99.9% [LP]

by Kaytranada

Overview

Kevin Celestin's stature grew through woozy dancefloor funk remixes that led to DJ gigs, including European dates and opening for fan Madonna in North America. Despite the acclaim, along with admiration from the likes of Janet Jackson and Teedra Moses -- two of the major figures whose material he transformed -- the Port-au-Prince-born Montreal native wanted to be known as an artist in his own right. A low-profile series of digital and vinyl releases dated back to 2010. In late 2014, he graduated to XL as he expanded his production discography for other artists. The dazzling 99.9% follows some of his best work in that nature, including Freddie Gibbs' "Dope House," the Internet's "Girl," and Katy B's "Honey." The album likewise is mostly collaborative, with only four of the 15 cuts created by Celestin alone. During the solo moments, the producer radically flips, with joyous and glistening flair, choice early-'80s R&B from Delegation, and the System-produced Attitude. On "Lite Spots," sampled Gal Costa is whipped into a state of delirium over a beat that alternately whomps and tickles. Separate pairings with BadBadNotGood and Karriem Riggins offer dreamy instrumental highlights. The assortment of vocalists -- rappers, singers, and a few who pull double duty -- naturally results in a diverse set of perspectives, most of which regard love and relationships of short- and long-term natures. Combined with beats seemingly tailored for each voice, the album could have resembled a disorderly production showcase, yet Celestin applies his experience as a deeply knowledgeable selector to stitch it all together with few obvious seams. He excels most at bold modern boogie with spring-loaded drums, zip-and-glide basslines, and radiant keyboards, as laid out for the Internet's Syd and the Foreign Exchange's Phonte. The harder-edged tracks that support Vic Mensa and Paak are likewise accented with sweetening, whether through levitating harmonies or spangly synthesizers. One of the more stupefying instances where Celestin layers dazed and robust sounds is buried toward the end. "Leave Me Alone," surrogate Quadron with bounding low end, brings it home with a giddy vocal from fellow Montreal native Shay Lia. ~ Andy Kellman

Product Details

Release Date:	07/08/2016
Label:	Xl
UPC:	0634904076511
Rank:	19852

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Track Uno
2. Bus Ride
3. Got It Good
4. Together
5. Drive Me Crazy
6. Weight Off
7. One Too Many
8. Despite the Weather

Disc 2

9. Glowed Up
10. Breakdance Lesson No.1.
11. You're the One
12. Vivid Dreams
13. Lite Spots
14. Leave Me Alone
15. Bullets

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kaytranada   Primary Artist
Gal Costa   Primary Artist
Craig David   Featured Artist
Karriem Riggins   Featured Artist
Phonte   Featured Artist
Little Dragon   Featured Artist
AlunaGeorge   Featured Artist
BadBadNotGood   Featured Artist
Vic Mensa   Featured Artist
Anderson .Paak   Featured Artist
Shay Lia   Featured Artist
GoldLink   Featured Artist
River Tiber   Featured Artist
Sydney Bennett   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Craig David   Composer
Karriem Riggins   Mixing,Composer,Producer
Jards Macale   Composer
Michael Murphy   Composer
Alan Hawkshaw   Composer
David Frank   Composer
Phonte Coleman   Composer
Yukimi Nagano   Composer
Waly Salomao   Composer
Guy Davie   Mastering
Michael Denne   Composer
Fredrik Wallin   Composer
Bob Selvin   Composer
Hakan Wirenstrand   Composer
Brandon Anderson   Composer
Aluna Francis   Composer
Chester Hansen   Composer
BadBadNotGood   Mixing,Producer
Alexander Sowinski   Composer
Leon Kelly   Vocal Mixing
Kenneth Gold   Composer
Thomas Paxton-Beesley   Composer
Matthew Tavares   Composer
Nicholas Eaholtz   Composer
Leland Whitty   Composer
Kaytranada   Mixing,Producer
Louis Kevin Celestin   Composer
Victor Mensah   Composer
Shay Lia   Composer
Lauren Faith   Composer
D'Anthony Carlos   Composer
River Tiber   Mixing,Producer
Tre Jean-Marie   Composer
Ricardo Cavolo   Artwork
Rachel Bungey   Creative Director
Erik Boon   Composer
Sydney Bennett   Composer