Kaisei might be Australia’s best-kept secret. Half-Japanese and still early in his journey, his music somehow carries the sonic wisdom and emotional depth of someone with decades in the craft. His signature? Hard to grasp, but unmistakably distinctive and versatile. The Sydney-based producer seems to have lived a parallel life in both the early free tekno era and the pioneering dub epochs of Chain Reaction and Basic Channel. 

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A 22-track debut release is a daring step, but Sketchbook’s groove will have you locked in from beginning to end and beyond. Tracks are long-form and boundaryless, unfolding like inner chapters. Kaisei dissolves genre into sensation. One of heady tension and bodily suspension. His connection with Spekki Webu runs deep, and Sketchbook finds its natural home on Optic Portal, a space where intuition and sonic exploration thrive.

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Our premiere, Tongues, moves with a slow, wonky pulse. Dub low-end seeps beneath flickering percussive layers, building into a state of hallucination, both off-kilter and propulsive.

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Prepare to have your mind warped.

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Full tracklist

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1. Alone

2. Waiting

3. Maelstrom

4. Monosync

5. Quicksilver

6. Bloom

7. Remember..

8. Gauntlet

9. Mercury

10. Gaze

11. Nightshade

12. Infinity

13. Roaches

14. Haunted

15. Totem

16. The Hunt

17. Zyp

18. Tongues

19. Continua

20. Ignition

21. Orca

22. Exit

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Sketchbook will be out on July 1st, 2025. Pre-order a copy via Bandcamp.