Kenji Araki

Kenji Araki is a digital artist based in Austria with roots in Japan. His work is influenced on the deconstruction of contemporary art and music. The exploration of genre- and medium boundaries are at the core of his artistic ethos and lead to an aesthetic that is equally harsh, alien, somber and
beautiful.

In June 2022, Kenji set his first musical milestone with the release of his debut album Leidenzwang. Since then, he has been conquering "the floors of this world" and "the hearts of the critics of the world" one after the other. His irrepressible output is also reflected in his collaborative music projects. These currently range from hyperpop blossoms with ANTHEA to a new definition of sensitive indie with Ybsole at enns. In November 2023, Kenji released his second album Hope Chess. This album continues to explore genre-busting post-club sounds, but its overall substance is much more sensitive and decelerated than previous works.

Ghosts whisper a sweet song over a grim hum in the background: it could be the onset of an R’n’B tune, but the beats are so harsh and abrasive that they seem to notch and cleave the Klangraum sound space; what was just trying to claw its way up to reach for the light is sucked down into a black hole: thunk. That’s the mood of the music produced by the Austrian-Japanese artist Kenji Araki. His alien rhythms are as warped as those of Arca, his melodies as schizoid as the hyperpop of Sophie and A. G. Cook. But he transcends these references with his very own style, raw and futuristic, de-subjectivised and full of conflicting emotions.