KENJI ARAKI sits in the living room of the 7*Stern and buries himself in his bleached hoodie. He hardly slept, but he has a new album out. So first perlage. Less to wake up. More to toast – on “Hope Chess”, that’s what the thing is called – a “rejection of the deconstructed aesthetic and a commitment to post-club philosophy” – and it’s very good. The Vorarlberg producer packed the Flex and took off his clothes. Naked to the bone, you have to dare. But KENJI ARAKI says: “I have evolved emotionally.” So we toast. And talk a bit more about undressing.
When we last spoke, you described your first album “Leidenzwang” as “haute couture”. What is Hope Chess?
Kenji Araki: The exact opposite. With the first album I just wanted to make a statement, it should impress. But I got way too technical. For “Hope Chess” the focus was on empathy and intimacy. I wanted to communicate – that’s why there are a lot of features on the album. These are not paid studio features, but Friends, with whom I make music and suddenly a song like this happens. Tell me, do you actually play chess?
Not so good.
Kenji Araki: The worst thing in chess is hoping for an opponent’s move. Anyone who hopes has a flaw in logic. You have to keep your options open. This excludes a clear goal. That’s why the two albums are so different. On “Leidenzwang” I played chess against myself, anticipating my moves and trying to surprise myself by flexing outwards. With “Hope Chess” it’s the other way around. I don’t have to flex anymore. I allowed myself. And so does my environment. This process makes the album. Not the technical skills, because they are there anyway. And not the textual content, which is rather reduced.
I say it pathetically: it’s simple emotions that count.
Kenji Araki: Exactly. I focused on that simple human emotions concentrated. This requires this process of introspection.
An introspective intention.
Kenji Araki: Wait, let me write this down briefly.
You did the emotional shadow work, the material stuff, the album, was able to happen like that.
Kenji Araki: I didn’t used to be able to write lyrics because I always wanted to sound cool and come across as reflective, ideally even philosophical. That never worked, it was always a product that sounded so forced. That just wasn’t me.
Is that important to you – coming across as authentic?
Kenji Araki: Not at all. It’s just important to me that I’m authentic with myself. That means: I want to be honest with myself and not pretend. If you don’t feel that: Go listen to something else!
Kenji Araki (c) David Prokop
You were interested in the “rhythmic nonsense,” you said at the time.
Kenji Araki: Full, I rarely followed a time signature for more than a few seconds, and I was really excited about that for a while. I’ve now played through these scams. That’s why the new album should be a challenge.
The first album was like a show-off, wasn’t it?
Kenji Araki: It was a nice showreel, yes. I have no reason for this anymore. Producing an honest, human statement was much more difficult anyway. I’m not behind me anymore Flex-Shit can hide.
So first appearance, then being.
Kenji Araki: A friend once said: Your music is 99 percent perfect. You are holding back honesty! This really hit me, I was a month depressed. But it only hurt so much because I subconsciously agreed with the statement.
“I DID PRODUCE MUSIC, BUT THAT WAS JUST SHIT.”
What did you do then?
Kenji Araki: I have evolved emotionally. This can be promoted in the same way as technical development. While there are tutorials on YouTube When you think about how you can produce this or that, you think about yourself and practice it. A lot also comes from working with Juri [Binder aka Ybsole; Anm.] Thanks to. With him I immediately create an intimate atmosphere in which we can make honest music.
Have you found the right person to help you find yourself?
Kenji Araki: Full, before that I was always completely in the tunnel and wanted to do everything solo. But I needed this time to be alone because: I now have so much experience with production that I can do it very quickly basics can produce. That means I don’t have to think about it. This allows me to do it quickly Decision-Making. This way I stay in the flow and can shift the focus.
On what?
Kenji Araki: On the emotional expectation. There’s something about that confidence to do. Nobody knew me before the first album. I had to prove myself. Then there was “Leidenzwang”. And I was lost. I did produce music, but it was just shit. At some point Jamal came [Hachem, Labelchef von Affine Records; Anm.] and said: What about album 2? I sent him a few demos but didn’t feel anything about it.
What changed then?
Kenji Araki: I just lived. And communicates. Suddenly the aspect of my work changed. The confidence was irrelevant because I realized: I have to take off my clothes now, get naked. You can’t do this by simply having an infinite number of them interesting sonic bits brings into the music. I’m now more interested in the breaks, in the few elements in between.
Sorry for the comparison: I have one with your album Oneothrix-Point-Never-Vibe around the album “Garden of Delete” got. You create a similar vibe.
Kenji Araki: Ha, I am obviously ein huger ONP-Fan, “Garden of Delte” was always mine Favorite. You know: The track “Bite My Tongue” is probably subconsciously called that because I was thinking of his track “I Bite Through It”.
What always fascinated me about his music: These were songs that just needed to be turned a little further to become real pop songs. I thought this restraint was cool. I feel the same way about your album.
Kenji Araki: That’s why “Hope Chess” is a pop album. I reduced everything. The thing is: if a snare comes on the 2 and 4 on a beat, the 2 and 4 are implied: Just leave it out and see what happens. So I intentionally held back. If I think a sound is cool, I don’t use it all the time – I only use it once. OPN is a master in it. That’s why you listen to the tracks over and over again, because at one point an acoustic guitar part comes on for three seconds. But then he’s gone again and he’s not coming back.
It is unique and therefore special – thanks to the scarcity.
Kenji Araki: OPN once said in an interview that each of his albums used to have to be groundbreaking and stand on its own as a concept. In the meantime this is it Novelty-But claim has become its own gimmick. He is like that deep in his catalog that this forced newness no longer interested him. So he goes back to ideas from previous records. I understand that. And I am endless curiouswhen I get to this point.
Well, you have two albums out, he’s been making music for 20 years.
Kenji Araki: But I think a lot about career structures – how artists build their careers. OPN has at the beginning Plunderphonics-Stuff for Mego Editions made. Now he produces The Weeknd. Maybe I will kind of something similar. But in a time lapse because I lack patience.
Let’s stay with the reduction for a moment. What does it have to do with – emotional development?
Kenji Araki: Definitely. That’s why the sounds have an autobiographical character. Today a friend said to me: “The album sounds so Community-like.” She is right. You can tell from the songs how many people are behind them, how many conversations were involved, how fragile I’m allowed to show myself. I have mine circle thanks to where I am. These people taught me that – that I can be who I am. By the way, these are the same people about whom people will say in a year: Who produced this great music?
You mean a scene is created?
Kenji Araki: Yes, absolutely, we are building a scene, for example around the label Ashida Park. There are acts that don’t make decidedly club sounds, for example the band FUTURAthat complete underrated is, really! These are them most-talented Songwriters in Vienna right now – right Evergreen Quality! Quite the opposite to 90 percent of what is considered indie pop FM4 running. This is wallpaper music, perfectly fine, but just …
Perfectly fine.
Kenji Araki: Exactly, it doesn’t hurt anyone, that’s why it hurts.
An album like “Hope Chess” shows what is possible.
Kenji Araki: In Austria you are quickly satisfied. Your band is playing FM4, so you believe that everything has been achieved. It doesn’t accomplish anything, it’s just boring. That’s why I don’t want to go with her at all FM4-Pop bubble associated. I have my scene because I know: You can do shoegaze and electronic and rock and still be on a stage. That has nothing to do with a deconstructed aesthetic. It’s more of a post-club philosophy. I only found out about it in Vienna and the surrounding area Ashida Park understood.
Thanks for taking off!
Christoph Benkeser
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Links:
Kenji Araki (Facebook)
Kenji Araki (Instagram)
Kenji Araki (Affine Records)
Kenji Araki Interview 2022