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For Kaytranada, everything starts with the drums. The Canadian producer builds tracks from percussion outward, perhaps opening with a hi-hat, then adding a bassline and kick drums and only afterward seeking chords that may suit the foundation. His terrific new album Bubba opens with one second of drumming before the beat switches and his signature synths arrive. On a more conventional pop record, this might be interpreted as an arbitrary gesture given how quickly it passes. But nothing on Bubba is accidental. The album capitalizes on the promise of Kaytranada’s 2016 debut, 99.9% and blesses this woeful decade with one last great dance record.

With 99.9%, Kaytranada established himself as a producer with a well-defined and influential sensibility. It was sample-heavy and for all of Kay’s digital chops, the production still felt analog: The synths shook and the drums swung. It was also collaborative in the best possible sense. Kaytranada’s sense of purpose was strong enough to yoke the other artists to his intent. In one of the few interviews he gave in the run-up to Bubba’s release, he described how he cajoles potential features. “Some people just want the usual, basic stuff they’re comfortable with,” he said. “You have to work to push them out of their comfort zone.”

Nevertheless, Bubba sounds very comfortable. It’s a dance album front-to-back, fun, confident, always keeping you in perpetual motion, no matter what might be happening around you (train delay, being mugged, the heat death of the universe). - Pitchfork