Kaytranada - 99.9% (2016)

Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. 

Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, and original music projects beginning in 2010 under the alias Kaytradamus. 

By 2013, and under the moniker Kaytranada, he began gaining wider recognition and, the following year, signed a deal with XL Recordings, with whom he would release his critically acclaimed debut studio album 99.9% in 2016.

99.9% is the debut studio album by Canadian electronic music producer Kaytranada, released May 6, 2016, through XL Recordings worldwide and Ultra Records in Canada. The 15-track album features guest contributions from by Anderson .Paak, Vic Mensa, Little Dragon, Syd, Craig David, AlunaGeorge, and BadBadNotGood amongst others. 99.9% was supported by five singles: "Leave Me Alone" featuring Shay Lia, "Drive Me Crazy" featuring Vic Mensa, the Karriem Riggins and River Tiber-assisted instrumental "Bus Ride", "Glowed Up" featuring Anderson .Paak, and "Lite Spots".

The album was named as the winner of the 2016 Polaris Music Prize, and won Electronic Album of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards.

Kevin Celestin's stature grew through woozy dancefloor funk remixes that led to DJ gigs, including European dates and opening for fan Madonna in North America. 

Despite the acclaim, along with admiration from the likes of Janet Jackson and Teedra Moses -- two of the major figures whose material he transformed -- the Port-au-Prince-born Montreal native wanted to be known as an artist in his own right. 

A low-profile series of digital and vinyl releases dated back to 2010. In late 2014, he graduated to XL as he expanded his production discography for other artists. 

The dazzling 99.9% follows some of his best work in that nature, including Freddie Gibbs' "Dope House," the Internet's "Girl," and Katy B's "Honey." 

The album likewise is mostly collaborative, with only four of the 15 cuts created by Celestin alone. During the solo moments, the producer radically flips, with joyous and glistening flair, choice early-'80s R&B from Delegation, and the System-produced Attitude. 

On "Lite Spots," sampled Gal Costa is whipped into a state of delirium over a beat that alternately whomps and tickles. Separate pairings with BadBadNotGood and Karriem Riggins offer dreamy instrumental highlights. 

The assortment of vocalists -- rappers, singers, and a few who pull double duty -- naturally results in a diverse set of perspectives, most of which regard love and relationships of short- and long-term natures. Combined with beats seemingly tailored for each voice, the album could have resembled a disorderly production showcase, yet Celestin applies his experience as a deeply knowledgeable selector to stitch it all together with few obvious seams. 

He excels most at bold modern boogie with spring-loaded drums, zip-and-glide basslines, and radiant keyboards, as laid out for the Internet's Syd and the Foreign Exchange's Phonte. 

The harder-edged tracks that support Vic Mensa and Paak are likewise accented with sweetening, whether through levitating harmonies or spangly synthesizers. 

One of the more stupefying instances where Celestin layers dazed and robust sounds is buried toward the end. "Leave Me Alone," surrogate Quadron with bounding low end, brings it home with a giddy vocal from fellow Montreal native Shay Lia.

Track listing

1.  Track Uno - 5:44

2.  Bus Ride  (featuring Karriem Riggins and River Tiber) - 2:13

3.  Got It Good  (featuring Craig David) - 3:48

4.  Together  (featuring AlunaGeorge and GoldLink) - 3:17

5.  Drive Me Crazy  (featuring Vic Mensa) - 4:37

6.  Weight Off  (featuring BadBadNotGood) - 2:35

7.  One Too Many  (featuring Phonte) - 3:38

8.  Despite the Weather" Celestin - 2:01

9.  Glowed Up  (featuring Anderson .Paak) - 4:58

10.  Breakdance Lesson N.1 - 4:28

11.  You're the One  (featuring Syd) - 3:47

12.  Vivid Dreams  (featuring River Tiber) - 4:36

13.  Lite Spots Celestin - 3:50

14.  Leave Me Alone  (featuring Shay Lia) - 4:37

15.  ullets  (featuring Little Dragon) - 4:59

All tracks produced by Kaytranada, except "Bus Ride" by Kaytranada, Karriem Riggins and River Tiber, and "Weight Off" by Kaytranada and BadBadNotGood.

Notes

• "Track Uno" contains a sample of "I Figure I'm Out of Your Life" by Delegation, written by Kenneth Gold and Michael Denne.
• "Bus Ride" contains a sample of "По садочку хожу", written by Валерий Колесников, Вячеслав Новиков, Владимир Молотков and Александр Христидис.
• "Got It Good" contains a sample of "Olho de Vidro" by Jaime & Nair, written by Jaime Alem.
• "Drive Me Crazy" contains a sample of "Bermuda Triangle", written by Alan Hawkshaw.
• "Despite the Weather" contains excerpts from "Camouflage" written by Bob Selvin.
• "Glowed Up" contains a sample of "Raindrops" by Bobby Heath, Eric Peters and Robert Hunter.
• "Breakdance Lesson N.1" features samples from the Attitude recording "Love Me Tonight", written by David Frank Michael Murphy.
• "Lite Spots" contains a sample of "Pontos De Luz" performed by Gal Costa, and written by Jards Macalé and Waly Salomão.

Credits

• Artwork – Ricardo Cavolo
• Creative Director – Rachel Bungey
• Mastered By – Guy Davie
• Mixed By – Kaytranada
• Producer – BadBadNotGood (tracks: 6), Karriem Riggins (tracks: 2), Kaytranada, River Tiber (tracks: 2)

Notes

Released:  May 6, 2016

Recorded:  2014–16

Genre:  Electronichip, hopalternative, R&B

Length.  59:08

Label - XL Recordings - HW&W