Kaito

Hiroshi's musical journey began in childhood, nurtured by his musician parents – a jazz pianist mother and a father who composed music for various mediums including pop, film, theatre, and advertising. Growing up in a household filled with diverse sounds ranging from classical and pop to jazz and fusion, Hiroshi was captivated by the presence of artists and the synthesizers his father used to craft ambient music blended with natural sounds. These instruments, which he later inherited, became the foundation for his early compositions.

Formal musical education led Hiroshi to study classical and jazz, as well as bass and double bass at the Tokyo College of Music High School. Simultaneously, his passion for metal and speed metal flourished through his involvement in his first rock band, while he was still composing ambient music at home.

Seeking to carve his own musical path, Hiroshi ventured beyond Japan and enrolled at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. Here, he immersed himself in music production while exploring the burgeoning electronic wave of the early 1990s. His musical interests spanned from the jazz guitar of Pat Metheny to the I.D.M. sounds of British acts like Aphex Twin and 808 State, and the trance music emanating from German label Harthouse. Fascinated by synthesizers, Hiroshi delved into dance music production and DJing, alongside crafting New Age-inspired tracks with ambient leanings.

Under pseudonyms such as Quadra, Hiroshi W, or Nite System, Hiroshi released his early tracks on various small labels in the USA during the nineties reaching several times Bilboard charts. He will reconnect with the Detroit scene in 2016 with the widely acclaimed Multiverse EP on Derrick ‘May’s Transmat. 

Kaito's collaboration with the InFiné label commenced with his involvement in the compilation "Music Activists 2020 (From Home)," a project dedicated to supporting artists profoundly affected by the Covid crisis. This collaboration was followed by Kaito's remix of the single "Motion" by Rone and Vanessa Wagner in 2022. He is the first Japanese artist releasing an album on the French imprint of Vanessa Wagner, Rone or Bruce Brubaker.  

Timeline
1971: Born in Tokyo
1987-1990: Tokyo College of Music high school - graduated as Contrabass Major
1990: Studies music production at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston
1995: His first two tracks appear on Japanese Electronic compilations for East Edge and Frogman records under the pseudonyms of Quadra and Defcon 5.
1996-2001: Releases first techno, house, and trance EPs under the pseudonyms Nite System, Quadra, or Hiroshi W.
1997: Releases first techno album, "Sketch From A Moment," under the name Quadra.
1998: Several remixes and productions reach Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play Charts in the USA. 
2001: First EP as Kaito on Cologne Kompakt label + first appearance at the Sonar in Barcelona festival as Hiroshi Watanabe
2002:  First album as Kaito  "Special Life," on Kompakt followed by its beatless version, "Special Love" (2003). Kaito will then release 3 more albums and their respective alternative versions  
2016: Multiverse EP released on Transmat as Hiroshi Watanabe, leading to a global tour with Derrick May and Francesco Tristano.
2019: Kaito´s latest album “Nokton” composed only with synths is released on his own label Cosmic Signature
2020: “Silent Cloud” is included on InFiné compilation Music Activist 2020.  
2024: Release of ‘Collection’ on InFiné