I sometimes wonder if Kito Jempere secretly owns a time-turner (yes, the very same one Hermione used). How else can he possibly balance it all? He is the Creative Director at STR, he plays sets around the world (today in Dubai, tomorrow in Saint Petersburg, the day after in Osaka), he still finds time for producing music — not to mention his endless collaborations and family life. While I am still trying to figure out how a human being can juggle all of this, he is already back with more news: his brand-new EP Infinite Azure has just dropped on Mule Musiq — the legendary Japanese label that has been a cornerstone of the country’s electronic scene since 2004.

The EP opens with an aptly titled, anthemic dancefloor track — bouncy breakbeat house layered with spoken word and an uplifting, lyrical piano riff. It then dives into Infinite Azure, a jazzy deep house cut that recalls the golden era of late-1990s Guidance releases. Mid 0000s follows with an abstract deep house sensibility, reminiscent of Isolée, before closing with Teaser — a beautifully melancholic blend of piano and vocals, perfect for the end of the night.

We had the privilege of asking Kito a few questions about the release, his creative process, and the symbolism woven through it.

Stream the EP right now, place your preorder for the vinyl (out September 26), and if you want to feel the energy live, mark your calendar:

September 12 at Honeycomb Hi-Fi, Dubai

Trust us — we will all be dancing there.

— How did the idea for this EP come about? What was behind?

— In 2024, I released an album called Part-Time Chaos, Part-Time Calmness. That record broke the rhythm of how I thought I would be releasing music. My plan was to put out an album roughly every three years. After Green Monster in 2023, this one came too soon — completely out of sync.

I don't know whether that is just my fate, or my own approach to creativity, but it always works out like a pendulum for me. I do one thing, and then I know the next step will be something totally opposite. That is how it goes.

So when that album appeared — recorded in my bedroom on an acoustic guitar, without any studio production — it turned out calm, almost folk-pop, basically without drums. At that time, dance culture actually irritated me. I couldn't find my place in it, couldn't discover anything that mattered personally.

But after finishing that acoustic album, I felt filled with a sense of freedom, and I wanted to return to the club. That is how the first EP of 2025, New Life, was born. On the spine I even wrote New Life Kito Jempere Club, basically declaring: I am coming back to the club. And it really happened — this record went from Hard Wax in Berlin onto the turntables at Berghain. Norman Nodge, one of the key Berghain residents, even took record out to play on ARTE concert.

One of the first tracks I made during that period was Teaser. Its working title was Vyean Peeks In Love Again — a dedication to David Lynch. And strangely, as I was finishing the track, it coincided with the passing of my favourite director, my ultimate mastermind. That made the track intensely meaningful for me.

I thought it was strong enough to deserve release on a bigger label, not just my own. So I sent it to Toshiya Kawasaki, and he said: let's do it on Mule Musiq. But in his very Japanese way, he added: one track isn't enough, it should be a complete story.

I dug up roughly 30 unreleased tracks from over the years and showed them to him. He said none of them fit. But Mule Musiq was the first label that made me genuinely fall in love with vinyl, so I couldn't refuse. Instead, I created three more tracks under the energy of: “this has to be a Mule release.”

Those tracks turned out to be pure club material — but for very specific clubs. Not just anywhere. I mean places like Bar Mitsuki, where I will actually be presenting the release. Clubs where the audience is ready to give eight or nine minutes of attention to each track, let go, and let the music swallow them completely.

These tracks came together through collaboration with my Kito Jempere Band friends. With Matt Averin aka Lovvlovver I recorded Anthem, featuring spoken word by SINDYSMAN (who also appeared on Green Monster). I wanted it to be an anthem for my club culture, almost like a Trainspotting “Choose Life” moment — but for me at my 40s. It is about saying I won't go to the club, yet somehow I still do. That is why this track feels so important.

Brilliant Saint Petersburg pianist Ilya Shcheklein played on Sunset and Sunrise Melter. Their very titles suggest how DJs can use them: long eight- or nine-minute opuses meant exactly for sunrise or sunset, capturing nature’s atmosphere in a way few tracks can. For me, that was a deeply spiritual moment — something I am proud of.

— For those not so deeply familiar with the electronic scene: what is Mule Musiq, and why is debuting on this label so important to you personally?

— Mule Musiq itself is special (you can discover more in Toshiya's interview). Back in 2009 it blew my mind. It was music that erased the borders between house, disco, techno — everything. It was like a thin samurai blade cutting away all excess and leaving only the essence: music itself.

Even now, working with Toshiya, nothing has changed. He says: no promo, no marketing, no hype. We just share the music. And in today’s world, where you are expected to pump out 140 reels just to get noticed, that is insane — and so, so cool.

This EP happens to be Mule’s 301st release. Just before me, Kuniyuki Takahashi’s album came out as #300. So in a way, I am helping to start a new chapter of the label’s story—after 300 records. Imagine that.

— What new things did you discover for yourself while working on this release compared to your previous projects? And in general — which directions in music are you most excited to explore right now, what do you want to experiment with next?

— I have started learning how to strip away the unnecessary. It feels like I hear and see better now. I am calmer. I don't fuss. For the first time in my life, I feel ready to actually hear myself and share that with others.

But that isn't easy. It is actually the hardest thing. Because the music I have always loved turned out to be deceptively simple. When we stack synths, vocals, choirs, ethnic instruments, percussion — that is easy. Anyone can make something sound “big.” But the real challenge is to strip it all back, take away the wall of sound, and find the one thing that really matters — and leave only that.

That has been the big discovery for me. It is as if I am reinventing the whole process of producing music, especially electronic music, from scratch. And through this, I have truly fallen in love with club music again. That is what excites me most right now.

— Tell us about the title and the symbolism — why a rose on the cover?

— The cover was drawn by Stefan Marx, a genius German artist who has worked with Toshiya and Mule Musiq for years. You should look him up — he even redesigned Lufthansa airplanes and campaigns.

Toshiya and I didn't really participate in the process much — Stefan came up with three cover options, and we just chose the rose. Honestly, the title and the artwork live in different universes. But I like that. Stefan envisioned it this way, so we ended up with a rose with little eyes. That was his vision.

The title came later. At first I was going to call it Kito Jempere is Melting, after the track names. But when I was mixing with Roman Urazov in Saint Petersburg — on a mixing desk we had actually bought from Quincy Jones — his friend Nikita Gamabundah, beats producer, came by. We played Sunset Melter, and he said: “This sounds like the Infinite Azure stage from Tekken 7.” And I thought: that is brilliant.

So the name stuck to the track first, and then to the whole record. On the surface, the rose and the title don't connect. But to me, the rose also recalls Violator by Depeche Mode, one of my favourite albums. Even the photoshoot you see here, and the text you are reading, are direct references to that process.

In the end it is a complex, layered system of references. That is how I see it.

— You will be performing in Dubai soon. What can listeners expect from your set? Is there a connection with the new release?

— Yes, I will be debuting the record live starting September 12 in Dubai, at Honeycomb Hi-Fi. That is my favourite spot in the city, and I will be playing tracks from the record there.

What is funny is that back in January, when I played with Kenji Takimi at Honeycomb, I actually asked the DJs to let us try some demos. That is when I first played Infinite Azure — just as a demo. And now I am bringing the finished track back.

There is a deep connection between the release and Dubai for me. And I have to say thank you to Varun and the Honeycomb crew. They really understand the music, the artists, and the audience. Big respect.

— As creative director of STR, how does your personal creative process influence the overall vision and sound of the radio?

— My creative life is very complex. It might not look that way from the outside, but my spectrum of activity is so wide that I am constantly working with very different material, and with very different — but always brilliant — people.

Every project I touch takes something from me, and I give something back. But I also take what I learn and carry it into other projects. It is a constant cycle of exchange.

But importantly: I don't use STR to satisfy my own musical ambitions. On the contrary, I try to listen, to understand what STR should be — for Dubai, for the UAE region, for our partners, for our team. I use my musical experience, but I don't let it become about my ego. That is what makes it fascinating.

In fact, it is ironic. While I have fallen back in love with club music personally, on STR we are doing almost the opposite. We just released an editorial playlist about Lebanon, and another about Egypt — both amazing. It is about searching for sound, searching for music, discovering what the region gives its listeners, and how that transforms moods and identities elsewhere.

That is what STR gives me: I keep learning. I keep hearing new things. And as STR listeners, you learn along with me.

So my advice is: give yourself over to STR. Don't Shazam. Don't try to analyse each track. Just listen to the mixes as a whole. Put on the Lebanon or Egypt editorial in our app — not on third-party apps — and just let it play. That would make me truly happy.

And here is a fun fact: not a single track from Infinite Azure is on STR right now. But the spirit of it is. So listen to STR, and then listen to Infinite Azure separately on other platforms. And I will be with you in both places.

There is no better moment to download STR app than after reading this interview. Enjoy the best: culture, music & beyond!