What's on My Playlist: Kaytranada

I first discovered Montreal-based Kaytranada after listening to his INSTRUMENTAL HIP HOP IS DEAD mix tape. After doing so I think it's safe to say that hip-hop is certainly not dead. When Kaytranada takes to the tables, it seems to enter a dreamy new realm in which beats are stripped to a deep house minimalism and doused in amorphous synths. Adding just the right touch of nu-disco flare to upbeat R&B hits like Jill Scott's "Golden" and Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson's "What's it Gonna Be?," Kaytranada creates some infectious grooves that mesh together and swell with the utmost smoothness when integrated into his sets. But at the same time he makes sure to keep it street by dropping tracks like Pusha T's "Numbers on the Board" or Three 6 Mafia's "Ridin' Spinners." Kay's beats bring the best of many musical worlds together for the hipster generation that likes to stay ahead of the curve while succumbing to the gritty pleasures of gangsta rap. Trip-hop is taken to euphoric heights and grimy lows as glitched up sounds and familiar classics from every corner of the recordsphere are mixed into cocktails of unpredictable hypnosis. To get the full experience, I would recommend any one of Kay's mixes on Soundcloud. 

His blog is also dope: http://kaytranada.com