Tracks

Remixes

Kenji Araki LP" "Hope Chess" out now on @affine-records

Artwork: Georg Hampe & Kenji Araki
Mastering: @dino-spiluttini
Featuring: @ybsole , @koiboiissad ,@antheaxanthea , @the_roomate , @schicksn

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 @wsmara_archive

Hope Chess

enns - everyone's trying so hard, it breaks my heart

Boom Boom Boom

Nabelschnurtanz

Nabelschnurtanz (Lapsung Remix)

Monomythz (Ganaël Remix)

Gel & Gewalt (Killin Void Remix)

Taylor Swift - Blank Space (Kenji Araki Remix)

@damona3 
out now as part of the first tender matter compilation "Spoken by the Stillness of the Stars"

Liebessubstis w/ Neptunia Monna Anarchus (Tender Matter)

Destroy Lonely - If looks could kill (Kenji Araki Remix)

Loreen - Tattoo (Kenji Araki Remix)

KAVARI - Someone Loved It (Kenji Araki Remix)

Track and artwork by @kenjiaraki
Mastering by @dino-spiluttini
out now via @affine-records

Download

Kenji Araki - SUBSTR8

Fuck Hope

Listen to "Iliok ft. KoiFin" by Kenji Araki taken from "Hope Chess" out on 10th November via Affine Records

Bandcamp: https://kenjiaraki.bandcamp.com/album/hope-chess

Originating amidst a time of artistic transition and personal 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 left-field 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. Rhythmic elements are narrowed and placed carefully, yet they inhabit a distinct character and purposefully complement other elements and narratives.
As we traverse through the album, we come across distorted synths, shape shifting guitars, grimy noisescapes, eerie melodies and contemplative vocal parts. 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.
While evolving into an integral part of Vienna’s transgressive underground club and electronic music scene, Kenji constantly stayed open for new influences, friendships and aesthetics, leading to the formation of the novel sensitive indie duo "ENNS" together with friend, DJ, producer and promoter YBsole and continuous output of hyperpop blossoms with Viennese art pop luminary Anthea. This desire for collaboration is also reflected on "Hope Chess". Half of the album has features - including the frequent collaborators YBsole and Anthea, as well as KoiFin, The Roomate and SISKA.
Instead of letting other's actions and missteps determine the outcome of things, namely playing hope chess, Kenji Araki’s Album "Hope Chess" is about sincerity, introspection and collective trust.

Written & produced by Kenji Araki & KoiFin
Mixing: Kenji Araki
Mastering: Dino Spiluttini
Artwork: Georg Hampe & Kenji Araki

Links:
Kenji Araki
https://soundcloud.com/kenjiaraki
https://www.instagram.com/_kenjiaraki_
https://linktr.ee/kenjiaraki
KoiFin
https://soundcloud.com/koiboiissad
https://www.instagram.com/ko1f1n
Affine Records
https://soundcloud.com/affine-records
https://affinerecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.instagram.com/affinerecords

bandcamp

[Premiere] Kenji Araki - Iliok ft. KoiFin (Affine Records)

a love letter to my friends

@affine-records
@ybsole

Pillow

Pillow (feat. The Roomate & YBsole)

Glitter (feat. Anthea)

Bite My Tongue (feat. SISKA)

Hope Chess (feat. YBsole)

Haushaltsmontage

Pyre

ACCUMUL8

Limp Bizkit - My Way (Kenji Araki Remix)

Teezo Touchdown - Hunter Schafer (Club Tool) w/ 2 BLAME

entertheframe

screensssss

weekender

everyone's trying so hard, it breaks my heart

cannonball

stranger

@antoniaxm @kenjiaraki

AP043
music & artwork by Antonia XM & Kenji Araki
pic by Felix Holzeis
mastered by @dino-spiluttini

Feelingz

W.ANNA.W - Petals of Nehan [OMB017]

Petals of Nehan unfolds as a sonic journey where powerful and unpredictable movements of sound intertwine with cultural influences and personal sensibilities. Each track shifts in form at times intense, at others restrained yet quietly imbued with an inner strength evoking petals drifting with intention. Through these evolving textures, the EP explores the power of music to bridge the inner and outer worlds.

In the collaborative track “Forsaken Voices” with xato, a flowing current of sound emerges from the merging of sensibilities, leading to a deeper musical exploration.

The EP also features remixes by Sweden-based duo Quit Life, France-based artist Ytem, and Austria-based Kenji Araki. Their contributions bring distinct perspectives shaped by their diverse cultural backgrounds, expanding the sonic landscape of the release.

W.ANNA.W is a Japan based artist, vocalist, and producer who weaves ambient, experimental, and organic sounds into intimate yet expansive sonic landscapes. Her music transcends genre boundaries, evolving freely with quiet, expressive depth. Through her work, she invites listeners into a reflective, introspective dialogue a space to pause, listen, and feel.

NÜ PREMIERE : W.ANNA.W - Veil of Lies (Kenji Araki Remix) (OVER MY BODY)

Kenji Araki - warp -1.9

all i can take

∆ facebook.com/blvebird
∆ blvebird.bandcamp.com
∆ twitter.com/blvebirdmusic

Arca - Piel (Kenji Araki Remix)

@ennsennsenns

warp -1.9 out now on @ashidapark

LP2 "Hope Chess" out now on @affine-records

Booking & Press: inquiries@kenji-araki.com or office@affinerecords.com

Kenji Araki

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