ALESSA Dies at 33. Kryder Remembers the Friend Behind Japan's First DJ-and-Orchestra Show.
ALESSA, the classically trained Japanese pianist who became one of her country's most distinctive DJs, has died at 33. Sosumi Records founder Kryder is remembering a decade of friendship that ran through Bangkok, Amsterdam and a landmark orchestra show in Tokyo.
Japan's electronic music community lost one of its most distinctive figures this month. ALESSA, a classically trained pianist turned DJ and producer, died on September 5 at the age of 33, according to a statement posted to her official Instagram account, @alessa.amusic. A private funeral was held on September 9 with close relatives; her team has not disclosed a cause of death, asking fans and press to respect the family's privacy.
A Statement, Not a Cause
"It is with deep sadness that we announce ALESSA passed away on September 5, 2026," the statement read. "Her passing was so sudden that her family and staff are still struggling to process this heartbreaking reality." The post thanked fans and collaborators and asked that the family's wish for privacy around further details be respected.
The Pianist Who Played With an Orchestra
ALESSA built a reputation that stood apart from the club circuit's usual credentials. An award-winning, classically trained pianist with perfect pitch, she fused that conservatory background with high-energy club sets, and made history as the first DJ to perform a concert with a full orchestra in Japan, joining the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra to play Kryder's track "STAY" live.
Her international profile grew through Sosumi Records, the label run by British DJ Kryder, most notably on 2020's 'Into The Unknown' with Vadai, the release that marked Sosumi's own return after a period of dormancy.
Kryder's Tribute
Kryder posted a lengthy tribute to his artist and friend of more than a decade. "I'm truly heartbroken to hear of the passing of my good friend @alessa.amusic," he wrote. "I'd known Alessa for over ten years. She was full of energy, really outgoing, a life-size personality and an incredible friend."
He recalled the geography of that friendship in specific, almost logistical detail: "We had some amazing and fun adventures together, techno tuk-tuks in Thailand, Christmas Day dinner in Bangkok's tallest restaurant, boat parties in Amsterdam, and so much more besides. China, Japan, wherever we ended up." It's the kind of itinerary that maps onto the same Bangkok-Tokyo axis Loopliner has tracked through the region's shared listening-bar culture, the two cities trading DJs, labels and now, grief, often enough that the border stops mattering.
"She went on to play Japan's first ever DJ and orchestra concert with the Japan Century Symphony Orchestra, where she performed my track 'STAY,' hearing that with a full orchestra behind it is something I'll never forget," Kryder continued. "I will miss her dearly, and I'm sure a lot of the Sosumi crew and Kryteria family from over the past decade will remember her as the absolute life of any room she entered."
A Scene Still Processing
ALESSA's death lands in the same month Japan's dance scene has already been sitting with hard questions about its own health and safety, after DJ Nobu stopped his own set in Geneva to call out crowd behavior he called no longer normal. Neither story explains the other, but both put a Japanese artist's name at the center of a scene reckoning with itself in public, one over safety, one over loss.
No memorial shows or tribute sets have been announced. For now, the record stands where Kryder left it: a friend who could fill a room, and the orchestra recording of "STAY" that made a room out of a concert hall.
Cover photo: ALESSA press photo, via We Rave You.
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