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Kaytranada Owns His Influence
Once modern dance music’s best-kept secret, the Canadian DJ-producer is ready to go bigger.
In June, he released his favorite record he’s ever made, the 21-track Timeless, which plays the way a humid poolside dance party might unfold; his friends (Anderson .Paak, PinkPantheress, Childish Gambino, Channel Tres) and younger brother (Lou Phelps) sing over lush, thumping productions that sparkle like sweat beads rolling down a pulsing neck vein. I just felt like it was corny to have light shows and all that behind you.” Kaytranada was drafting the blueprint for his stuttering, soulful soundscapes in an era when the concussive rituals of brostep were ascendant with white teenagers mainlining “the drop” at EDM festivals headlined by Skrillex or Tïësto or Marshmello. He recalls a formative childhood experience listening to Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” on a Walkman with broken headphones and being blown away by the accidental remix effect: All that came through the malfunctioning earbuds was that rollicking, disco-kissed instrumental; the bright horn riffs and larger-than-life hand claps; and those sweet, unforgettable background vocals.
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