If ever there were evidence of ‘the new normal’, Montreal based producer and DJ Kaytranada (Louis Kevin Celestin to his friends and family) is it. Count him among a small handful that instinctively knew how to harness the possibilities of SoundCloud, posting remixes and original beats up and courting attention of some heavy hitters who tapped him for production work and collaborations.
It’s in that spirit of working furiously and sharing instantly that Kaytranada’s 99.9% takes its title; a long-in-coming debut that’s forever been nearing completion but never quite got there. That’s according to Kaytranada’s standards mind you. Even a cursory spin through its 15 tracks leaves you wondering “What more would have made this record 100%?” He’s covered every musical base possible (hip-hop, techno and dance, R&B, world music, jazz) and recruited stellar collaborators (AlunaGeorge and GoldLink for the poptastic “Together”; BadBadNotGood for the jazz-fed “Weight Off”; River Tiber for “Vivid Dreams”) while maintaining his distinctive musical trademark throughout.
Solo track “Breakdance Lesson N.1” is sure to spark neon-coloured, parachute-pant memories for anyone who came of age from ‘81 to ‘83 (a full 10 years ahead of Kaytranada’s birth), thick with popping bass and throbbing synths. Not satisfied staying in one decade, the song (like all of 99.9% actually) time travels through a dizzying musical history lesson. The whole of 99.9% just as easily transitions from darkened discotheque to the bright light of a summer day, making it the perfect musical companion regardless of time, day, and mood.
Originally posted on Quick Before It Melts 27 June 2016.
