Music
Feature
The songs you didn’t know KAYTRANADA produced
How well do you know KAYTRANADA the producer? Ahead of his UK dates in April, we list our top picks of songs produced by KAYTRANADA
The electronic and dance music space has been forever marked and changed by the signature KAYTRANADA bounce, which has gained popularity over the last decade. The Haitian-Canadian producer-DJ injected the scene with a blend of funk, bossa nova samples, hip hop drumlines, R&B grooves and heavy basslines – all intricately woven together to create his sound. Originally releasing projects under the alias ‘Kaytradamus’ in 2010, Louis Kevin Celestin AKA KAYTRANADA has gone on to redefine the genre, earning a Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Music for his 2021 album BUBBA.
From his breakout ‘Kaytraflips’ which he posted on SoundCloud – including his viral 2013 remix of Janet Jackson’s ‘Alright’, and 2016 remix of Mary J Blige‘s ‘I Can Love You’ – to his critically acclaimed debut album, 99.9%, KAYTRANADA’s sound has influenced a myriad of artists including VanJess, Rochelle Jordan, Channel Tres, Pomo, Goldlink, Sango and many more. His 2023 Coachella set earned even more attention, with his unreleased remix of Beyoncé’s ‘CUFF IT’, and guest performers and frequent collaborators Aminé and Kali Uchis; and each album is received with critical and fan acclaim.
But beyond his future bounce on his own projects, how well do you know KAYTRANADA the producer? With production credits spanning genres as vast as the crates he digs in for samples, it’s hard to keep track of all of Kaytra’s productions – but we’re here to help. From hip hop to jazz, Bishop Nehru to Zak Abel, fun pop single to collaborative rap album, Kaytra’s impressive production credits list of over 300 songs – not including his remixes and soundcloud flips – feels like a mountain. For now, we simply have a hill – here are 15 songs that you may not have known your favourite DJ produced.
‘The Move’ – Reva DeVito
For the pop-R&B lovers, fans of the GTA: Vice City soundtrack and people whose favourite song in high school was ‘Fancy Footwork’ by Chromeo, this 2016 Reva DeVito track is for you. As groovy as as hypothetical modern-day Hall & Oates song, ‘The Move’ is a sultry KAYTRANADA production of synths and psychedelic melodies that feels like Kaytra’s take on Japanese city pop fused with an alternative R&B track. A 2016 hidden gem.
‘Come Inside (feat. Jazz Cartier)’ – Lou Phelps
One of many collaborations with his brother, Lou Phelps, ‘Come Inside’ is a frequent resident of KAYTRANADA’s setlists. A more classically Kaytra-sounding track, the beat samples a riff from the mid section and outro of 1982 Brazilian pop single ‘Prêt-à-porter’ by Robson Jorge and Lincoln Olivetti, and also contains elements of the synth motif Steve Monite’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ – a Nigerian disco track released in 1984. All while Lou raps to his love interest that she should let him ‘Come Inside’. If I owned a rollerdisco, I’d play this song there every night.
‘PuNoni (feat. GOVALES)’ – Chewii
A more raunchy and slightly off-kilter track, Chewii’s ‘PuNoni’ (2017) – an ode to vaginas – is a reggae-inspired pop song. The lyrics and title rely heavily on Jamaican patois slang terms, and are awash with water and juice euphemisms for female pleasure, so it’s no surprise that the track features splashing sounds, steel drums and a dancehall-inspired beat.
‘Illusions (feat. Pusha T)’ – River Tiber
A sharp shift from Chewii, River Tiber’s ‘Illusion’ (2016) – complete with a feature from hip hop heavyweight Pusha T – still manages to feel like the alternative and experimental production of River Tiber, whilst maintaining the classic KAYTRANADA bounce. It’s slow burning feel compliments both Pusha T’s verse and River Tiber’s somber vocals, showing that Kaytra is able to accommodate tracks with slower tempos and low octane energy just as successfully as an uptempo dancehall track about bodily anatomy and sex.
‘The Game Of Life’ – Bishop Nehru
The conscious rap space is home to many undercover gems, interesting samples and reflective lyrics, which is where we find 28-year-old rapper Bishop Nehru – once called the “future of music” by fellow New York state native Nas. With a penchant for rapping over old-school jazz samples, this Bishop Nehru-KAYTRANADA collaborative track is no different, sampling elements from the 1979 Brazilian jazz track ‘Serrado’ by Djavan, and featuring a hip hop bassline that would be comfortable on A Tribe Called Quest or the Pharcyde song in their respective early years.
‘The Recipe (feat. Rema)’ – Aluna
KAYTRANADA meets Afrobeats on Aluna’s ‘The Recipe’ (2020), featuring Afro R&B star Rema. The kapuka beat pattern, paired with his usual groovy bassline and synths makes for the perfect summer love song. Throw something on the grill and play this, I promise it will add an extra flavour to your food.
‘Thinkin Bout You (feat. Talib Kweli)’ – Robert Glasper
To get a co-sign from one of music’s biggest producers is one thing, to be able to create a full remix album of their work is another. Only KAYTRANADA is that powerful, remixing Robert Glasper’s 2016 album ArtScience, and flexing his very hip hop-leaning muscles. While the whole album has some great samples, production and intricate beats, KAYTRANADA’s take on ‘Thinkin Bout You’ takes an already futuristic neo soul track and breathes even more Afrofuturism into it, flipping the cadence of the chorus, transposing the original key, and adding a 1980s boogie-style beat to the track.
‘Say Sumthin’ – Zak Abel
Back in that Miami Vice/Japanese city pop space, we have ‘Say Sumthin’ by British vocalist Zak Abel. Another one that would be perfectly at home on that radio station in GTA: Vice City, the yearning in the lyrics and soulful vocal performance is bolstered by the romantic violins and synths of this pop track. KAYTRANADA, a man after our hearts.
‘World Of Wonders’ – Buddy
While ‘Thinkin Bout You’ and ‘The Game Of Life’ have shown KAYTRANADA’s more east coast sounding hip hop production skills, ‘World Of Wonders’ (2017) by LA native Buddy is a breath of fresh California air. Managing to somehow capture sunshine and put it in a beat, ‘World Of Wonders’ is a fun track about the glory days of experiencing a crush, and somehow has the same energy as when The Powerpuff Girls sang ‘Love Makes The World Go Round’ in the 1999 episode Mime For A Change. Now I’m not claiming that KAYTRANADA sampled The Powerpuff Girls, but in the colour scheme of my synesthesia, the songs are the same colour, so I’m going with that.
‘Little Things’ – Sunni Colón
Heading back into the R&B realm, it’s ‘Little Things’ by Sunni Colón – an artist known for funk-tinged soulful R&B that takes samples from Brazilian Jazz and 80s R&B. A apt fit for KAYTRANADA productions, featuring his classic bounce but in a more spacey manner. The smooth track makes room for Sunni’s lyrics on the “subtleties of love” (Fader, 2017), allowing love to be present in a somber yet futuristic sounding song.
‘Egyptian Luvr (feat. Aminé and Dana Williams)’ –Rejjie Snow
Another KAYTRANADA-produced love song, but this time in the form of a melancholic goodbye to a lover – it’s Rejjie Snow’s ‘Egyptian Luvr’. Rejjie and KAYTRANADA have been long-time followers of each other’s work, and for ‘Egyptian Luvr’, Kaytra “brings the flavour” (Genius) with a funky house 2 step beat and atmospheric basslines, adding a warmth to the heartbreak of the lyrics.
‘Xtasy’ – Ravyn Lenae
Before going viral on Tiktok with her breakout song ‘Love Me Not’ on her latest album Bird’s Eye, Ravyn released Hypnos in 2022 – an album recorded during COVID-19 lockdown as she relocated to Los Angeles. Hypnos is dance, house, R&B and more, with Kaytra-produced ‘Xtasy’ making our list. It’s an otherworldly dance track that would be just as comfortable on KAYTRANADA’s 2024 album Timeless as it is on Hypnos, which makes this pair an exciting one to watch. For fans of Rochelle Jordan, Dawn Richard or Kelela, experience ‘Xtasy’.
‘Zaza Tree’ – IDK
A recent performer at NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series, Maryland rapper and singer IDK blends trap, jazz and hip hop on his projects. But for 2022’s Simple, IDK began to lean in more alt R&B directions, with two tracks produced by KAYTRANADA: ‘Breathe’, which interpolates Destiny’s Child’s ‘Lose My Breath’, and ‘Zaza Tree’, which expresses the rapper’s affinity for marijuana, and letting go of the stresses of the world. And how easy is it to let go of life’s stresses to this track; it’s so breezy, with a groovy bassline that moves the song forward, and sparkly synths to punctuate it.
‘Honeymoon’ – Don Toliver
A song which you can hear live at either KAYTRANADA’s live show in April, or Don Toliver’s Psycho tour in June, ‘Honeymoon’ takes futuristic Kaytra bounce a step further, sounding extraterrestrial with its unconventional chord progression that is a new direction for both himself and Don Toliver. The forward-thinking single is a standout track on Don Toliver’s Love Sick (2023), and flexes sides that fans were yet to see from both artists.
‘HIGH GRADE’ – Lancey Foux
Finally, we have ‘HIGH GRADE’ by east London’s vanguard rapper Lancey Foux. A change of pace from his usual Carti-esque rage rap, higher BPM discography, ‘HIGH GRADE’ allows fans to slow down and take Lancey in. This is made possible through KAYTRANADA’s beat, which samples Alessandro Alessandroni’s 1981 sobering track ‘Prisoners Of War’. The sample infuses the melancholic minor key chord progression of the original song, whilst being current and fresh in its iteration today, with slow and steady hip hop drums that feel straight out of an undiscovered mixtape from the early days of DatPiff. Taste that truly runs the gamut.
KAYTRANADA will play UK headline shows this April – find tickets here
