Unsurprisingly, it was a successful homecoming for Kaytranada on Saturday evening at Parc Jean-Drapeau. The superstar brought the house down on Île Sainte-Hélène as part of his Timeless tour, also in support of his album of the same name, released last June.
Before Kaytranada took to the stage, three artists took to the stage in the following order: Kitty Ca$h, Lou Phelps (Kaytra’s brother) and Channel Tres. All three helped prepare the crowd for the main event with upbeat, rhythmic sounds, allowing the audience to warm up and let loose before the main course. A special mention goes to Channel Tres, whose dancers raised the energy level with a colourful performance.
Time for the highlight of the evening! To the tune of “Pressure,” the intro to his new album, Kaytranada took to the stage at around 9.15pm, enveloped in a thick cloud of smoke. Energetic and welcoming, the crowd was ready to express its love for the local hero. He then went on to play several tracks from the new opus, each as good as the next. This immediately captivated the crowd, who already seemed very familiar with this brand-new repertoire, despite its recent release.
Kaytranada went on to alternate classics like “YOU’RE THE ONE” and “10%” with more recent tracks from Timeless, as well as recently released remixes, such as his remix of Justice and Tame Impala’s excellent “Neverender.”
It’s often easy to lose concentration during a DJ/producer’s set, but Kaytranada knows how to avoid this problem and keep the audience’s attention thanks to neat dance steps and mesmerizing visual effects. All in all, a highly cohesive show with perfectly executed transitions between tracks.
After more than an hour and a half of powerful song sequences, our man ended his concert on a high note, closing with the song that made him famous, “Be Your Girl,” bringing the show to a masterly close. After a short break, he returned for an encore with two final songs from Timeless: “Call U Up,” accompanied by his brother Lou Phelps, and “Drip Sweat,” with Channel Tres. Both artists took to the stage to perform their respective parts.
All in all, Montreal’s electronic music fans were not disappointed by the performance of their Quebecois darling, who gave an explosive performance on this balmy September evening.
