Miho Hazama - m_unit: Beyond Orbits

Beyond Orbits is the new album from composer and conductor Miho Hazama – a vibrant new album celebrating the 10 year anniversary of her ensemble M-Unit. Beyond Orbits is testament to Miho’s boundless creativity and artistic vision and to the remarkable growth of her career in Japan, Europe and the US in recent years. Beyond Orbits is an album born out of the challenges of the past few years.

Confined to a small apartment in Harlem, New York, during the pandemic, amidst a backdrop of intense political turbulence, including a divisive presidential election, Miho faced a profound sense of disconnection. But this is not album about the pandemic.

Redirecting her view beyond the tumultuous world, as previously the Afro-Futurists did, she decided to shift focus and began researching exoplanets. She found two with unique characteristics and decided to create a concept around them. After receiving a prestigious commission in 2021 from the Monterey Jazz Festival, Miho Hazama wrote a new work that resulted in the Exoplanet Suite, which pays homage to the captivating wonders of the exoplanetary realm. This idea became the core of Beyond Orbits with movements titled Electro Elliptical Orbits, As a Three Sunlight and Planet Nine.