, among others..

Fast forward to 2020… as the world experienced a shift with COVID-19, a new turn was also taken and 禁 JIN was born…

Photography and design by Jill Chien

Various ‎V.A was the first record, a release that brought together a crew of friends - Initials B.B., Gonno, Samo DJ, and Taiwan’s Lujiachi. On vinyl only.

After its initial offering, 禁 JIN began moving into new territory, shifting towards a more playful approach. This chapter introduced a visual direction shaped by Pia Hsieh, whose talented work helped build a series of art for the label’s cover language and opened the door to a more daring identity.

Designed by Pia Hsieh

Musically, with artists like Mr. Ho and Gonno as mainstays in the label’s timeline, JIN 禁 also reached out to a wider circle of talented artists. This included Cosmo, Yetsuby of Salamanda, Romain FX, DJ Ground, and connecting them with a strong network of remixers such as Luca Lozano, Sunsiare, Telephones, Cleveland, Eden Burns, Mogambo, Voiski, Marco Pinol, and Dawl & Sween.

In addition to the records, there were two digital V.A releases featuring local Taiwan-based artists like Vice City, INN, Lemonfacer, BBRB, and more. It was music that was slightly different, as it reached out to deeper, experimental, broken-beat atmospheric works and chuggy grooves.

The latest output comes from the special and deeply talented DJ and producer Cosmo. Her stunning debut EP, JIN09, blends deep and colorful influences with shadowed 90s techno.

Where Jin goes from here, who knows? Only the future can tell. Till then, for those who are discovering this label for the first time, there is a world of sounds, artists, and connections that can be found…