By Gabriel Spadaccini
It’s been little over two years since the famed house music producer Kygo began his meteoric ascent to superstardom. The prolific Norwegian producer became known throughout late 2013 and 2014 thanks to a string of successful remixes, the majority of which have racked up tens of millions of views on streaming sites the world over.
Thanks to a recent Instagram post, however, it’s definite that the long run of standalone singles is over: Kygo will finally be releasing an album all his own. According to the producer, the album titled Cloud Nine is ‘99% finished’ but still going through some last minute tweaks, while a ‘Cloud Nine’ world tour and festival have also been announced. Fortunately for listeners, Kygo is a generous guy and has hooked us up with a seven-minute preview of some of the tracks on the album on Soundcloud.
While we’re on the edge of our seats waiting on the final release date for Cloud Nine, we’ve compiled a list of ten Kygo tracks – remixes and originals alike – that feature the best of the producer’s signature laid back sound. Have a listen below and prepare for the full-length:
Sexual Healing (November 2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqPnZ4I9IdU
The remix that began it all, firmly embedding Kygo’s signature sound – 4/4 common time kick drum pattern, congas, bongos, marimba and the like, and soaring synthesizer melodies. Ultimately it’s a release that breathes new life into Marvin Gaye’s 1982 classic, reviving it for the generation hooked on slow buildups, bass, and dreamy summer vibes.
I See Fire (December 2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWYp1xRPH5g
Adding power to Ed Sheeran’s hauntingly beautiful track with melodies and bouncy synth pads, Kygo’s remake is essentially the crooning original’s long-lost brother: amplified and rhythmic but with the same soothing charm. And If you’ve been lucky enough to see the producer live, you’ll know it also makes for a hell of an opening to his live set.
Often (July 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zbhc6ypLnuw
Arguably the producer’s most creative remix, completely transforming The Weeknd’s track – originally a hazy, creeping slow dance – into something instrumentally upbeat, danceable. It’s a noteworthy departure from the sonic ingredients we’re used to from Kygo.
Dirty Paws (November 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDIMDku4bPc
This track – which first saw the light of day when Kygo appeared as a guest on Thomas Jack’s tropical house mixtape series – includes all the best elements of the producer’s sound built on an already phenomenal sound by the Icelandic indie band Of Monsters and Men.
Cut Your Teeth (January 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzEwx4BoYI0
Another stellar track, channeling the best part of the Kygo sound, starting off with vocal echoes plus the signature tropical drums and gradually funneling in synth melodies and pads before unleashing the entire concoction all at once for maximum effect.
No Diggity vs. Thrift Shop (January 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEQxWg92Ux4
What’s remarkable here is that the Norwegian producer was able to craft another infectious track built on nothing more than the audio from a 360p video clip: Ed Sheeran and Passenger’s live performance mashup of the two, very different tracks on the old Fifi and Jules radio show.
Firestone (December 2014)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Sc-ir2UwGU
The producer’s first bona fide single – released via Ultra Music and Sony in December of 2014 – effectively catapulted Kygo’s sound and career to unprecedented heights and heavy rotation. The track, featuring some seriously steamy vocals from Australian singer Conrad Sewell, has reached Number 1 on the charts of various countries, and even made its way deep into the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40.
Younger (December 2013)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx4rsZkCCss
This track builds the soul-inspired vocals of Sweden’s Seinabo Sey with trademark hard-hitting kick drums and a gradual, multi-instrumental buildup. ‘Younger’ is a standout in that that Sey’s unique, emotionally-charged vocals don’t take a backseat to the song’s electronic elements. Plus, it’s ideal Carpe Diem material.
Stay (December 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUWYDaVp92I
The latest addition to Kygo’s fleet of originals, guided by the sincere vocals of another female powerhouse – a Mississippi artist by the name of Maty Noyes – and a fireworks-display synth melody chorus.
ID (Ultra Music Festival Anthem) (February 2015)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNppHOYIgRE
Stripped down to what we’d call the Kygo essentials – Finely-tuned kick drum beats, and inventive, ever-bubbling synth melodies, rising and falling, building then releasing tension – this instrumental track is proof the producer needs no vocals to layer on. Kygo’s electronic instrumentation is dynamite in and of itself.
