Kiat Delivers A Sound You’d Least Expect In His New Masterpiece With Theseus Chan

From colleagues to creative collaborators, Kiat and Theseus Chan have quite the friendship (Credit: Courtesy of Kiat and Theseus Chan)

The most formidable relationships are the ones that stand the test of time. For the destined duo of Kiat and Theseus Chan, theirs has long transcended the dynamic of protégé and mentor; years later, they meld minds once more as collaborators in music. Reconvening as the adventurous masterminds that they are, they’ve just released a distilled by-product of their creative synergy. These are their documented anecdotes. These are The Greatest Hits.

Contrary to the album’s title, this isn’t a collection of chart-toppers or well-known successes. If anything, it relates to the optimal output seeping from their forays in fusion. You take one radical idea, mixed with other unorthodox elements, stirred with other eccentric constituents and somehow, you arrive at experimentation in its purest state – the greatest potential of their partnership. It’s a camaraderie that can only flow from their long-lasting relationship. Affectionately known as Singapore’s ‘godfather of graphic design’, Theseus took Kiat under his wing in the creative industry and they’ve remained buds ever since. On The Greatest Hits, they now figure out what it means to eject from the noise of the world and escape into soothing frontiers.

Theseus (left) and Kiat (centre) were recently featured in Class Acts, a documentary about Singapore’s creative scene (Credit: Stacking Stones)

First, you need to unplug your preconception that this is going to be a typically Kiat album; this isn’t a showcase that exhibits the Syndicate chieftain’s forte in drum & bass. Instead, it deviates inwards, searching for places of solace in a Rolodex of genres. You have the downtempo coastal bliss of “Acapulco”, painted with twangy guitars and spluttering, scattered beats. “Wowie” suavely takes the blues for a spin with a burly, electronic twist. And while you have the lo-fi languor of “Kiraz Tuba” that resembles a neo-noir wandering in the dead of night, you also have the breakbeat-driven excursion of “Runtz” that evokes the charm of a vintage heist film.

Through these vivid snapshots of sound, you witness Kiat and Theseus bringing out the best in each other, just like how they did chapters ago when they first crossed paths. When it comes to encapsulating their chemistry through music, it looks like they’ve nailed the brief.