Over the years, 23 year old Montreal-based producer Kaytranada has developed an immediately recognizable, signature sound we’ve come to love. He’s risen the ranks as a Soundcloud DJ to become one of both Hip-Hop and dance music’s most important artists.
His distinct sound is highlighted by skittering, syncopated drum patterns with shuffling hi-hats and snares that fascinatingly seem to hit slightly off beat, but work perfectly and give his music an intriguing sound. When you think of Kaytranada, his infectious baselines also immediately come to mind as he has a knack for crafting deep, funky, rumbling baselines that give his tracks a grooving, dance-driven backbone that’s present throughout his debut album.
Kaytranada’s organic sampling and other-worldly, technical drum beats have drawn comparisons to legendary Hip-Hop producer J Dilla, but his sound is much more diverse than simply residing in the Hip-Hop world; his genre-blending abilities create a fusion of house music and Hip-Hop that puts Kaytranada in his own, unique category separate from other producers. As of late, the Hip-Hop and electronic worlds have forged a bond with Kaytranada arguably being the brightest bridge linking the the two worlds together in one complete sound.
It’s no secret Kaytra is a perfectionist as we’ve been patiently awaiting his debut album since late 2014, and his high standards for the project spawned the album’s title of 99.9% as he feels there’s always something he can do to make the project better. The end result was well worth it as he's delivered a 15-track album with a cohesive sound linking together a solid guestlist of features including AlunaGeorge, Goldlink, Vic Mensa, BADBADNOTGOOD, Anderson .Paak, Syd (of The Internet), River Tiber, and Little Dragon among more.
99.9% is a confident piece of work. While this is Kaytra’s debut album, it comes after he’s already solidified his well-earned place in music. This album throws away anything you know about genres as he’s effortlessly blurred the lines of many different musical styles to create a full, cohesive sounding project without a single skippable track. His solo tracks shine on their own to provide a balanced listen while each and every collaborator truly steps up to the plate delivering some of their best work to date.
On 99.9%, the vision is clear. The versatile cast of collaborators brings together rappers, R&B singers, female vocalists, indie artists, and even Jazz musicians while maintaining a singular sounding project residing in its own space. The best is brought out from each collaborator floating atop over Kaytranada’s brilliantly woozy, soulful arrangements as I still can’t get over his technical drumming that’s both infectious and unfamiliar. This album has huge replay value and will be on heavy rotation for us at TSIS, so stream below and enjoy!