Almøst Silent 'Kaizen' [2CD] (pre-order)

4-Panel Digipak 2xCD
Two glass-mastered, silkscreen printed CDs housed in a 4-panel, 300g satin cardstock Digipak. Clear cd trays. Shrinkwrapped. Pressed and printed in the Canada. Edition of 150.

Kaizen is the PITP solo début of French ambient artist and sound sculptor Almøst Silent (aka Guy Teixeira), whose deep drones, towering harmonies, and nuanced structures strike a unique emotional chord on each of the album’s fourteen pieces.  Borrowed from Japanese philosophy, Kaizen denotes “change for the better”, reflecting the process of rebuilding health, confidence, and artistic identity through intuitive creation.  “It is a record defined by patience and persistence,” Teixeira notes, “proving that growth doesn’t require dramatic reinvention, only the commitment to keep moving forward, one thoughtful step at a time.”

Comprised primarily of analogue and modular synthesizers, each chapter of Kaizen moves amid the shadows of imposing monoliths and the riddles of winding passageways; the tape hiss residue at the edges feels sacred and time-worn, as tremors of bass move the earth and symphonic streaks color the fading sky.  “Bright Light” sinks without exposition into a granulated hum that quickly builds into dense waves of overlaid harmony, as a deep voice appears through heavy fog, evoking a sense of beautiful desolation on par with Biosphere’s classic Substrata. 

“Tough Things” floats with minimal, dubby grace, the surfacing sighs of its primary chords providing a framework for a gentle, delayed melody that scatters across silken static. “Improvement” awakens under billowing curtains in dim light, summoning a clear piano line that ushers a soft howl through a lucid daydream.  The midrange synth drone of “Ash” skims the surface like a pebble on a frozen river, while its companion piece, “Dust”, casts a mournful spell, adorned by glassy shimmers and textural accents.  Through these arrangements, Teixeira unleashes a litany of moods with deliberate pacing, carefully guiding the listener from dark to light and back again, like clouds across a smog-choked sun.

Discussing the formation of Kaizen, Teixeira cites “a slower process built on small, consistent steps of recovery and reflection, which allowed the music to evolve naturally, instead of on a fixed timetable.”  He continues, “In these works, I valued space, texture, and restraint, letting ideas mature, and allowing subtle changes to accumulate into something meaningful; in many ways, it felt like a return to the roots of my early 90s electronic influences and the sounds that shaped me.”

“Shoshin”, meaning “beginner’s mind”, conjures a clear piano theme, bolstered by a gathering storm of roiling bass and gently overdriven harmonics.  For just a moment, a rich swell of strings appears and fades, nodding to the mercurial nature of relief and comfort.  The mirror image is “Concrete”, where treated keys and analogue processing evoke the heady hauntology of labelmate Black Swan, but with a greater focus on contemplation and self-forgiving spurred by precarious faith.  Both pieces follow in the transportive spirit of Wind Rust (2025), Teixeira’s moving, long-form collaboration with zakè.

In Kaizen’s final stretch, the murmurs of “Mindset” glide into a looping piano cycle and gusty field recordings pierced by points of light, while “Legacy” rounds out the set with a wintry hiss and ostinato string theme.  As a slowly pulsing thump drifts in like a half-speed helicopter, a deconstructed exhalation of nebulous, grayscale mist leaves an impression of precious, but tenuous, peace.

RIYL: Biosphere, Deaf Center, Porn Sword Tobacco, Marcus Fjellstrom, Jasper TX, Clarice Jensen, Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie

All music written, mixed, arranged, performed, and produced by Almøst Silent (G.Teixeira) at DizzyLabFactory 64. Spoken words on 'Bright Light' by Bryan Freymuth. Mastered at Ambient Mountain House by James Bernard. Photography by Benoît Pioulard on Polaroid SX-70 film. Additional photography by G.Teixeira. Layout and design by zakè. Pressed, manufactured, and assembled in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ©℗ 2026 Past Inside the Present. This is PITP76. pastinsidethepresent.com / pitp.us

Special thanks for the support to Alice V.T., Pen V., Tina, Dotlights, Dubitch, Bryan F., Lionel G., Tying Tiffany, Fred R., Denis DS. zakè, my friend, I will always be deeply grateful to you for your support and the trust you have placed in me over the years. It truly meant everything in this journey. Thank you. All my love goes to Alice.