BY
Javen Kong

Social Media Lead

Hype Issue #59

Published on

October 26, 2024

“Kaytranada. Classic. Timeless.” It’s 2024, and amidst the amazing music we have received this year, Kaytranada’s TIMELESS has seemed to revitalise the house/dance genre with cowbells, rhythmic 808’s and an all around feel-good vibe that makes you just forget all your troubles. 

For those who are not sure what 808s are, it’s a music percussion sound often characterised with low booming beats, used mostly in the dance genre. Originally invented by the Roland corporation in the 1980s as part of it’s 808 drum machine, it became a staple of music after producers heard of the peculiar sounds, especially the deep booming bass you could achieve with it.

Kaytranada returns in 2024 with the effort TIMELESS, featuring 21 songs and a wide profile of guest features. Photo taken from @jiviemir on Instagram for TIMELESS cover

Kaytranada, real name Louis Kevin Celestin, is a standout act in the R&B/electronica scene. Hailing from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, he burst onto the music scene with his first album, 99.9% in 2016. His musical talents are wide ranging, dipping into Electronic, House, Dance and R&B.

Centred around ‘Drip Sweat’, which seems to be the marquee song of the album, it drums in with heavy, striking beats and an invariable nod to disco music. With what can only be described as striking beats, the song transforms into a listening experience. The song even has social media promotions and a visualizer (warning: flashing lights) on Youtube.

Kaytranada – Drip Sweat ft. Channel Tres (Visualizer)

Trademarks and Talent Pave Success

Zooming-out, let’s jump into Kaytranada’s influence on the dance genre as a whole. The Haitian-Canadian has become a staple of the genre, gaining international acclaim and a legendary status. He’s known for using heavy drums and bass as the baseline in his songs, and his beats have become a staple, blasting out on speakers in the background of every hangout.

Although the common listener wouldn’t be familiar with his name, they’d certainly know his most famous tracks, for example “Intimidated (feat. HER)”, or his take on “Be Your Girl” by Teedra Moses. Both are staples at music festivals or parties worldwide. 

Kaytranada’s most popular tracks, like his remix of “Be Your Girl” was played at EDC Mexico, a major worldwide music festival.

Delivering Bangers Yet Again

One of the highlights of TIMELESS is Witchy, featuring multi talented fellow artist Childish Gambino. Photo taken from Kaytranada- Witchy Official Music Video.

Back to the album, TIMELESS is sequenced just like a DJ set. The songs layer and swap to the next track effortlessly, and if listeners were to close their eyes, they would be right there with Kaytranada. He blends each track with the right amount of crossfade, and matches sound effects from the end of one track to the start of another. It may seem simple, but effortless work like this requires skill. 

TIMELESS can basically be described as track after track of punchy 808s and rhythmic sequences. It’s a hallmark of Kaytranada’s style, as in most of his songs, he’s known for his booming bass 808s to set a tone. 

The album has many exceptional qualities, one of them being the ability of almost every track to sound good. That is, the album can be started from almost any track and still have that lasting effect of a party right away. TIMELESS does not need to start from track 1 to set the  structure to the beats and have continuity. Whether you start at track 4, 10, or even play the album backwards, it still brings all the timeless (get it?) vibes. 

Collaborations and Genre-defying Sound Makes One of a Kind Piece 

Kaytranada delivers again and again, both live and recorded music. Photo taken from Variance Magazine..

TIMELESS also delivers with compelling collaborations. Kaytranada brought together trending artists like Don Toliver and Childish Gambino to add some added spice to the album. He then sheds light on equally talented artists he’s had previous collabs with, like Ravyn Lenae and Durand Bernarr. This DJ’s no stranger to musical collabs either, especially a year coming off his last album KAYTRAMINÉ, a collaborative effort with American rapper Aminé. This builds on the premise that Kaytranada is strictly a producer, and that he shares his beats with talented voices to top off his already interesting tracks.

A particular standout among these tracks would be “Out of Luck”, featuring Mariah the Scientist. The track is mainly filled with synth and heavy bass drums, with Mariah’s soulful voice usually reserved for trap beats, like 21 Savage’s “dark days”. “Out of Luck” also brings out the wide vocal range that Mariah has, which is demonstrated by her low timbre, and also the climax of her sound when featuring in the chorus. Kaytranada’s use of a talented voice like Mariah the Scientist hints at the uniqueness of his songs, which is a testament to what makes him such a popular figure in the dance scene.

For a house album, Kaytranada showcases much more besides the usual house/dance genre his music encompasses. This album screams out a variety of music, from hints of electronica, to callbacks to his features with a nod to R&B as well as 90’s Hip Hop. 

No One Album is Perfect

However, here comes the album’s first blow. TIMELESS starts with the track “Pressure”, which just has a little too much instrumentation for it to be called a good introduction. The track, riddled with cymbals, synths, and a staple drum beat, has all the fanfare of a concert band, which is why it does not fit with the album’s general vibe. 

The rest of TIMELESS is abundant with smooth beats and rhythmic instruments, giving listeners a carefree vibe; the trend with Kaytranada’s songs. These simple sound effects propel the album into a trajectory that has a clean sound, opposing what Kaytranada was going for at the start of this album.

Certain Tracks Hit Knockout Blows

Though TIMELESS is an amazing album, it does have its setbacks. Photo taken from Kaytranada- Please Babe Visualiser.

Another knock the album takes, is that some songs hold too much weight to ever get with the loose vibe heard in the rest of the album. That is, certain tracks have a punchy feel and make the song noisy, beating and bothering the listener’s inner headspace-; a rude interruption to the care-less synths that previous songs held. 

Next, TIMELESS plays host to many polarising beats, making for a highly contrasting album. While tracks like “Video’’ and “Do 2 Me” are smooth and have an unbothered tone to them, there’s the polarising presence of tracks like “Seemingly” and “Still”. Both tracks interrupt the smooth flows with drum-strong 808s and erratic sound effects that feel similar to lasers shooting on the dance floor.

Before you can say “Drip Sweat has heavy drums too!”, though, keep in mind that tracks like this demonstrate sound layering and the calm, carefree sound the album is going for. Heavy 808s may be a trademark of Kaytranada, but he’s demonstrated on this album the duality of bass-strong beats. 

Conclusion

Overall, the album has a major dance feel to it, as many of its tracks will get you grooving, be it at home, on the toilet, in public transport, even while late for work or school. It calms the confused, soothes worries, and makes you feel as if there isn’t anything you should be worrying about. 

The TIMELESS tour has recently kicked off, although only in North America and Canada. From all of the recaps and sneaky videos taken of the set itself, it feels like the tour is Kaytranada’s most outstanding piece of work yet. Even though physically attending may not be possible for all of us, catching the highlights is definitely a must. As TikTok user @whtsthedyl says: “kaytranada live is truly a spiritual experience.” Agreed.

RATING: 8.2/10 

REPLAY: Drip Sweat, Witchy, Do 2 Me, Please Babe, Stepped On, More Than A Little Bit, Lover/Friend, Stuntin, Out of Luck

IT’S OK: Feel A Way, Weird, Video, Hold On, Spit It Out, Wasted Words, Dance Dance Dance Dance

SKIP: Pressure, Call U Up, Still, Seemingly, Snap My Finger