{"title":"Affine","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"leidenzwang","title":"Leidenzwang","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"My debut album \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeidenzwang\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e is the consequence of boundless obsession\"\u003c\/i\u003e apostrophizes Kenji Araki with stoic calm. An obsession in the most positive as well as in the most negative of all senses, involving a wide variety of media. Kenji, in his early 20s, is known to be a digital and interdisciplinary artist from Austria with roots in Japan whose work is primarily influenced by the deconstruction of music and contemporary art.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLeidenzwang\u003c\/i\u003e (in English: Suffering compulsion) is confrontation. Confrontation with the world. Confrontation with oneself. A confrontation that can be productive and cathartic. However, until Kenji Araki was able to get into this pattern of thinking, it was necessary in the process of creation to leave his very own sanctuary which he cultivated over the years. Escapism in the rear-view mirror of the past. \u003ci\u003eLeidenzwang\u003c\/i\u003e as a natural hybrid of passion (probably the most beautiful feeling a creatively active person can experience) and dangerous self-flagellation plus constant unrest. The result and musical core of Kenji Araki's debut album is an experimental, emotional post-club exploration with pop sensibility that deliberately ignores genre boundaries.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Affine","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50435728769355,"sku":"1160225","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/3a759201-f71c-4f81-bc0c-73e6c469d499_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726906854"},{"product_id":"in-any-case-by-any-chance","title":"In Any Case By Any Chance","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"What took you so long?\" might be a valid question concerning the ten year gap between Zanshin's new album \u003ci\u003eIn Any Case By Any Chance\u003c\/i\u003e and his first album \u003ci\u003eRain Are In Clouds\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOf course it is a question that the Viennese musician has asked himself quite startled in his usual self-critical manner, just to realize at a closer look that it has not been a lack of creativity or laziness at least. He used the Zanshin moniker on four EP releases and several remixes, plus a game soundtrack. Not to forget all his output as one half of producer duo Ogris Debris (the album \u003ci\u003e\"Constant Spring\"\u003c\/i\u003e from 2016 and roughly two dozen singles and remixes) and the many, partly award-winning audiovisual installations and performances with Leonhard Lass as DEPART (depart.at). Furthermore he has also built two sound installations in 2021, \u003ci\u003e\"I Gong\"\u003c\/i\u003e at Elevate Festival and \u003ci\u003e\"Cymatic Sands\"\u003c\/i\u003e at Ars Electronica. In addition, Zanshin performs with the Max-Brand-Synthesizer from time to time as part of the compositions by Elisabeth Schimana, and together with label mate Dorian Concept he has also composed and performed the piece \u003ci\u003e\"Half Chance\/Music for Moogtonium\"\u003c\/i\u003e for this unique instrument, built by Bob Moog himself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot spared by certain global developments of recent years, but rather invigorated by exploring his own resilience, Zanshin had a talk with Affine Records Operator Jamal in the beginning of 2021, speaking of future ideas and releases. And what was initially a single release spawned into a whole album in seemingly no time. An old skit (\u003ci\u003e\"Polar Polychrome\"\u003c\/i\u003e) on the Roland MC-505 groove-box that had never really been forgotten, but was rather waiting patiently somewhere in the back of his mind, suddenly proved to be the initial spark for the album.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe term \u003ci\u003eZanshin\u003c\/i\u003e, roughly translated as un-focussed attention, is in fact more than just a pseudonym but rather a directive in the artists life. Zanshin really likes to go in several directions at once, kind of according to Wittgenstein's claim that \u003ci\u003eThe world is everything that is the case.\u003c\/i\u003e, to find out where his love for music might lead him this time. He also somehow went back to his roots with this album. Not necessarily in the sense of certain musical influences or genres, because then the album would be even more eclectic than it already is. More like a focus on the core values in the fabrication process of the music itself, the freedom to rather follow the structures and sounds than to shape them in a completely predetermined way. Somebody once called it, \"to weave what the music demands.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn this regard, Zanshin often feels more like a sculptor and tries not toadhereto strongly to the rules of specific sub-genres of electronic music. Searching for sounds and designing them is one of the energies that fuels his interest the most, thus at the beginning of a lot of tracks there are small skits and ideas that have the freedom to grow in whatever direction.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Affine","offers":[{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50463897583947,"sku":"1160226","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/5c84924e-17d3-4704-8af7-1bb548f45a93_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727268217"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/affine.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}