Hakushi Hasegawa, a musician from Japan, fashions elaborate art-pop tracks that fuse refinement with turbulence by weaving velvety singing and meticulously calibrated melodies through thick, technically demanding structures. Their output frequently merges lively jazz textures, hyperactive drill'n'bass rhythms, and buoyant yet affectionate J-pop elements within single pieces. After issuing two favorably received EPs prior to turning twenty, the inventive and widely praised first album Air Ni Ni appeared in 2019. Online events staged during the pandemic by Porter Robinson and Flying Lotus introduced the work to listeners outside Japan, leading to the 2024 release of the second album Mahōgakkō on Brainfeeder.
Born in Tokyo during 1998, Hasegawa belonged to a cohort that enjoyed seemingly unrestricted online access to recordings from an early age. They began producing tracks on a laptop while still in middle school and later pursued formal studies in music and composition at university. The debut EP iPhone 6 Plus came out gratis via the netlabel Maltine Records in 2017. Somoku Hodo followed on Music Mine the next year, after which Air Ni Ni arrived in 2019. These three projects quickly positioned Hasegawa as a remarkably vital and original prodigy whose music stood apart from prevailing trends. With live performances halted at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hasegawa participated in virtual programs such as Porter Robinson’s Secret Sky Festival in May 2020. That same month saw the release of the EP Bones of Dreams Attacked!, consisting primarily of covers—including “A Whole New World” from Aladdin—rendered in an unadorned manner. An appearance on Flying Lotus’ online event The Hit came next, alongside contributions to projects by rapper KID FRESINO, Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, Asa-Chang & Junray, and additional artists.
Hasegawa became Brainfeeder’s first Japanese signee in 2023 and issued the single “Mouth Flash (Kuchinohanabi).” Reissues on vinyl of Somoku Hodo and Air Ni Ni surfaced in 2024, coinciding with the arrival of Mahōgakkō, which featured guest spots from KID FRESINO, bassist Sam Wilkes, jazz composer Miho Hazama, and others.
