MR.KITO is the musical solo project of Eric Michot, a French multi-instrumentalist, living in Cape Town, South Africa. Having played extensively in the local indie music scene, Eric began writing and recording his own songs in 2012. By featuring on several online platforms at once and focusing on simply getting the music out there, MR.KITO was able to get to the enviable response from music fans worldwide.
MR.KITO has now released his 8th Album, “The State Of Presence” under his own record label “Presence Records” and published by SUGO Music Group.
The 13-track album is bound to resonate with listeners. It’s warm and inviting, densely layered even at a crawl, and surprisingly mellifluous. It isn’t that MR.KITO veers away from what he has served on “Where Are The Lizards”, he has just moved on and found diverse ways of doing it. The songs seem simply constructed, but there is a complexity that unravels over time.
There is a mysterious element beneath the calming, swelling waters of this album that is hard to pinpoint. Something lurks beneath the layered surface that may only become apparent after multiple listens. “The State Of Presence” has a greater sense of intimacy than previous MR.KITO albums, despite all their wonderful charms and virtues.
It sounds as if MR.KITO has been able to perfectly balance elements of free expression, improvisation and accessible listening splendor. When looking at the musical aspects of this album, it’s obvious that MR.KITO was trying to create pieces that served as snapshots of his state of being. In addition, he was also capable of creating an experience that is great at affecting the listener emotionally.
After listening to “The State Of Presence”, you will realize that MR.KITO has a creative process that allows him to make songs that aren’t bound by normal conventions. He has an ability to make sounds that catch you by surprise, and keep you wondering what you are listening to. He does not overwhelm you with his creativity but offers it in dabs like a painter and his brush.
All throughout the album MR.KITO finds ways of maturing his music. The instrumentation varies a lot and can be sophisticated or raw, depending on what’s needed, as he moves from mellow intimate pieces like “My Soul My Fear” and “Out Of Steam” to rhythmic bangers like “I Have No Brain” or “Recover”.
All the songs, both in their construction and arrangements, are concise, punchy, consistently imaginative and often very moving. Some grab you quickly, like “Heaven’s Break” and “The State Of Presence”. Others like, “The Un-Discovered Path and “The Closure Of One’s Heart” may take longer to communicate their messages and are therefore worth listening to again and again.
Like most valuable things in life, the more you put into it, the more you get back out, and that is certainly true of “The State Of Presence”. It’s engaging and accessible to even mainstream listeners who may think MR.KITO is maybe a little bit ‘out there’.
One of the things that I have always liked about MR.KITO is that his music has enough depth and complexity to keep you listening for far longer than those of most other artists. The songs on this album have a real reflective mood to them. You can sit back have a joint, a beer or whatever takes your fancy and just melt in your chair while listening to “The State Of Presence”.
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