In SOUND CHECK, we check in with some of our favorite musicians.
The 20-year-old Montreal producer Kevin Celestin, aka Kaytranada, is making waves in the electronic/hip-hop music scenes with his super vibey, fresh takes on classic pop songs like Missy Elliott's "Sock It To Me" and Janet Jackson's "If". All eyes were on him at this year's Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, especially given the release of his new EP, Hilarity Duff. We sat down at the Red Bull Studios to reminisce about his hometown, hanging with female body builders, and more.
Photos by ALEXANDER ATTAR
Grace Wang: Your set at this past Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival was insane! The crowd completely lost it when you dropped your edit of Janet Jackson’s "If." What would you do "if you were Janet’s boy"?
That’s an amazing question! A lot of things, yo. I really had a crush on Janet during the 90s, she's the finest.
I think it's really cool that you throw in a lot of hip hop and neo soul in your sets, as opposted to straight dance music. What's your favorite track to drop at the moment?
It's all about the hype music––the stuff that makes people go crazy. No boring shit. At the moment, I love to loop four bars of De La Soul's "Me Myself and I" before going into the Teedra Moses remix of "Be Your Girl". People go crazy every time they hear that "I want to..." drop.
My favourite track of yours is "Club Bang". It's super vibey, and it's also the perfect mix of hip hop and electronic. How do you approach making a track?
It’s always the sample that makes you want to go and do a beat. But you have to look for the right sample. The sample from "Club Bang" is from Deee-lite. They had this crazy remix that I had on vinyl for two years before I ripped it and did "Club Bang". I thought it was the perfect idea.
Where do you usually make music?
Down at the studio but usually it happens at my house, in my bedroom.
What did you wear as a teenager?
Damn. I had no swag when I was 13 or 14, but now it's okay. I used to wear those sleeveless vests that were the coolest thing at the time. Now it's like, the douchiest thing you could ever wear.
I read in an interview that you said you prefer bars over clubs in Montreal. What are some of your favorite bars at the moment?
I really love Blue Dog, Blizzarts––they're cool spots to hang out.
I love the video for "AT ALL", where you hang out with female body builders!
When my friend told me the [video idea], I was like nuh-uh, I don't know about that. I never thought I’d be some humourous guy in this video, but I went with it. Then, while we were filming, it was pretty cool. Bodybuilders––they're just like us! When we were in the gym, it was all eyes on us. I was lifting one pound [weights] while they were lifting like, 500. They go HAM.
What’s the best food you’ve ever had on tour?
Damn, that’s a good question. I ate a good steak in Poland.
What's the worst food you've ever had
The 20-year-old Montreal producer Kevin Celestin, aka Kaytranada, is making waves in the electronic/hip-hop music scenes with his super vibey, fresh takes on classic pop songs like Missy Elliott's "Sock It To Me" and Janet Jackson's "If". All eyes were on him at this year's Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, especially given the release of his new EP, Hilarity Duff. We sat down at the Red Bull Studios to reminisce about his hometown, hanging with female body builders, and more.
Photos by ALEXANDER ATTAR
Grace Wang: Your set at this past Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival was insane! The crowd completely lost it when you dropped your edit of Janet Jackson’s "If." What would you do "if you were Janet’s boy"?
That’s an amazing question! A lot of things, yo. I really had a crush on Janet during the 90s, she's the finest.
I think it's really cool that you throw in a lot of hip hop and neo soul in your sets, as opposted to straight dance music. What's your favorite track to drop at the moment?
It's all about the hype music––the stuff that makes people go crazy. No boring shit. At the moment, I love to loop four bars of De La Soul's "Me Myself and I" before going into the Teedra Moses remix of "Be Your Girl". People go crazy every time they hear that "I want to..." drop.
My favourite track of yours is "Club Bang". It's super vibey, and it's also the perfect mix of hip hop and electronic. How do you approach making a track?
It’s always the sample that makes you want to go and do a beat. But you have to look for the right sample. The sample from "Club Bang" is from Deee-lite. They had this crazy remix that I had on vinyl for two years before I ripped it and did "Club Bang". I thought it was the perfect idea.
Where do you usually make music?
Down at the studio but usually it happens at my house, in my bedroom.
What did you wear as a teenager?
Damn. I had no swag when I was 13 or 14, but now it's okay. I used to wear those sleeveless vests that were the coolest thing at the time. Now it's like, the douchiest thing you could ever wear.
I read in an interview that you said you prefer bars over clubs in Montreal. What are some of your favorite bars at the moment?
I really love Blue Dog, Blizzarts––they're cool spots to hang out.
I love the video for "AT ALL", where you hang out with female body builders!
When my friend told me the [video idea], I was like nuh-uh, I don't know about that. I never thought I’d be some humourous guy in this video, but I went with it. Then, while we were filming, it was pretty cool. Bodybuilders––they're just like us! When we were in the gym, it was all eyes on us. I was lifting one pound [weights] while they were lifting like, 500. They go HAM.
What’s the best food you’ve ever had on tour?
Damn, that’s a good question. I ate a good steak in Poland.
What's the worst food you've ever had