This was the odd but thought-provoking question of Katsumata Agetarō, protagonist/tonkatsu-chef-and-DJ-in-training of the Japanese gag manga series Tonkatsu DJ Agetarō. In the manga, he has a groundbreaking revelation in which he realizes that the job of tonkatsu chefs and DJs are surprisingly similar, and wonders if they are, in fact, essentially the same.

Well, Japanese publisher Shueisha decided to find out, and took the reins of a unique and incredibly entertaining project titled the TONE-CUTS GROOVE PROJECT.

The project had one goal: to examine whether a sick beat could be made using only the sounds that can be heard inside a tonkatsu restaurant. They headed over to two tonkatsu restaurants in Tokyo, and sampled the myriad of sounds created within them. After mashing the sound up together, they succeeded in making a pretty epic track we wouldn’t mind being played at a club.

Sounds that were sampled include the deep-frying of tonkatsu, sharpening of knives, cracking of eggs, the sound of sauce being poured, and people biting into the tonkatsu. But catchy beat aside, the video also makes us desperately want a plate of freshly cooked tonkatsu.

The music was produced by Shinya Kiyokawa, a sound artist who has worked on music used in commercials for SONY, NTT Docomo, and other Japanese companies.

So, what’s the final verdict?

We think that, yes, tonkatsu chefs are just like DJs spinning records at the club.

Not only does the video prove that the making of a perfect plate of tonkatsu produces sweet music for our ears, but like DJs, the chefs create music (food) and, right when the expectations and adrenaline of the crowd (customers) is at its highest, finally serve the tonkatsu (drops the beat).

But instead of being crushed by other sweaty bodies and going home with a pair of sticky, cocktail-covered shoes, tonkatsu restaurants will let us go home with a bellyful of delicious food, and it doesn’t get any better than that.