99.9%
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".[1]
99.9% | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 6, 2016 | |||
Recorded | 2014–2016 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 59:08 | |||
Label |
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Producer | Kaytranada | |||
Kaytranada chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
Singles from 99.9% | ||||
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The album was named as the winner of the 2016 Polaris Music Prize,[2] and won Electronic Album of the Year at the 2017 Juno Awards.[3]
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.[4] 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.'"[5] Kaytranada described the untitled EP as "abstract-feeling" and "uptempo, neo-soul," and was aiming to "make it as funky as possible."[5] In addition, he confirmed that he had worked with Vic Mensa, Karriem Riggins, Reva DeVito, and Shay Lia amongst others.[5][6]
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.[7][8] However, no updates had been provided regarding the EP's release date.[9][10]
As reported on December 15, 2014, Kaytranada expanded his project into a full-length album.[10] On Facebook, he posted a glimpse of his renewed contract with XL, along with the words "ALBUM COMING."[11][12] Serving as the second single is the trap-influenced "Drive Me Crazy", featuring Chicago rapper Vic Mensa, released on January 27, 2015.[13][14]
On September 7, 2015, Kaytranada took to Twitter to announce the album's official title: 99.9%.[15] 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.[16][17] Furthermore, he confirmed that Canadian instrumental band BadBadNotGood and The Internet's lead vocalist Syd were both recruited as guests contributors.[18] Speaking about BadBadNotGood, he revealed that they recorded about fifteen tracks together, though only two were selected for the album.[16][19] 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.[20][21][22] On Twitter, he confirmed that the album would be released on May 6.[18][23]
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.[22][24] 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.[25][26] The physical product comes on a double 12-inch vinyl with a gatefold sleeve, and includes a free CD of the digital album.[26]
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.[27][28] 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".[29]
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.[30] 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.[30][31] Players must navigate an airplane through obstacles while collecting items to earn points.[30][31] 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.[31] On May 10, 2016, a music video for "Lite Spots" was released.[32]
Reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10[33] |
Metacritic | 81/100[34] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [35] |
Financial Times | [36] |
The Irish Times | [37] |
Mixmag | 9/10[38] |
The Observer | [39] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10[40] |
Q | [41] |
Record Collector | [42] |
Spin | 8/10[43] |
XLR8R | 8/10[44] |
99.9% 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".[34] 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."[45]
Kaytranada has won the 2016 Polaris Music Prize for the album.[46]
Accolades
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Guardian | The Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 36 |
|
The Independent | Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 16 |
|
NME | NME's Albums of the Year 2016 | 2016 | 5 |
|
Rough Trade | Albums of the Year | 2016 | 76 |
|
The Skinny | Top 50 Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 25 |
|
Stereogum | The 50 Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 36 |
|
Apple Music | Best Albums of 2016 (Canada) | 2016 | 1 |
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Pitchfork | Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 25 |
Track listing
All tracks produced by Kaytranada, except "Bus Ride" by Kaytranada, Karriem Riggins and River Tiber, and "Weight Off" by Kaytranada and BadBadNotGood.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Track Uno" | Kevin Celestin | 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" | Celestin | 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. | "Bullets" (featuring Little Dragon) |
| 4:59 |
Total length: | 59:08 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
16. | "Nobody Beats the Kay" | Celestin | 2:03 |
Total length: | 61:11 |
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.
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[70] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References
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- "Kaytranada wins 2016 Polaris Music Prize for his album 99.9%". The Globe and Mail, September 19, 2016.
- Rockingham, Graham (1 April 2017). "Hamilton's Dirty Nil and Diana Panton winners at Juno gala". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- Hudson, Alex (May 14, 2014). "Kaytranada Signs to XL". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
- 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.
- Hudson, Alex (May 14, 2014). "Kaytranada Signs to XL". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
- "Hear Kaytranada's 'Leave Me Alone' from forthcoming So Bad EP". factmag.com. August 12, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
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