99.9%
by Kaytranada
  • Record Label: XL
  • Release Date: May 6, 2016
User Score
8.5

Universal acclaim- based on 118 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 108 out of 118
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 118
  3. Negative: 4 out of 118
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. LilWayneHater
    May 6, 2016
    10
    FIRST ALBUM KILLED IT. All those genres are jammed together into a single album, just like they are within Celestin; he finds joy and fun in them all.
  2. tinskiwe
    Jun 1, 2016
    10
    Amazing album! I've been listening to Kaytranda for quite some time and he outdid himself with his debut album '99.9%' ! I have been listening to it for almost a month now and I'm still not tired of it. Every single track is catchy as hell and sticks in your mind all through the day :) The album is 50 - 50 % split between vocal tracks and instrumental tracks. Genres are diverse, but hisAmazing album! I've been listening to Kaytranda for quite some time and he outdid himself with his debut album '99.9%' ! I have been listening to it for almost a month now and I'm still not tired of it. Every single track is catchy as hell and sticks in your mind all through the day :) The album is 50 - 50 % split between vocal tracks and instrumental tracks. Genres are diverse, but his signature sound can be found in all of them. As it is said in one of the skits from the album: 'It's musicality meeting the beats. From the chords and the basslines to the rhythms", the tracks form into one complete feel good trip. Luv it :))))… Expand
  3. Blanche
    Aug 20, 2016
    8
    The Haitian-Canadian outfit Kaytranada has produced dozens of tracks and remixes over the years so it only seemed plausible that we finally see him release an original album, entitled 99.9%. This record is scattered with different genres stretching from jazz, hip-hop, house and even disco influences arise from it. You'd think it would sound like a mess right? Absolutely not.

    Kaytranada    The Haitian-Canadian outfit Kaytranada has produced dozens of tracks and remixes over the years so it only seemed plausible that we finally see him release an original album, entitled 99.9%. This record is scattered with different genres stretching from jazz, hip-hop, house and even disco influences arise from it. You'd think it would sound like a mess right? Absolutely not.

    Kaytranada demonstrates how incredibly versatile he is in his production combining the array of genres with different vocalists for different purposes.

    The most jammy tracks on the record Got It Good, Drive Me Crazy, You're The One and the instrumental Lite Spots all hit the spot for me. They are incredibly consistent in quality yet so different from one another respectively; they are fun and engaging in their own particular way. Every vocalist (apart from Lite Spots which uses a sample from Gal Costa's "Pontos De Luz") is solid on each track. It's pretty difficult to nail down which is my favourite out of the four! I think I'll go with Got It Good with Craig David, such a feel good track, but it is very tight. Always a good thing. In fact, You're The One could quite easily be a FIFA track. Not sure if he wants to go down that route though!

    Then we have more laidback tracks like Bus Ride which have some really nice drums and strings, Glowed Up which is quirky in a good way and adds spice to the record. Weight Off, Together, One Too Many and Vivid Dreams are also solid tracks with pretty good instrumentation and yet more solid vocal performances. The consistency is really impressive. Bus Ride in particular has some fantastic placement of drums.

    More instrumentals deriving from Track Uno, Despite The Weather and Breakdance Lesson N.1 highlights more of Kaytranada's production skills. Breakdance is the weaker of the three and in fact one of the weakest in the album, mostly because I feel that the track is a bit too long for liking. Could have been shortened to around three minutes. Track Uno which although is even longer in length justifies that because of the more prominent, continual change of textures, melodies and rhythms which keep it engaging for me. It isn't a bad track by any means, still quite good.

    The last two tracks featuring Shay Lia and Little Dragon respectively are once again solid tracks. Leave Me Alone is a particular highlight on the record - the frothy yet tamed bass is brilliant and the vocals harmonise with it very well. Great track. Bullets is also pretty good, different from the rest once again but still has that Kaytranada touch.

    And that's what makes this album so fantastic. Every track is unique in its own way yet retains the noticeable Kaytranada attitude across every single track, be it subtle or prominent. I notice how every snare, clap, click and hat for instance sounds slightly different from one another in each four bar loop - a technique he's been playing with for years. This is simply a fascinating way to maximise replayability on the album and it works wonders. Kaytranada's percussive synthesis in both execution and variation across the record is deeply impressive. The synthesizers he utilises are also typical of his sound and his style. Another noticeable element is the outros that are in a handful of the tracks which switch the chord progressions and sometimes sound like completely different songs. This is also another method to make each track even more interesting, and yet again he is successful in that regard. Although I will say they did confuse me at first!

    My only gripes with this record is even though it's pretty cohesive, consistent and very engaging, there's not too many spectacular songs. They're all good, a few fantastic, but the only amazing songs I would classify are Got It Good, Lite Spots and Leave Me Alone. It needed that killer edge. I would have maybe taken out One Too Many just to squeeze one more fantastic or even amazing song in. And I also feel that Breakdance Lesson N.1 could have been shorter and instead Despite The Weather could have been longer.

    All in all, a fantastic debut album by Kaytranada (with a few minor mishaps). After all these years of listening to his material, I am happy to see him pull off something as big as this really well. I am pretty excited to see what else he can offer in the future. The guy is very talented and very versatile in his production. One of the best records of 2016.    … Expand
  4. ThatMatt
    May 13, 2016
    10
    Kaytra has single-handedly created his own genre. The man has taste. Despite the weather was a particular highlight for me. Love this sound. Great production value and and seriously good value for money.
  5. AlexDionisio1
    Sep 7, 2016
    6
    Equal parts hip-hop producer and club hitmaker, the talented Mr. Kaytranada has a bright future, and it's not hard to tell from his 99.9% debut. Cool, experimental new-age jams, sweet-sung joints and arguably not enough rap spots make up the project. It's the perfect music for this generation, but it would have been better if more young progressive emcees showed.
  6. AiAmano
    May 7, 2016
    7
    There are some grooves on the album that are totally 100% killing it, like you would expect from KAYTRANADA. Sadly, it is not consistently good and some beats feel a bit lifeless and flat. Still, good job.
  7. Joeey1
    May 9, 2016
    9
    What 99.9% offers is a unique sound through Kaytranada's ability to blend genres (funk, hip hop, jazz, trap,neo-soul etc). All of which have been crafted in such a way that its musically pleasing and refreshing to hear, something so different from the norm yet exciting. Coupled with this, is an array of features which really show Kaytranada's ability to tap into an artists' creativeWhat 99.9% offers is a unique sound through Kaytranada's ability to blend genres (funk, hip hop, jazz, trap,neo-soul etc). All of which have been crafted in such a way that its musically pleasing and refreshing to hear, something so different from the norm yet exciting. Coupled with this, is an array of features which really show Kaytranada's ability to tap into an artists' creative niche, while some certainly prove to be more compatible in working with Kaytranada than others, in terms of musical production, he really has hit a "99.9%" margin in terms of showcasing their capability. 99.9% is really true to its conceptual stand point, it's Kaytranada's uncertainty that's had him separated from 99.9% of other music producers. On the downside to this album, I feel as if a little bit more introspection through individual Kaytranada tracks could of been offered to showcase a bit more character. All in all, **** good album man.… Expand
  8. review_lad_swag
    May 6, 2016
    9
    After having this on loop for the past 5 hours, I can safely say I think this album will stand out as one of the highlights from 2016. Quality never dips, just solid tunes and good vibes from start to finish.
  9. freshie
    Jan 9, 2018
    10
    Kaytranada is one of the greatest producers to gain traction of recent times. His incredible skills and potential are on full display all through 99.9%. One of the best albums of 2016
  10. switch_cat_mac
    Mar 12, 2018
    8
    There will always be a special place in my heart for projects that get me interested in a new genre of music. Prior to 99.9%, I was not particularly interested in dance music or instrumental tracks. This album kinda opened the door for me in a big way to those genres, and after 99.9% I found myself getting into artists like WizKid, J Dilla, and Nicholas Jaar. Thank you, Kaytranada--in myThere will always be a special place in my heart for projects that get me interested in a new genre of music. Prior to 99.9%, I was not particularly interested in dance music or instrumental tracks. This album kinda opened the door for me in a big way to those genres, and after 99.9% I found myself getting into artists like WizKid, J Dilla, and Nicholas Jaar. Thank you, Kaytranada--in my mind you now share shelf space with Ryan Adams (country), Chance the Rapper (hip hop), and Lauryn Hill (RnB).

    It's hard for me to pinpoint what's so compelling about this album, as I don't listen to a lot of dance music. But the sonic palette sounds utterly unique in 2016 (and now in 2018). I've never heard side-chain compression abused in such a creative and visceral way. The drums sometimes pound with club vibes, sometimes they crackle and crunch and sit closer front in the mix. Examples of the latter include Bus Ride and Weight Off--Kaytranada's approach to recording and sampling live drums is absolutely fascinating, I wish I knew what he is doing to Karriem Riggins' drums to get that sound... like the hi hats are spitting. And the swing he applies is so slight, but so spot on.

    The rest of the instrumentation consists largely of synths and samples. Many of the synths sound quite basic, such as the one in You're the One, yet are used sparingly and to good effect. The sampling is IMPECCABLE--dear lord, the melodies and hooks he finds in these samples are incredible, and his sonic treatment of the samples--adding some kind of crunchy overlay, like in Breakdance Lesson No. 1, provides just the right bounce.

    Alright. Them bass lines. The bass lines are maybe my favorite part of this project. K's base has some crunch and some dirt without taking up too much space in the mix, and the lines are hypnotic and tie in perfectly with the instrumentals. I hear some funk, some disco, some house, some hip-hop influences in the bass lines.

    Finally, the features. Kaytranada does a really great job of tailoring his sound to fit each feature, like the heavy ATL club sound for Vic Mensa, or the tinny Odd Future-like synths for Syd. The performances from the guest artists rank among some of the best in their respective catalogs, in my opinion--certainly the most popular songs from Vic Mensa and Anderson .Paak. I don't know if the features are so great because Kaytranada is so great, or if this is just one of those projects where everything just works out that way. I guess we'll see on the next project.

    Kaytranada is already getting so much recognition, and it's well-deserved. This is the dance album I never knew I needed. Looking forward to whatever is next for Kaytranada.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

92
#92 Most Discussed Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. PopMatters
    Jul 12, 2016
    60
    At 15 tracks, Kaytranada could’ve easily cut out about three of the lesser songs here and had a better album.
    Read full review
  2. No Ripcord
    Jun 22, 2016
    80
    The album’s title suggests something close to perfection, and 99.9% isn’t too far from being the ideal electronic record.
    Read full review
  3. Mixmag
    May 25, 2016
    90
    From where we’re standing, this is the debut album of the year.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »