With summer now behind us, the dance music community faces the annual transition from festival life back to the reality of wherever we call home. For most of us in the PNW, that revolves around trying to find a balance between long work weeks and fitting in as much music into our lives as possible.
This last weekend provided ample opportunity for the team at DMNW to do just that, as the anticipation of some nasty weather kept many people indoors. With so many options for quality music to plug into our earholes, we decided this was the perfect opportunity to hit play on the latest album by one of New Zealand’s national treasures, K+Lab, which dropped this past Friday!
Available now!
Constantly crushing it on stage and in the studio with his trusty keytar, K+Lab represents the mid tempo, party scene with the likes of Stickybuds, Featurecast, JPOD, and many more at Kelowna, BC’s Danio Management. A crew known for their mash-up of glitch hop, funk, and drum & bass, into some form of hybrid bass riddled glitch funk and one you may remember from our recent article highlighting their Shambhala mix series.
K+Lab broke onto the scene with the release of his debut album Spacedirt back in 2014. Skip ahead two years and the man known to his friends and family as Caleb Cowie is tearing up dance floors around the world.
K+Lab in his element as the sun comes up over Fractal Forest
His latest album, The Worldly’s, is the Capitan’s first release on Lowtemp. A label whose founder is no stranger to the sound himself – Gramatik. Although relatively new to our area of the map, make no mistake; K+Lab has proven he has what it takes to roll with the heavy hitters, and The Worldly’s is his ticket to the big leagues.
The album’s first single, Pull Up, is a testament to the dedication he put into his craft between albums. With tours around New Zealand, Australia, and Canada (including back to back performances at the legendary Shambhala), the world is taking notice of the Auckland native, and there’s not much of an argument to see why.
His latest work is filled with collaborations from an assortment of singers and MC’s from around the globe, each one bringing their own flavor to the pot of funky stew. The first track, Mothership ReEntry, kicks things off in a similar fashion to his previous album, with undertones of heavy bass driven funk and breaks leading the way.
Warm, rolling basslines play an ever present role throughout the album, whether it’s accompanying some drum & bass as heard in Chestnut, or some funky breaks like in Neck Breaker and Lil White Box. The sounds of 2 step are infused into Gunfight, while the title track, The Worldly’s, echo’s something of a DJ Shadow production. With a little taste of everything, The Worldly’s showcases what helped make K+Lab a household name around BC, and will undoubtedly help him build a fan base across the PNW.
While this year has seen its fair share of quality albums, The Worldly’s has the potential to still stand out in the crowd come the end of 2016. From start to finish, the bass riddled beats hold their own, and in our opinion, is K+Lab’s best work to date.
The Worldly’s is available to stream or purchase by clicking here, but as always, if you like what you hear then support your favorite artist by purchasing their work! Not enough for you? Don’t worry, K+Lab’s Shambhala mix is set to be released in 2 days!
What are your opinions on the latest by K+Lab? Let us know by sharing your voice below or on social media!
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