Kaytranada
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For the second summer in a row, Haitian-Canadian producer Kaytranada is getting people dancing with a new studio album. The Grammy-winning DJ has released his fourth album Ain’t No Damn Way!, the follow-up to last year’s Timeless. Kaytranada gave little warning for the release, announcing the LP earlier this week and dropping lead single “Space Invader” shortly thereafter.
Like with Timeless, Kaytranada plays with a wide range of sounds and rhythms on the project, from more upbeat tracks like “Championship” and “Don’t Worry Babe / I Got U Babe” to laid-back offerings like “Things” and “Shine Your Light For We.” He even samples TLC’s “Let’s Do It Again” on closing track “Do It! (Again!).”
In recent years, Kaytranada has fully stepped into his power, unafraid to create beats or make musical tweaks that he feel might not resonate with listeners or collaborators.
“I always used to be very shy in the studio and sometimes let the artists just do their thing because I didn’t want to correct them or anything. It took me a while to understand, OK, I got to be the one that says ‘Do it like this,’” he told Rolling Stone last year. “I don’t have a leader mentality. I’m learning to do that now.”
Now, Kaytranada is “trying to make Grammy-winning albums.” “I just want to be remembered as one of the greats in terms of producing, not only dance and electronic but also just production in general,” he told Billboard.
Kaytranada hits the road with Justice on a co-headlining tour across North America this fall. It all kicks off Oct. 16 in Vancouver and wraps up Nov. 16 in Miami. Before then, fans can listen to the producer featured on Teyana Taylor’s forthcoming album Escape Room, due out next week.