“Konichiwa” Sets the Stage for Jackson Englund’s “Shadow Work” Album

Jackson Englund introduced Konichiwa through Shadow Play, a new party series built around the release of his upcoming album, Shadow Work. Each event in the series is designed to reflect the emotional and sonic layers of the music, offering a space where listeners can engage with the work as it develops. Not just hear it, but feel its context.

For Jackson, Shadow Play is a way to connect the dots between studio and crowd, between introspection and shared experience. It’s about creating a rhythm between the music and the people it’s meant to reach. The series gives each track its own moment, its own atmosphere, and its own conversation.

This approach fits Jackson’s style. He’s spent years building a reputation in the underground, co-founding Gari Safari, shaping Mont Blvck, and collaborating across genres. His work is layered, personal, and built to move people. Shadow Play gives that work a physical setting, recurring events that mirror the emotional arc of Shadow Work. Konichiwa was the first track to get this treatment. Future parties will follow, and the possibilities are endless.

The song’s origin story is collaborative, though not in the formal sense. Jackson and Lee Curtiss sparked the initial idea, a groove that carried both grit and grace. Jean-Michel Lapointe came in later to polish the track. Kim Bullard, whose synth work has backed Elton John, brought textures, and Matt Bissonette re-recorded the bass.

The video follows a feeling. A woman moves through subway tunnels, neon-lit storefronts, and fever-dream interiors. There’s a briefcase, a café, and a sense that something ritualistic is unfolding.

Jackson’s upcoming album, Shadow Work, is built from solitude, transformation, and the kind of emotional residue that lingers long after the music stops. It’s not a concept album. It’s a document. A record of what happens when you stop performing and start listening.

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