Non-self 비자아 is the first EP from South Korean musician and visual artist Jaeho Hwang. The six-track EP explores his sense of identity in the digital age as refracted through the Buddhist concept of anatta, or non-self—the belief that there is no unchanging, permanent soul or essence in living beings.

We’re told that Jaeho draws from the dark, stuttering beats from London’s experimental club scene—and that the harsh industrial sounds recall no-wave’s minimalist deconstruction. His also uses traditional Korean instruments within this context, like the piri bamboo flute, or the stringed kayagum, recasting traditional textures into modern form. 

His first single, also titled “Non-self,” is accompanied by a music video made by Jaeho, who is also a motion graphics designer. The video features 3D-scanned girls—who might represent Jaeho himself—shifting and glitching constantly to the music.“Mapping textures on 3D models in a 3D programme is used as a metaphor for giving shells over souls in reality,” he says. “Our existence is transient, evanescent, inconstant. This music video invites viewers to take part in a delusion that is filled with the aesthetic of the 3D and digital.”

The EP will be available to buy as a cassette or as a pill-shaped USB stick—a nod to the transformative, escapist properties of the digital realm.

Chinabot, the label behind the release, is a platform and collective created to change the dialogue surrounding Asian music. 

Non-self 비자아 lands March 1, with “Non-self 비자아’” available for download in full via the button below, or here for EU readers. 

Tracklisting

01. DAEBOOK

02. Ageing Process

03.Transience

04. Non – Self 비자아

05. Sad Relationship, Nami

06. Looking Back