Kaito - Less Time Until The End (2014)

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 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.