In an age of omnipresent distractions around every corner leading to ever-so-short attention spans, there’s a certain kind of fleeting beauty in focusing one’s unwavering attention on art — whether it’s a movie, a book, or, in this case, music.

Music to me is something that transcends the individual and taps into something universally shared — almost as if it resonates with the collective unconscious buried deep within us, simply by making air move in a certain way. It connects with anyone who experiences it, evoking emotions across cultural and personal boundaries, creating something in the process that has the power to unify us all.

You could say writing about music is like describing a painting to a blind person — somewhat absurd, if in a funny way. But the beauty of words lies in their power to distill and shape meaning, to create echoes of our thoughts and experiences. And that’s what led me to choose the name ‘The HIBIKI,’ stemming from the Japanese word ‘響き’ meaning echo, sound, or the quality of sound.

Music journalism may not be exactly thriving at the moment, especially when it comes to written content. Pitchfork’s editorial staff being folded into GQ may be the writing on the wall for the commercial side of online music journalism, but in the long run, this could be a blessing in disguise. Corporate interests have long dominated the music world and what gets presented to the public, but the rise of the internet and especially social media has shattered the old monoculture of the 20th century.

The present and the future now belongs to passionate fans who curate and discover music on their own terms, creating niches where true lovers of sound can thrive. On that note, I’d like to think that this publication can therefore become a space and community by and for music lovers of any background interested in exploring sounds and visions outside of the usual stuff recommended by their algorithm of choice. So, if you stumble across “The HIBIKI”, reach out and share your thoughts. Let’s make this space a gathering place for those who love music deeply, a community of like-minded individuals that appreciate thinking about the art of structuring noise into meaning.

As for our first feature, I’m excited to share that I’m working on a deep dive into the cosmic and haunted world of Dub music. Through my personal journey into the mystical soundscapes of Jamaica, I’ve been uncovering how much of modern music owes its soul to Dub and its very foundational manipulation of sound in time and space. In ways that often go unnoticed, Dub has shaped the rhythms and beats we hear today in a multitude of genres.