Kaidi Tatham - In Search Of Hope
Cover Artwork
Here is the new year, and it is Kaidi Tatham who deserves the first article of 2009!
It was shortly after Christmas, when the long expected copy of In Search Of Hope finally arrived. While writing this, I noticed how lucky I was, as both LP and CD are currently sold out at Juno Records (Rush Hour still has copies!).
What could one expect from Freedom School, the young Japanese label that brought us two masterpieces from Mark de Clive-Lowe and IG Culture so far. Ever since I read the first impressions from Dego or Daz-I-Kue, I was hungry to find out, impatiently waiting for the moment when the needle would first drop on the vinyl.
The biggest surprise was how unpredictable this album is, being different from everything I have heard from Kaidi so far. Even though one could get a first impression when some tunes showed up on podcasts and radio, this shows a whole new side of the man they call Hands.
02. Swift Inspiration (Quick Kid)
03. Do What You Gotta Do
04. Could I Ever Know
05. He Laughs She Cries
06. So Amazed
07. I'm High
08. Simiya
09. On A Vibe
10. These Things Will Pass
11. In Search Of Hope pt. 2
Apart from the tracks I'm High and Do What You Gotta Do (a favourite!), In Search Of Hope is an instrumental album. Kaidi on the Rhodes, Kaidi on the flute, the drums and all the other keys I couldn't name. There are strings too! You read somewhere that Kaidi calls this “computer music”? Production-wise that's true, but the sound is 100% organic. This sound stretches over the entire record, consisting of mellow, yet playful grooves. Listen again and you will discover other details each time.
At the end of the day it’s still computer music. We’re trying to make it as live as possible but it’s still computer music. I just can’t wait until all this stuff goes live, man. I can jump up on the flute; two or three keyboard players; two percussionists; badboy drummer. I want people who can play more than one instrument so we can alternate around.
(excerpt from an interview) After my first listen, I instantly saw him sitting on stage, wearing that smile on his face, like a child playing his latest tricks. Kaidi knows all the tricks! This album not only deserves to be brought on stage, it also taught me why instruments get played, not operated.Apr 08, 2009 yesasia.com has the album on stock for only €20 or $27!