Tsuruda, whose real name is Thomas Jay Tsuruda, is a Los Angeles-based producer and DJ. He attended a classical-music elementary school and studied classical singing as a child, training he has said helped develop his ear for samples and song structure. Tsuruda has also said that he has been making music for as long as he can remember. After eighth grade, his father gave him a Quasimoto CD, The Unseen, which remains Tsuruda’s favourite album. In 2014, he co-founded the Los Angeles artist collective and label Courteous Family.
Tsuruda’s music combines experimental hip-hop and avant-garde electronic music. After years of relying heavily on samples, he described shifting toward digital synthesis in a 2019 interview. That year, he released the FUBAR EP through Alpha Pup, designing its tracks for club play and drawing on dubstep and halftime. He also released the Lifeline EP through Alpha Pup. His releases have also appeared on VISION Recordings, 20/20 LDN, Team Supreme, Darker Than Wax, Deadbeats and 1985 Music. His albums include Unlimited Data and Siege, and he has released the full-length projects drumsand, madness and rawflavor. Mad Decent is another label on which his releases have appeared.
In 2021, Tsuruda and Chee released the Deadbeats single “Trailblazer.” Tsuruda has also remixed music by Noisia and The Glitch Mob, including Noisia and Prolix’s “Asteroids.” The EP Migi came out through 1985 Music, while Deadbeats released the four-track Deathwish EP in early 2023.
By 2023, cousin litt had become Tsuruda’s main focus, though he said he would continue making music under the Tsuruda name. COVID-19 lockdowns had prompted him to begin streaming on Twitch. His first event was in 2015.