Kito Diet: Real Estate, Coffee, and Plenty of Drums

Structure in the groove informs structure in the day to day, and vice versa

“Being an independent contractor has its ups and downs…and a lot of 1099s,” Kito Bovenschulte said over brunch. We were at the State Line Diner in Mahwah. Bergen County. Both of us grew up in North Jersey, so it was a slam dunk to meet at one of the finest Greek-owned establishments in the area.

Saturday. As waitresses and busboys moved like sharks, never stopping, Kito drank coffee and told me how music was front and center in his youth. His dad played guitar in small metal acts, and by age five, Kito had begun taking piano lessons. Which lasted only 12 months, though a passion had been lit. He switched to drums and took lessons for a couple of years, otherwise he’s self-taught. At Pascack Valley High School, he wasn’t even in jazz ensemble or marching band.

That’s because he was already in FiKus. Electro-funkadelic hip-rock, and their plant-related name is apropos. “I joined during my freshman year through the older brother of a friend of mine, and I really started learning about myself as a drummer thanks to that group,” he said. “We had good crowds. Promotion increased. But it can be difficult to sustain, and I think we reached a level where there might not have been much more room to grow.”

Susie—with short, curly white hair—took our order. A minute later, she set a bowl of sealed butter cups and a saucer of maple syrup containers on the table. This reset led to a different topic: real estate. After graduating from William Paterson University, Kito recognized that flexibility would be key. He’d been bartending for a while, but when Particle’s tour to promote their latest album ended in late 2018, he studied up and passed the licensing exam.

“Hard to believe I’ve been at Keller Williams Realty since before the pandemic, but I made a smart decision at the right time, turns out,” Kito said, accepting a second cup of coffee. “I like a challenge and I like conversation. I work with people in my office and in other agencies, too. I help people in their search to buy a home, rent an apartment, or find commercial space. You work hard and hope that each story ends on a positive note.”

The casual-but-in-command purpose in his voice as he spoke about the real estate gig matches his demeanor behind the kit, and this evolved during his tenure in Particle. He’d toured with them and guested with them, but once keyboardist and founder Steve Molitz invited him to the band, a new sense of professionalism came calling. And into the deep end he went, with a lengthy tour alongside Kung Fu, but even he had no clue that his education was in line for a turbo boost.

Behold! The Florentine omelette and the lumberjack special at the State Line Diner in Mahwah, New Jersey.

The food didn’t prevent us from keeping up the pace of conversation, and Accelerator, along with the eggs, became the focus. “Making that album with Steve, Clay [Parnell, bass], and Mike [Daum, guitar] was a lesson in collaboration,” Kito said. “Some songs had been road tested, but recording all nine in the studio—and with these guys, Particle—showed me this open and pure way to work. Everyone brought great ideas. The attention to detail was mature. Struggles always exist. We just wanted it to be the best it could be.”

It's a humble statement, because the final output is tremendous. EDM and groove, concentrated on tight composition even if a few cuts stretch past six minutes. Here, patterns act as loops, and Kito, watching his white mug fill up with coffee again, spoke about the coloring that went beyond the structure. “Gustava” is prime evidence. “Wire” does similarly while injecting energy into the LP right from the tip. “Star City” features an outro jam not included in the original concept, and he also noted that drums were tracked two years before Accelerator was released.

“Music and real estate are businesses, and both require loads of networking,” Kito said. “You need purpose, but the inconsistency in days can be frustrating.” Kitchen doors swung back and forth, rush hour in full swing. “There’s still order, though: Like a bar of music that ties into the next one, but you are allowed to change it up—an extra snare hit, a splash instead of a crash. It’s no different where every house and deal are unique, even if the process from intro call to closing is identical. The parallels between music and real estate are critical in my world.”

I walked into Brooklyn Bowl on October 21, 2019, to see TAUK. PEAK was the opener, a Brooklyn-based group that blends indie vibe with jamband feel. The drummer wore a baseball hat and he looked familiar. After I heard several measures, it dawned on me. Plus, it made plenty of sense as Particle had been dormant.

Dishes were cleared. A post-meal cup of coffee for Kito. Susie placed the check face down on the table, but the dialogue continued. He’s recorded a pair of albums with PEAK and an EP. Kito and guitarist/vocalist Jeremy Hilliard, keyboardist/vocalist Johnny Young, and bassist Josh T. Carter play around 40 shows a year, mainly in the Northeast. I caught them twice late in 2025, both fun experiences and nice to hear their evolution live. 

Like FiKus, Particle, and Deletto, another project that Kito is in, PEAK seeks to create connection. It’s also a necessary component in the realm of real estate, as it is in the extra pieces of the puzzle: He teaches three students once a week each, has occasional session time, is an NYC-Jersey reverse commuter, and listens to Neil Peart. Often. These are just additional layers within his structure, the harmonies to the melody and rhythm—and with that last word, you have nothing to fear.

This independent contractor is aces at managing time.

Credits

Main photo by Billy Murray.

Main gallery photo by Scott Harris.

Gallery photo to the right by Funkadelic Threads.

Gallery photo to the left by Sarah Sturges.