Arias Hoyle, also known by his hip hop name “Air Jazz,” remembers sharing his music with others as early as the fifth grade.
“The sound of the Tlingit drum, that resonates in some of my music,” Hoyle said. “It definitely gives it that base-y rumble that our ancestral music was known for. To combine that with more modern soundscapes, such as doth synthesizers and hip hop drums as well. I just think it makes for this cool fusion that intertwines the culture with hip hop music.”
Hoyle was born and raised in Juneau, and recorded his first song in a studio when he was just 14, a freshman in high school. He says Juneau’s Tlingit culture of dancing and music, plus a blend of nontraditional music makes for a unique musical landscape.
“My musical journey did start pretty early, and since I have a musical family, it was easy to get into the arts and culture,” Hoyle said. “It was an honor to be part of this big unit of the Hoyles who make music.”
Hoyle describes his music as a blend of “airy-ness plus jazziness equals happiness.”
“Given that ‘Air Jazz’ is my stage name, that does sum it up and sonically manifests it,” Hoyle said.
In addition to working on his own music, Hoyle is part of the musical group Khu.éex’, an Indigenous funk band based out of Seattle.
“Thanks to [Khu.éex], I’ve gotten to travel a bit — anywhere from the Washington state area, we all got to go to Oklahoma,” Hoyle said. “And even prior to me joining Khu.éex, I got to travel to Texas and California as well to be part of this big Akimi group based out of Alaska that do these musical endeavors. It’s been a lot of fun traveling with all these various artists to all these locations.”
Hoyle is also involved in Alaska Borealis, a hiphop project featuring Alaska artists and Wu-Tang affiliate Killah Priest, who is featured on every track on the album.
Air Jazz’s music can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Sam Davenport is a writer residing in Anchorage. She's a leo and a plant-person, and loves spending quality time with her dog, Aspen. She is a Real Housewives fan and has been called a Bravo historian.
