Mikio Gruschinske (DE)

Born of German-Japanese heritage, Mikio Gruschinske began his career in the late 1990s as a label manager and international A&R agent at Beats & Friends in Düsseldorf. Early on, he interned at indie labels such as Poison Recordings and Taaach Recordings before moving into the TV world as an editor at Brainpool in Cologne—but he never let go of his passion for music.

In 2002, while still in school, he co founded the DJ producer duo Plastik Funk with Rafael Ximenez Carrillo. Over the next 14 years (2002–2016), they toured globally, playing festivals including Loveparade, Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and summer residencies at Space Ibiza. Their breakout tracks included Do It Right (2003), numerous remixes (David Guetta, Robyn, Deadmau5, Shaggy) and their worldwide club smash “Who” and its vocal version, which became UK top 20 hit “Dr. Who!” featuring Sneakbo in 2014. End of 2016, Mikio stepped away from touring due to back issues.

In 2017, Mikio returned full-time to label and artist management. He joined WEPLAY Music & Management (and its imprints Tonspiel, Yoke, Funk You and Sosha) as Head of A&R, charged with scouting and developing new talent and expanding international partnerships for the WEPLAY catalogue.

Throughout, Mikio has brought a rare combination of artist insight and label-side expertise—from hands-on production and touring to strategic signing and A&R leadership. Let me know if you’d like more detail on specific projects or artists he’s signed!