A good DJ must be able to accomplish two things: provide a variety of moods and maintain a party atmosphere.
A good producer is able to transform what could be a simple playlist into an album. He must guide his collaborators, diversify the tempos, ensure fluid or surprising transitions, position the pieces in such a way as to create a coherent whole.
On Timeless, made up of 17 tracks – and plus 4 bonus tracks – Louis Kevin Celestin, aka Kaytranada, achieves each of these objectives brilliantly. His experience as a turntable player infuses the work with a vitality anchored in the moment, in the raw energy of the bpm (beats per minute), while his talents as a composer have constructed a record that can span the ages, even mark its era.
His previous albums, 99.9% (2016) and Bubba (2019), didn’t do much less, but the Montrealer’s notoriety now in Los Angeles leads us to believe that this time he could match his rhythms to singers and rappers Of his choice.
We thus find songs by Don Toliver, Childish Gambino, Thundercat and PinkPantheress, in particular. Kaytra also reconnects with Durand Bernarr, Charlotte Day Wilson, Tinashe, Anderson. Paak and SiR.
Thanks to the wide variety of artists and multiple variations of funky sounds, the range of sensations in Timeless is wide. The rich productions have a finesse that goes beyond the catchy percussion. Example: the magnificent violins which close the second track Spit Out, carried beautifully by Rochelle Jordan. This happens again on Lover/Friend, taken from last November, which still sounds just as good today.
If Spit Out acts like the light of dawn, the succession of Call U Up (with brother Lou Phelps) and Weird (with Durand Bernarr) has the same effectiveness as a morning coffee or orange juice. We then brush our teeth – we can also dance – to the sound of the instrumental piece Dance Dance Dance Dance.
Change of register with Don Toliver on the captivating Feel a Way, one of the moments of grace of the record. Follows the gentle and grandiose piano of Still on which Charlotte Day Wilson speaks of love for a brief moment. The marriage of Ravyn Lenae’s siren-like voice to Video’s staccato keyboard takes us back to the RnB era of the 2000s.
Seemingly’s deep bass prepares us for the impact of Drip Sweat, led by Channel Tres, who will be at Mural Festival, June 14. Extraordinarily powerful, the recent single with the flashing clip could motivate anyone to dance or train to the point of exhaustion.
Redundant little gap with Hold On (Dawn Richard) then the strictly musical Please Babe and Stepped On. But we start again with Tinashe, who once again demonstrates her chemistry with Kaytra on More Than a Little Bit. The same goes for Anderson.Paak and SiR on Do 2 Me, although somewhat repetitive. We hoped for better from this combination.
Withcy, a play with Childish Gambino, does not disappoint at all. The range of emotions is vast, the intensity a roller coaster, the force formidable.
The four bonus tracks, Wasted Words, Snap My Finger, Stuntin and Out of Luck, are not superfluous. Thundercat sails on the warm current of the first. PinkPantheress bounces back on the next. Channel Tress is this time more calm. Then, Mariah The Scientist says goodbye on a beat that will resonate until the end of the evening.
We imagine that Kaytranada made Timeless with a packed dance floor in mind. As partygoers react to every note, the two-time Grammy winner from Quebec already knows what they want to hear next. This album is the playlist that only a musician of his caliber can create.