kaito: less time until the end

In 2013, Kompakt presented Until the End of Time, a new full-length from Hiroshi Watanabe aka Kaito, putting an end to a long and meager period of time for fans of the veteran producer who saw his last proper release And That Was the Way (KOM 208EP) in 2010. As with Hiroshi's earlier full-length offerings, Kompakt is truly excited to bring you a special beatless version of the new album called Less Time Until the End that shines a different light on the original opus. While the album's narrative remains a deeply personal one, the omission of the drum tracks has always had the most peculiar effect on Kaito's music: this simple act seems to reinforce the intensity and focus of the original compositions, changing them in a more radical way than any remix could. In no way "let loose" in a slacking ambient environment, these tracks actually gain in vigor when left to their own devices without any beats to guide them. Kaito's work certainly possesses a dreamy quality that sits well with his terraforming rhythms, but the timeless qualities of his trademark sound hit even harder when being presented in a beatless version. You'll find every track from the original album on Less Time Until the End, but no trace of its thrust-heavy musings -- it's all finely-honed soundsculpting with no unnerving bounce. While cuts like "Smile" or "Dear Friends" were already pretty ethereal from the get-go (or "chill," if you like), others endure more profound changes simply by erasing their drums. "Run Through the Road in the Fog" comes to mind, as does "Behind My Life" and many others: in their beatless state of matter they all reveal a new kind of sonic purity that doesn't necessarily translate to being "more abstract" -- if anything, these versions grow more emotional with every listening session, bearing witness to the massive scope of Kaito's vision and talent. The doors of perception certainly won't close on this one.