99.9%

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99.9%
Studio album by
Kaytranada
ReleasedMay 6, 2016
Recorded2014–2016
Genre
Length59:08
Label
ProducerKaytranada
Kaytranada chronology
99.9%
(2016) 		Bubba
(2019)
Alternative cover
Canadian cover
Singles from 99.9%
  1. "Leave Me Alone"
    Released: August 12, 2014
  2. "Drive Me Crazy"
    Released: January 27, 2015
  3. "Bus Ride"
    Released: March 17, 2016
  4. "Glowed Up"
    Released: April 7, 2016
  5. "Lite Spots"
    Released: May 10, 2016
  6. "You're the One"
    Released: 27 September 2016

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]

Background and promotion[edit]

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[edit]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10[33]
Metacritic81/100[34]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[35]
Financial Times[36]
The Irish Times[37]
Mixmag9/10[38]
The Observer[39]
Pitchfork8.0/10[40]
Q[41]
Record Collector[42]
Spin8/10[43]
XLR8R8/10[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[edit]

Publication Accolade Year Rank Ref.
The Guardian The Best Albums of 2016 2016
36
[47]
The Independent Best Albums of 2016 2016
16
[48]
NME NME's Albums of the Year 2016 2016
5
[49]
Rough Trade Albums of the Year 2016
76
[50]
The Skinny Top 50 Albums of 2016 2016
25
[51]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2016 2016
36
[52]
Apple Music Best Albums of 2016 (Canada) 2016
1
[53]
Pitchfork Best Albums of 2016 2016
25
[54]

Track listing[edit]

All tracks produced by Kaytranada, except "Bus Ride" by Kaytranada, Karriem Riggins and River Tiber, and "Weight Off" by Kaytranada and BadBadNotGood.

99.9% track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Track Uno"Kevin Celestin5:44
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"Celestin2:01
9."Glowed Up" (featuring Anderson .Paak)
4:58
10."Breakdance Lesson N.1"Celestin4:28
11."You're the One" (featuring Syd)
3:47
12."Vivid Dreams" (featuring River Tiber)
  • Celestin
  • Paxton-Beesley
4:36
13."Lite Spots"Celestin3:50
14."Leave Me Alone" (featuring Shay Lia)
  • Celestin
  • Shay Lia
4:37
15."Bullets" (featuring Little Dragon)
4:59
Total length:59:08
Kaytranada.com bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
16."Nobody Beats the Kay"Celestin2:03
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[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for 99.9%
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[edit]

  1. ^ Fantoni, Laurent (March 19, 2016). "Kaytranada shares new track 'Bus Ride' featuring Karriem Riggins". factmag.com. Retrieved March 24, 2016.
  2. ^ "Kaytranada wins 2016 Polaris Music Prize for his album 99.9%". The Globe and Mail, September 19, 2016.
  3. ^ Rockingham, Graham (1 April 2017). "Hamilton's Dirty Nil and Diana Panton winners at Juno gala". The Hamilton Spectator. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  4. ^ Hudson, Alex (May 14, 2014). "Kaytranada Signs to XL". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  5. ^ a b c 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.
  6. ^ Hudson, Alex (May 14, 2014). "Kaytranada Signs to XL". exclaim.ca. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
  7. ^ "Hear Kaytranada's 'Leave Me Alone' from forthcoming So Bad EP". factmag.com. August 12, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  8. ^ Chiu, David (August 12, 2014). "Stream Kaytranada's New EP Track, "Leave Me Alone"". TheFader.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  9. ^ Richard (August 12, 2014). "Kaytranada ft. Shay Lia – Leave Me Alone". DJBooth.net. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
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  11. ^ Philip (December 18, 2014). "Kaytranada to Expand Upcoming EP Into Album". EDMTunes.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  12. ^ Cheung, HP (December 16, 2014). "KAYTRANADA Upgrades Upcoming EP 'So Bad' to Full Album". HYPETRAK.com. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  13. ^ Goddard, Kevin (January 27, 2015). "Kaytranada – Drive Me Crazy Feat. Vic Mensa [New Song]". HotNewHipHop.com. Retrieved March 23, 2016.
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