Kavinsky’s Outrun opens with narration: “The year was 1986. He was a teenager like any other, dreaming of his heroes and in love with a girl.” Outrun throws us back to a 1980s movie soundtrack of sounds with arpeggios, 8 and 16 bit sounds, and a lead synthesizer on songs that sounds like a hybrid of sax and guitar. Kavinsky thanks Ed Banger label-mate SebastiAn for helping him lay out a vision and plan for this album. SebastiAn was also given co-producing credits of “Outrun,” so his involvement cannot be understated. “Nightcall,” the biggest single, was released in 2010 and was produced with Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel De Homen-Christo. The back up and people involved with Kavinsky are enough to make this guy credible.
“Prelude” opens and tells us how after crashing his Ferrari Testarossa in 1986, Kavinsky reappeared as a zombie in 2006 to make his own electronic music. “Blizzard” centers around a guitar riff and a palm muting and sounds reminscent of something Justice would’ve put on Audio, Video, Disco. “Protovision” follows and has a very distinct guitar driving the song with strong electronic chords providing a very lush sonic foundation. After being featured in the hit film Drive, “Nightcall” will be the most familiar to new listeners. Unfortunately “Suburbia” feels a little out of place on the album, it is an electronic hip hop song with artist Havoc rapping over the beat. I just can’t help but feel that this song would have been much better as an instrumental.
Outrun is definitely one that needs to be checked out by people of all musical backgrounds. It features such an assortment of styles all melded into a coherent sound. Kavinsky took nearly seven years before releasing his debut LP. Kavinsky shows us that just like the other French producers mentioned in this article, Daft Punk, Justice and SebastiAn, it is about the quality not quantity. Check some tracks after the jump.
Kavinsky will be playing to a SOLD OUT crowd at LOT 613 in Los Angeles Saturday March 9th. We’ll definitely be there to see what Kavinsky brings to his only west coast show. Let’s go LA!
Tracklist
1. Prelude
2. Blizzard
3. Protovision
4. Odd Look
5. Rampage
6. Suburbia
7. Testarossa Autodrive
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Kavinsky/07%20Testarossa%20Autodrive.mp3]
8. Dead Cruiser
9. Nightcall
[audio:https://controlaltdelight.com/Kavinsky/Nightcall.mp3]
10. Grand Canyon
11. First Blood
12. Roadgame
13. Endless
