Kaytraminé: Kaytraminé review – spry, sparkling rap collaboration

Over the past decade, Canadian producer Louis Celestin, AKA Kaytranada, has filled dancefloors with his distinct brand of funk-forward house music. His three albums have produced high-energy live sets, including a viral 2014 performance for Boiler Room, and remixes for the likes of Dua Lipa and the Weeknd. Featuring bright melodies and rhythmic spaciousness, Celestin’s productions are an ideal fit for rappers to riff on, and his latest album sees him collaborating with MC Aminé as Kaytraminé, creating 11 tracks of effortless, hip-hop-inflected club jams.

The record is packed with high-profile features that complement Celestin’s instrumental bounce and Aminé’s nimble delivery. A syncopated Afrobeat pulses beneath Pharrell’s vocals on standout 4EVA, while a pitched-up Aminé provides a counterpoint to Snoop Dogg’s verses on the synth-laden Eye. When the pair are producing alone the result is equally compelling, with Aminé meandering between R&B vocals on the jazz references of Rebuke, while taking on baritone verses for the trap bass of Westside. With most tracks running at under three minutes, Kaytraminé can feel more like a mixtape than a fully realised album, but its brief compositions mark Celestin and Aminé out as an agile pairing, capable of holding their own.