Haj i Ji (formerly Sub Swara, Freek Factory, Nyxyss) is an artist whose style can be best defined by a willingness to travel across existing borders. His music, like his life, is a grand adventure, honoring and reverent of the essential truths found in all traditions, as it is resounding of a refreshing originality. Ever elusive, he defies all attempts to be confined to a specific genre, time or place.
In this interview spotlight, we chat with Haj i Ji about the new EP, influences, surviving in the digital age and more.
Q&A along with links and a stream of Reports Of My Demise can be found below.
Where are you from and what style of music do you create? (In your own words, not necessarily in marketing terms or by popular genre classifications.)
My proper home is Brooklyn but I am currently living in California. I make music from my soul. When I write, I am always interested in exploring the terrain where the analog and digital interact. In a very real sense, the interplay of organic and synthetic is the central unexplored issue of our age. Genre is incidental.
What led you down this path of music and what motivates you to stay the course?
As a younger person, music was a life boat and a beacon. Now I make music for the love.
Who or what are your biggest influences when it comes to your creativity?
Life is an adaptogen. To live is to create. I am devoted to beauty.
How is your new release different than previous ones? Did you set out to accomplish anything specific?
In one sense, this release is not different from everything else that I have released in that it is completely different than anything I have ever done. I approach writing music like exploring a new city. One thing I can point to that is unique for me vis-à-vis Reports Of My Demise… is working with these talented female voices: Kai Altair, Meaghan Williams, Sariyah Idan. We set out to write music that move people in an essential way.
Do you face any challenges as an indie musician in a digital age? On the flip side, how has technology helped you (if it has)?
It is a vast saturated landscape. Technology has democratized innovation. The digital age in many senses has freed me as a composer and an artist. I have access to the tools of creation and publication that in the past would only have been possible with a major label record deal. I can now make any music that I can dream up. The challenge of an independent producer is to find a non-soul crushing way to reach the people who truly love what you do but do not know it because they do not know you exist.
How do you feel about streaming services? Any romantic attachments to the physical formats: vinyl, 8-track, cassettes, CDs?
I do miss the olden days of mixed tapes. I always love sharing and trading music with friends. In a certain sense, we lose some of our agency when all our favorite music lives in a cloud. The future is unwritten.
Where can we follow you online and hear more music?
Live your dreams. If you want to hear more music, come over and I will make you dinner and play for you what I am working on currently. But in the meantime, you can check out my latest release on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/hajiji/sets/reports-of-my-demise-ep
Reports Of My Demise… (Sept 2016, On The Perch Records) encompasses 5 songs about ghosts, love and the ocean, set against an ellipse of changing musical texture. I collaborated with a troika of naiads to tell tales of the depths–each song features lead vocals by either Kai Altair, Sariyah Idan, or Meaghan Williams. From late night Acid-House to soul stirring Torch-Song, Reports Of My Demise… is an elemental sonic journey for the savoring.
The only other place to follow me online would be Twitter: @hajiji
Anything else before we sign off?
When it gets uncomfortable, lean in a little more.
