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 | ||||
![]() Canadian cover | ||||
Singles from 99.9% | ||||
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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]
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]
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]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10 [33] |
Metacritic | 81/100 [34] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Financial Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Irish Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Mixmag | 9/10 [38] |
The Observer | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [40] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Record Collector | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
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 | |
Pitchfork | Best Albums of 2016 | 2016 | 25 |
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
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
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. |
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