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99.9%

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99.9% is the debut studio album by Canadian electronic music producer Kaytranada, released on May 6, 2016, through XL Recordings worldwide and HW&W Recordings in Canada. The 15-track album features guest contributions from the likes of 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".[1]

On September 19, 2016, the album was named as the winner of the 2016 Polaris Music Prize.[2]

Background and promotion

In May 2014, it was announced that Kaytranada had signed a deal with UK-based independent record label XL Recordings and planned to release an EP in the summer.[3] During an interview with New York-based music magazine The Fader, the Montreal producer disclosed that XL is "one of the labels I always wanted to be on […] It's a good label for people who are sort of lost and are like, 'Let me see what's going on.'"[4] Kaytranada described the untitled EP as "abstract-feeling" and "uptempo, neo-soul," and was aiming to "make it as funky as possible."[4] In addition, he confirmed that he had worked with Vic Mensa, Karriem Riggins, Reva DeVito, and Shay Lia amongst others.[4][5]

On August 12, 2014, at the announcement of the EP's tentative title, So Bad, a song named "Leave Me Alone", featuring vocalist and fellow Montreal native Shay Lia, was released as the lead single.[6][7] However, no updates had been provided regarding the EP's release date.[8][9]

As reported on December 15, 2014, Kaytranada expanded his project into a full-length album.[9] On Facebook, he posted a glimpse of his renewed contract with XL, along with the words "ALBUM COMING." [10][11] Serving as the second single is the trap-influenced "Drive Me Crazy", featuring Chicago rapper Vic Mensa, released on January 27, 2015.[12][13]

On September 7, 2015, Kaytranada took to Twitter to announce the album's official title: 99.9%.[14] During Benji B's "Montreal Special" on BBC Radio 1 on March 16, 2016, he shared more details about his long-awaited effort. The producer expounded on the album title, explaining that it reflects his dissatisfaction and indecisiveness when it comes to his musical endeavor.[15][16] Furthermore, he confirmed that Canadian instrumental band BadBadNotGood and The Internet's lead vocalist Syd were both recruited as guests contributors.[17] Speaking about BadBadNotGood, he revealed that they recorded about fifteen tracks together, though only two were selected for the album.[15][18] He also premiered a track from the album titled "Bus Ride" which features drum work from Detroit jazz percussionist and producer Karriem Riggins, and accompaniment from Toronto multi-instrumentalist and producer River Tiber.[19][20][21] On Twitter, he confirmed that the album would be released on May 6.[17][22]

The following day, Kaytranada unveiled via Instagram and Facebook the artworks and track listing for 99.9%, along with short individual animations corresponding to each track.[21][23] The album's digital version was made available for pre-order ahead of its release on iTunes and Amazon, while its physical format could be pre-ordered on XL Recordings' online store.[24][25] The physical product comes on a double 12-inch vinyl with a gatefold sleeve, and includes a free CD of the digital album.[25]

On April 7, 2016, "Glowed Up", which features Anderson .Paak on vocals, debuted on Annie Mac's BBC Radio 1 show, with the music video, directed by Bo Mirosseni, premiering soon after.[26][27] Marc Hogan from Pitchfork gave the song a "Best New Track" designation, stating that "It's a track where two complementary artists sound like they are right where they want to be, and the pleasure is in how they bring us into this world, too".[28]

In anticipation of the album's release, an album-themed video game, 99.9%: The Game, was launched on Kaytranada's website on April 20, 2016.[29] Designed by artist Ricardo Cavolo, who also worked on the album's artwork, the game is a side-scroller modeled after 2013's popular mobile game Flappy Bird.[29][30] Players must navigate an airplane through obstacles while collecting items to earn points.[29][30] Players who attain a high score of over a hundred points will be rewarded with a free download of "Nobody Beats the Kay," a bonus track from the album.[30] On May 10, 2016, a music video for "Lite Spots" was released.[31]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[32]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[33]
Clash8/10[34]
Consequence of SoundB+[35]
Exclaim!8/10[36]
HipHopDX[37]
Mixmag9/10[38]
The Observer[39]
Pitchfork8.0/10[40]
PopMatters[41]
Spin8/10[42]

The album received critical acclaim upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score out of 100 to all reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on a number of 21 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[32] Both Pitchfork and Spin gave the album a rating of 8 out of 10. Pitchfork's Jonah Bromwich wrote, "The genre-defying stew of funk, soul, R&B, and beat and dance music that Kaytranada has cooked up on 99.9% nods back at that heritage of percussion-driven synthesis."[40] At PopMatters, which gives a rating out of ten stars, the album received an average rating of 6 stars. In his review, Chris Conaton wrote, "Even though [Kaytranada] doesn't do every genre he attempts equally skillfully, there's a pop music core to most of these songs that keeps 99.9% listenable throughout."[41]

Kaytranada has won the 2016 Polaris Music Prize for the album.[43]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Year Rank
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2016 2016
5[44]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016
76[45]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Kaytranada.

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
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"
  • Bob Selvin
  • Celestin
2:01
9."Glowed Up" (featuring Anderson .Paak)
4:58
10."Breakdance Lesson N.1"
  • David Frank
  • Celestin
  • Michael Murphy
4:28
11."You're the One" (featuring Syd)
3:47
12."Vivid Dreams" (featuring River Tiber)
  • Celestin
  • Paxton-Beesley
4:36
13."Lite Spots"
3:50
14."Leave Me Alone" (featuring Shay Lia)
  • Celestin
  • Shay Lia
4:37
15."Bullets" (featuring Little Dragon)
4:59
Total length:59:08
Kaytranada.com bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Nobody Beats the Kay"Celestin2:03
Notes
  • "Track Uno" contains samples of "I Figure I'm Out of Your Life" as performed by Delegation [46]
  • "Lite Spots" contains samples of "Pontos De Luz" as performed by Gal Costa [47]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[48] 21
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[49] 38
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[50] 106
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[51] 24
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[52] 29
French Albums (SNEP)[53] 81
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[54] 94
Irish Albums (IRMA)[55] 83
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[56] 31
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[57] 54
UK Albums (OCC)[58] 31
US Billboard 200[59] 73
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[60] 2

References

  1. ^ Fantoni, Laurent (March 19, 2016). "Kaytranada shares new track 'Bus Ride' featuring Karriem Riggins". factmag.com. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  2. ^ "Kaytranada wins 2016 Polaris Music Prize for his album 99.9%". The Globe and Mail, September 19, 2016.
  3. ^ Hudson, Alex (May 14, 2014). "Kaytranada Signs to XL". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  4. ^ a b c McDermott, Patrick D. (May 13, 2014). "Interview: Kaytranada on His Funky XL Debut: "It's definitely going to surprise you"". TheFader.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Hudson, Alex (May 14, 2014). "Kaytranada Signs to XL". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  6. ^ "Hear Kaytranada's 'Leave Me Alone' from forthcoming So Bad EP". factmag.com. August 12, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  7. ^ Chiu, David (August 12, 2014). "Stream Kaytranada's New EP Track, "Leave Me Alone"". TheFader.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  8. ^ Richard (August 12, 2014). "Kaytranada ft. Shay Lia - Leave Me Alone". DJBooth.net. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Kaytranada upgrades delayed XL debut to full album". factmag.com. December 16, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  10. ^ Philip (December 18, 2014). "Kaytranada to Expand Upcoming EP Into Album". EDMTunes.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  11. ^ Cheung, HP (December 16, 2014). "KAYTRANADA Upgrades Upcoming EP 'So Bad' to Full Album". HYPETRAK.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Goddard, Kevin (January 27, 2015). "Kaytranada - Drive Me Crazy Feat. Vic Mensa [New Song]". HotNewHipHop.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  13. ^ Black, Adrienne (January 27, 2015). "Kaytranada ft. Vic Mensa - "Drive Me Crazy"". PigeonsAndPlanes.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  14. ^ "KAILLETRA on Twitter: "99.9%"". Twitter.com. September 7, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  15. ^ a b Middleton, Ryan (March 17, 2016). "Kaytranada Announces Album 99.9%, Release Date, Shares 'Bus Ride'". MusicTimes.com. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  16. ^ Ilochonwu, Chika (March 19, 2016). "Kaytranada Unveils Artwork + Tracklist for "99.9%"". BLUNTIQ.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Monroe, Jazz (March 17, 2016). "Kaytranada Recruits BADBADNOTGOOD, Syd tha Kid for New Album, Shares "Bus Ride" [ft. Karriem Riggins]". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  18. ^ Murphy, Sarah (March 17, 2016). "Kaytranada Reveals Guests and Release Date for '99.9%,' Shares "Bus Ride". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  19. ^ Strauss, Matthew (March 18, 2016). "Kaytranada Announces Debut Album 99.9%, Plots Tour". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  20. ^ Breihan, Tom (March 17, 2016). "Kaytranada – "Bus Ride" (Feat. Karriem Riggins)". Stereogum.com. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  21. ^ a b Cakes, Briana (March 18, 2016). "Kaytranada Reveals Details About Debut Album '99.9%' & Takes Us On A 'Bus Ride'". SoulBounce.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  22. ^ "KAILLETRA on Twitter: "99.9%, out in May 6."". Twitter.com. March 17, 2016. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  23. ^ Meka; Shake (March 17, 2016). "Kaytranada Announces '99.9%' LP, Drops "Bus Ride" with Karriem Riggins". 2DOPEBOYZ.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  24. ^ James (March 21, 2016). "New Music: Kaytranada – Bus Ride ft. Karriem Riggins & River Tiber". disclike.com. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  25. ^ a b "KAYTRANADA 99.9%". xlrecordings.com. March 18, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
  26. ^ Brown, Lisa (April 7, 2016). "Watch Kaytranada Team Up With Anderson.Paak for 'Glowed Up' Video". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  27. ^ Malik, Sarah (April 9, 2016). "Kaytranada Shares Video For 'Glowed Up' With Anderson .Paak". MTV.co.uk. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  28. ^ Hogan, Marc (April 8, 2016). ""Glowed Up" [ft. Anderson .Paak] by Kaytranada | Tracks". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  29. ^ a b c Camp, Zoe (20 Apr 2016). "Play Kaytranada's Addictive Video Game Inspired by His Upcoming Album 99.9%". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 20 Apr 2016.
  30. ^ a b c "Beat Kaytranada's New Video Game and Unlock '99.9%' Bonus Track". Thump.Vice.com. 20 Apr 2016. Retrieved 11 Aug 2016.
  31. ^ Josephs, Brian (10 May 2016). "Kaytranada and His Robo Buddy Dance Away to 'Lite Spots'". Spin.com. Retrieved 12 Aug 2016.
  32. ^ a b "Reviews for 99.9% by Kaytranada". Metacritic. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  33. ^ Kellman, Andy. "99.9% – Kaytranada". AllMusic. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  34. ^ Hussain, Shahzaib (May 6, 2016). "Kaytranada - 99.9%". Clash. Retrieved Aug 12, 2016.
  35. ^ Kivel, Adam (May 18, 2016). "Kaytranada – 99.9%". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  36. ^ Keating, Daryl (May 4, 2016). "Kaytranada 99.9%". Exclaim!. Retrieved Aug 12, 2016.
  37. ^ Gretchko, Andrew (May 16, 2016). "Kaytranada - 99.9% Review". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  38. ^ Moore, Ralph (May 4, 2016). "Kaytranada – '99.9%'". Mixmag. Retrieved Aug 12, 2016.
  39. ^ Empire, Kitty (May 8, 2016). "Kaytranada: 99.9% review – a testament to hip-hop chops". The Guardian. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  40. ^ a b Bromwich, Jonah (May 13, 2016). "Kaytranada: 99.9%". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  41. ^ a b Conaton, Chris (July 12, 2016). "Kaytranada- 99.9%". PopMatters. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  42. ^ Josephs, Brian (May 11, 2016). "Review: Kaytranada Gives '99.9%' as He Ascends From DJ to Producer". Spin. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  43. ^ "Kaytranada is the winner of the 2016 Polaris Music Prize". CBCmusic.ca. 20 Sep 2016. Retrieved 21 Sep 2016.
  44. ^ "NME's Albums of the Year 2016". NME. November 24, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2016.
  45. ^ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  46. ^ http://www.whosampled.com/Kaytranada/Track-Uno/
  47. ^ http://www.whosampled.com/Kaytranada/Lite-Spots/
  48. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Kaytranada – 99.9%". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  49. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kaytranada – 99.9%" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  50. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kaytranada – 99.9%" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  51. ^ "Kaytranada Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  52. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kaytranada – 99.9%" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  53. ^ "Lescharts.com – Kaytranada – 99.9%". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  54. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Kaytranada – 99.9%" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  55. ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 19, 2016". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  56. ^ "Charts.nz – Kaytranada – 99.9%". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  57. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kaytranada – 99.9%". Hung Medien. Retrieved May 18, 2016.
  58. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 14, 2016.
  59. ^ "Kaytranada Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  60. ^ "Kaytranada Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
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