It was only a matter of time. With big-name artists like Drake and Beyonce (and emerging acts like Doechii and Leikeli47) sparking interest in dance music among hip-hop and R&B fans, Canadian dance maestro Kaytranada had to be planning his own comeback to take advantage. After both superstars released their respective dance efforts on the same weekend (Honestly, Nevermind and “Break My Soul“), Kay’s name trended on Twitter as fans wondered whether he had something new in the works.
Today, he made his highly-anticipated return with the help of another Black genre revivalist, Anderson .Paak, whose soulful sensibilities offer the perfect pairing for the nu-disco grooves of “Twin Flame.” In the song’s accompanying video, the two artists host a retro-futuristic rave with fashions right out of late ’90s sci-fi as they hold court above a packed dance floor.
Kaytranada’s last album, Bubba, came out in 2019, pre-pandemic, and was lavished with critical praise and awards including the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album and the Juno for Dance Recording Of The Year. Since then, he’s sprinkled his influence throughout the music world, dropping the Intimidated EP in 2021 and connecting with DMV rapper IDK earlier this year for Simple. Meanwhile, Anderson .Paak is fresh off of the funk homage group project Silk Sonic with Bruno Mars, on which they saluted ’70s and ’80s Black dad favorites like Con Funk Shun, The Gap Band, Isley Brothers, and Frankie Beverly and Maze.
Watch the video for “Twin Flame” above and stay tuned for more from Kaytranada, who’s currently touring the US and Canada alongside The Weeknd. Check out the dates for that below.
8/4 – Tampa, FL @ Raymond James Stadium*
8/6 – Miami, FL @ Hard Rock Stadium*
8/7 – Seattle, WA @ Day Trip Festival
8/18 – Denver, CO @ Empower Field at Mile High*
8/20 – Las Vegas, NV @ Allegiant Stadium*
8/23 – Vancouver, BC @ BC Place*
8/27 -28 – Pasadena, CA @ This Ain’t No Picnic
8/30 – Phoenix, AZ @ State Farm Stadium*
9/2 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium*
9/3 – Los Angeles, CA @ SoFi Stadium*
9/4 – Chicago, IL @ North Coast Festival
9/8 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Mirage [SOLD OUT]
9/9 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Mirage [SOLD OUT]
9/22 – Toronto, CA @ Rogers Centre*
9/24 – San Francisco, CA @ Portola Music Festival