Sky Trajectories and Gaza

Sky Trajectories — Album Notes

I made this album in the winter of 2023, traveling back and forth between Japan and Chicago.

The first tracks I finished were "ddddd" and "pixelation"—I was thinking about how things move through space. Then I decided to use Matchess's voice, and everything shifted. Electronic music and aggressive beats tend to get macho. I needed a different texture to push back against that.

In this work, I tried to become the trajectory itself, not someone drawing a trajectory. "Flight Lines" focuses on flight logs. "Somatic Tracing" is about a trekking experience in Utah. "Light" is about the flickering of light itself. I was thinking about how sound could become something beyond music—closer to perception, or experience.

I recorded in Chicago and kept editing while traveling. I finished the album in a hotel in Kobe. Behind that quiet, there was the sound of destruction in Gaza, far away. The voice became a way to resist that violence—and to hold onto something human.

The title "Sky Trajectories" has many meanings: physical movement, psychological transition, the curve of emotion. It also carries the arc of missiles, and the question—where are we heading?

Thank you to Anne Carson for letting me use her text.

Artist Statement:

My new body of work entitled ‘Sky Trajectories’ was created intensively in the month of December 2023. During that time, I felt a stark contrast between the dire realities facing children as the war raged on in Gaza and the peaceful environment in which I was able to immerse myself in making music in Chicago. I am aware that I am in a privileged position; therefore, in consultation with my label, I have decided to donate the net profits from the sales of this album to the UNICEF Gaza Humanitarian Crisis Fund.

Although I do not consider my artistic practice as a form of propaganda by any means, ‘Sky Trajectories’ was undeniably shaped by these difficult times. Through this work, I hope to extend a helping hand to those in need and be close to children and their families affected by this crisis.

1.5. 2024
KH

Artist Statement in Japanese:
僕の新作『Sky Trajectories』は2023年の12月に集中的に制作されました。その間、ガザの戦争が悪化する中で子供たちが安全な環境から遠く離れている現実と、私がシカゴで音楽制作に没頭できる平和な環境との対照を強く感じました。僕は幸運な立場にいると自覚しており、そのためレーベルと相談し、このアルバムの売上から得られる僕の純利益は、UNICEFのガザ人道危機緊急募金に寄付することを決意しました。

自分のアートはプロパガンダではありませんが、『Sky Trajectories』はこの難しい時代の刻印を受けていることは間違いありません。この作品を通じて、少しでも支援の手を差し伸べ、困難な状況にある子供たちとその家族に寄り添いたいと考えています。

1.5. 2024
KH