from Bandcamp.com

https://1473.bandcamp.com/album/when-the-east-of-the-day-meets-the-west-of-the-night-voices-in-the-desert

The intersection between humanity, electronics - or the humanizing of electronics? What emerges first, where are the moments found when electronics transcend circuitry and manifest into something organic and, at their most powerful, emotional?

I ask these questions every time I engage with electronic music. All of my favorite artists in this field engage my senses, forcing me to reflect on why I respond so viscerally to their sounds. In the 30+ years of being a fan of electronic music, I’ve heard my fair share of ‘cool, innovative sounds’, which spark a lot of energetic fandom but that initial enthusiasm inevitably begins to dissipate over the years. What was mind-blowingly new in 1991 sometimes holds up now but a lot of the time, eh, not so much. What carries forward though - what electronic music maintains its staying power - it’s always about the human/organic/emotional connection. The best electronic artists can achieve this - the level of nuance and thoughtfulness in their process and approach naturally condition their music to walk that line - the intentionality of it all.

Kikù Hibino is one such artist. I met Kikù during the pandemic and immediately just connected with his art. Every bit of high falutin jibber jabber musings I wrote above apply to what I’ve heard of his work. What electronics can and should be, he’s doing it. It’s all there - his textures, frequencies, sounds, atmospheres, etc - it all aligns with something deeply intimate. What speaks to this, beyond his sounds even, is in his artistic processes - his openness to collaboration and curatorial ear via his new label SN, point to an artistic vision that is focused on connection. He may disagree with me on that point - I don’t know - but what I do know is that I connect with his music.

I find restorative comfort in WEDMWN and VD, the two pieces on this release. Both originated as collaborations with Yuge Zhou and Mitsu Salmon, both established and fascinating interdisciplinary artists in their own right. Is there a built-in dialogue to the sounds then - a natural communication? I’d like to think so.

For you, the listener, I really hope you can experience this album in some kind of intentional space and go whole hog with a deep listening experience - and maybe you will hear what I hear - because what Kikù is doing - like I said - it’s all there.

credits

released April 22, 2022

All music written, performed, and produced by Kikù Hibino

Mixed and Mastered by Kiku Hibino at SN

WEDMWN and VD originated as collaborations with Yuge Zhou and Mitsu Salmon.