KISHI BASHI

Sonderlust (Demo-arigato version) reissue Bio:

A decade ago, Kaoru Dill-Ishibashi AKA Kishi Bashi found himself emptied out. The success of his previous albums, 151a and Lighght, had turned Ishibashi into a kind of orchestral ringmaster, his looping violin and buoyant melodies celebrated for their palatial brightness. But by 2015, after years of relentless touring, that brightness threatened to dim. He went to all his usual conduits of creation — violin loops, guitar, piano — and came up with the musical equivalent of fumes. “Touring and its accompanying lifestyle took a heavy toll on my soul and my family,” he recalls.

From that exhaustion came Sonderlust, released in 2016, an album that marked not just a stylistic shift, but a profoundly personal one. Gone were the ornate flourishes and the dizzying maximalism. In their place: analog warmth, vulnerability, and a spiritual candor. It was filled with the kind of startling emotion that Ishibashi never before allowed himself. “It was the beginning of me growing up,” he recalls. “Being comfortable expressing my heartbreak.”

If Lighght sounded like the inside of a kaleidoscope, Sonderlust was the other side of the rainbow: a record made in the twitchy stillness that follows upheaval. Its title, drawn from John Koenig’s Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, refers to that formidable realization that every person and passerby carries a life as vivid and complicated as your own. Ishibashi took that idea to heart. “It’s about being inspired by your connection to everyone around you,” he says. “Realizing that every single person is at the center of their own universe. It’s a humbling feeling.”

That humility reshaped his music, too. Working with Chris Taylor of Grizzly Bear, Ishibashi set aside the baroque violin loops that had defined his earlier work and began exploring the textural possibilities of vintage synths: specifically, the Juno-106, a MiniMoog, and the Wurlitzer piano. “I wanted to create a more holistic body of work instead of just kitchen-sink energy,” he says. “Nothing says funk like a Wurlitzer.”

The result was an album that shimmered with analog vibrance; soulful, strange, and defenselessly human. “Say Yeah” and “Honeybody” bear traces of Stevie Wonder’s kinetic joy, while “Ode to My Next Life” pulses with Moroder-esque propulsion. Ishibashi enlisted drummer Matt Chamberlain to ground the music with a physical heartbeat. “Chris introduced me to these incredible L.A. musicians who replaced my mediocre Wurlitzer parts with seriously great ones,” he says, laughing. “Everything sounds really good. The drums sound great. It still sounds cool.”

For Ishibashi, that musical clarity mirrored his newly underguarded emotional presentation. “People were reacting to my vulnerability,” he says. “Maybe that’s when I realized it’s my job to be open like that, to help people relate to my music, by relating to them.” He began to see his listeners differently, not as an abstract audience but as a constellation of lives. “I’ve always had a profound respect for them,” he adds. “They take time out of their lives to come see me, to listen. Even if they’re just out there somewhere in the ether, I feel connected to them. It feels like a family.”

Listening now, Sonderlust feels both steeped in its era and timeless: a melancholy yet dancy album refracted through the digital nerviness of the mid-2010s. It remains the fulcrum of Kishi Bashi’s catalogue; the moment when his virtuosic playfulness deepened into something more grounded and humane. “Before, I made music that was fun and exciting to me,” he says. “This was more like catharsis for the struggles of my time.”

The 10th anniversary reissue brings new, revivified life to that transformation, pairing the music with updated artwork from Ssin Kim, the South Korean artist behind the original Sonderlust cover. “The first piece was called End of the Beginning. It was dark, pessimistic; about the end of life,” Ishibashi explains. “The new one, made post-COVID, feels more optimistic. It’s interesting that she’s changed, just like I have. When you’re younger, the world can feel overwhelming. As you age, you start to see your place in it, become more pragmatic, less anxious. I think that’s what this new art captures, a sense of perspective, of hope.”

Ten years later, Ishibashi speaks about the album with gratitude and a slight sense of astonishment. “I’ve been very surprised at how much I’ve changed, what I now value as a musician,” he says. “I used to tour really hard. Now I look back and think, at what cost? But Sonderlust, that feeling of connection, of sonder, that hasn’t changed. It’s still what drives me.”

General Bio:

Kishi Bashi is the pseudonym of Emmy-nominated singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kaoru Ishibashi. Born in Seattle, Washington, and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Ishibashi is a virtuoso violinist and a Berklee College of Music alumnus. He is renowned for his groundbreaking collaborations with symphonies across the U.S., such as the National Symphony Orchestra (Kennedy Center), Chicago Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, and Oregon Symphony. His orchestral work has expanded his reach, blending classical and pop influences in performances that continue to captivate audiences worldwide.

As a violinist, Kishi Bashi has recorded and toured internationally with artists like Regina Spektor, Sondre Lerche, and indie band of Montreal, and has made appearances on major late-night TV shows including SNL, David Letterman, Conan, and Jimmy Fallon. His original music has been featured in commercials for major brands like Microsoft, Samsung, American Express, Target, and Apple. His debut album 151a (2012) received high praise from NPR’s Bob Boilen, who called it “a radiant, uplifting soundscape.” This launched Kishi Bashi onto major festival stages such as SXSW and Austin City Limits and began his journey as a critically acclaimed solo artist.

In addition to his solo career, Kishi Bashi was the founding member of the electronic rock outfit Jupiter One. In 2011, he began recording and performing solo, opening for artists like the Sondre Lerche and Alexi Murdoch, before embarking on his own U.S. tours. He gained further recognition in 2014 for his coffee line Royal Daark Blend, which included exclusive song downloads with each purchase. His 2016 album Sonderlust was released live on NPR’s All Songs Considered, adding to his ever-growing legacy.

His 2019 album Omoiyari (a Japanese word meaning compassion for others) and its accompanying documentary explored themes of minority identity and the WWII incarceration of Japanese Americans. The film, after four years of work and over $100,000 in funding from global backers, premiered at SXSW 2022. Kishi Bashi also scored the soundtrack for the Apple TV+ series Stillwater (2020), a collection of uplifting orchestral tracks he co-composed with Toby Chu.

In 2021, Kishi Bashi released Emigrant EP, a companion piece to Omoiyari, further exploring the themes of his documentary. In 2022, he re-issued his debut album 151a in celebration of its 10th anniversary, with a double LP featuring demo versions of the original tracks. His documentary A Song Film By Kishi Bashi: Omoiyari was acquired by MTV Documentaries and will be available on Paramount+ in the fall of 2023. The soundtrack, Music from the Song Film: Omoiyari, is also available.

2024 saw the release of his fifth studio album Kantos (August 23), a kaleidoscopic journey inspired by sci-fi, philosophy, and ancient ruins. The album blends everything from Brazilian jazz and ‘70s funk to orchestral rock and city pop, influenced by the cult-classic sci-fi novel series Hyperion Cantos, the writings of 18th-century Enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant, and Kishi Bashi’s revelatory trip to ancient ruins on the island of Crete.

With an ever-evolving sound and a passion for cinematic storytelling, Kishi Bashi continues to break new ground as a storyteller and performer, captivating audiences with his unique blend of classical and popular music.