Kaito

Kaito is a great example of just how far-reaching the Kompakt sound has become. A producer from Tokyo, Hiroshi Watanabe (aka Kaito) has been crafting the same long-form, pulsating deep house that's defined the German label for the past two decades. On Until the End of Time (his eighth full-length), Kaito comes off as a bit too comfortable with his surroundings. Several of the album's tracks employ stimulating, affable textures — "Behind My Life" is pulled along by a hazy electric guitar, while the slow burn of the title track is augmented by bite-sized orchestral hits. While each song runs between the six- and eight-minute mark, too much of Until the End of Time follows the same build/collapse/build/collapse formula, allowing songs like the pulsating "The Will to Live" and the motorik "Run Through the Road in the Fog" to indistinguishably blend together. With Until the End of Time, Kaito has created another one of those gorgeously crafted albums we've come to expect, and that's exactly the problem.