Kaytranada

Montreal-based producer Kaytranada has been slowly easing listeners into the many altered states of his ever-shifting musical world over the past year, churning out varied compositions ranging from reconfigured R&B classics and experimental trap beats to eased-back house and downtempo creations. Kaytra Todo, his latest step towards a proper album, offers up more of his expanded trap impressions, their overall tone blending visions of chilled electronic futurism with hints of human warmth. The combination of tweaked bass drones and sweeping ethereal synths on opener "Killa Cats," and the inviting digital tones and subtle vocal sample of "An Excuse" offer prime examples of these two elements at play. The collection's few non-trap tunes, such as the house-inflected "Hot Jazzybelle," with its whimsical piano melody and pushed pace, aren't as effective, and while new-R&B cut "All We Do" helps to mix things up as the EP's lone vocal track, it too feels a little plodding and stilted. For the most part, Kaytranada's tough 808 rhythms and subtle sonic emotion offer something to latch onto, putting an interesting spin on the generally more abrasive hip-hop sub-genre.