Love Letter To A Record: KITO On DJ Shadow’s ‘Endtroducing’

Many of us can link a certain album to pivotal moments in our lives. Whether it’s the first record you bought with your own money, the chord you first learnt to play on guitar, the song that soundtracked your first kiss, the album that got you those awkward and painful pubescent years or the one that set off light bulbs in your brain and inspired you to take a big leap of faith into the unknown – music is often the catalyst for change in our lives and can even help shape who we become.

In this series, Music Feeds asks artists to reflect on their relationship with music and share with us stories about the effect music has had on their lives.

Kito: DJ Shadow – Endtroducing (1996)

Dear Endtroducing,

Where to start… I have so much to say to you. I remember the first time we met. I was 13 and visiting my big sister Kirsten in Broome, Australia, where she was living at the time. The first time I heard you was in her van driving around air drumming at traffic lights to ‘Building Steam With a Grain Of Salt’. My sister was a drummer and I looked up to her a lot growing up. She showed me a lot of great music that played such a big part in shaping my taste. You and I had a holiday romance and I listened to you multiple times on that trip.

https://youtu.be/dcxsheROd3E

You then stayed with me for all of my teenage and adult years. We’ve been many places together. I sat in a long ass taxi journey in Morocco looping ‘Transmission’ on my iPod because it’s only 1:29 and it was hitting me right in the feels so far from home. ‘Mutual Slump’ takes me to London and is still probably one of my favourite songs. I’ve had so many other album flings but we’ve known each other for so long and you’ve remained so loyal. You’ve aged really well too.

Love,

KITO

KITO’s latest single Wild Girl is out now. Stream it here.

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