Kenji Araki

Originating amidst a time of artistic and personal transition and maturation, 'Hope Chess' stands as the sophomore album by Kenji Araki, a Vienna based digital artist and musician with roots in Japan. Drawing inspiration from a wide range of sonic influences and practices, this album is home to calculated subtleties, bold juxtapositions as well as a unifying tapestry of texture and harmony. Though Kenji Araki’s musical situatedness in a heterogenous web of post-club approaches stays evident, ‘Hope Chess’ takes a more leftfield turn. It defies potential expectations built up by the debut record ‘Leidenzwang’ (June 2022) and shifts to a more introspective sound, granting the melodies, vocals, and textures more time and spatial freedom to unfold. Moments of serenity interweave with controlled eruptions, conveying feelings of vulnerability and catharsis. It’s an honest reflection of Kenji’s personal life throughout the last year. Negotiating matters such as sincerity, introspection, and collective trust, offering counter-narratives to the literal idea of hope chess, namely letting others’ actions and missteps determine the outcome. Instead, the record is a sonic embrace of community and immediacy. Words by Simon-Mara Waldhör