The more I hear from Downtown Kayoto the more I’m convinced he’s one of the best talents in the UK right now, heck he’s probably up there with some of the big heavy hitters on a global scale. He never misses, each track he drops makes an instant impact and has ridiculously high replay value as he takes the early 2000’s indie sound and fuses into the modern R&B and hip hop landscape to form a sound that’s instantly recognisable and distinct to only himself. However, the main thing that makes him stand out is his honest brand of authentic storytelling. You sit down to listen to a Downtown Kayoto record and you’re in for a cinematic experience, curtesy of your mind, with his blunt, poetic and all encompassing lyrics painting a vivid portrait of his life that are like sonic masterpieces. At this point I’m certain he’s probably created the sonic version of the Mona Lisa, hell if makes that an NFT he’ll have made a fortune, and today he’s added another work of art to his collection with his lockdown coming of age tale NAVIG8.

He’s thrived throughout lockdown with his musical gift only getting more and more praise, however not everything about that time was all sunshine and roses as he confesses through his introspective songwriting. We see the world through his eyes, he felt lost, confused about his future and where he’ll be in a years time. Navigating through these experiences he created a project unlike any other that captures this time to an absolute tee. Each song tackles a different part of emotional spectrum, taking you on a journey with him where you experience his dizzying highs and crushing lows as the world enters a state of perpetual change that we likely won’t see again within our lifetime. The drama, the grandiose, the introspective thoughts, the darkness, the light, everything you went through during lockdown this man has put down into this project. A highlight of 2021’s music calendar for sure.