KAVINSKY | Biografie

 

Today, as the pre-order launched for Reborn – his first album in nine years – Kavinsky shared his new single, “Zenith.” Greatly inspired by cinema, the acclaimed French producer envisioned “Zenith” as the sequel to his breakthrough hit, “Nightcall.” Muted and futuristic, the new song reveals Kavinsky’s romantic side. Like “Nightcall,” it’s a duet between man and a woman. Yet with “Zenith,” he flips the script, featuring the female character, Prudence (formerly of the duo The Dø), on the verses while Morgan Phalen (who sang with Justice and is the vocalist of Diamond Nights) takes the choruses, playing the male lead. A soulful, sensuous saxophone adds a distinctive third voice as the song plays out. Listen to “Zenith” HERE.

 

“Zenith” follows Kavinsky’s late 2021 single, “Renegade,” which has amassed over two million combined global streams. Available for pre-order HERE, Reborn will be released via Virgin Music France / Record Makers on March 18.  Fans who pre-order the album will instantly receive “Zenith” and “Renegade.” Marking his first new music since 2013, “Renegade” instantly captured the attention of critics, with Pitchfork, Stereogum, NME, The Line of Best Fit and others quick to spread the word that Kavinsky was back.

Dancing Astronaut said, “‘Renegade’ picks up precisely where Kavinsky left off…bringing his unmistakable synthwave savvy into the newest decade…[and] tapping Cautious Clay for a smooth vocal backing and a production helping hand from Justice’s Gaspard Auge as well as Victor Le Masne to make the near-decade wait for another release well worth it.” Celebrating his “grand return,” EDM.com hailed “Renegade” as “another Kavinsky classic…[a] dazzling retro-inspired song.” Earmilk added, “The track arrives paired with superhero inspired visuals that keep you hooked while you consume the fizzing undercurrents of his musical underworld.” View the official video for “Renegade,” which was directed by Alexandre Courtès (Daft Punk, U2, Jamiroquai), HERE.

 

 After earning a strong following in the French electro scene with his early EPs, Kavinsky found mainstream success with the riveting placement of “Nightcall” in the opening moments of Drive. The 2011 film, which earned Nicolas Winding Refn the award for Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, starred Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Oscar Isaac and Albert Brooks. The accompanying soundtrack topped the soundtrack charts in the U.S. and the U.K.

 

“Nightcall,” which Kavinsky produced alongside Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, has since been sampled by Kanye West‚ Lupe Fiasco and Childish Gambino. The song, which has amassed nearly 240 million plays on YouTube, appeared on Kavinsky’s 2013 full-length debut, Outrun, which was released by Record Makers and won a French GRAMMY®. The album also included the singles “Roadgame,” which became a staple at sporting events, and “Odd Look,” a song that Kavinsky later re-recorded with The Weeknd. Kavinsky was chosen by Daft Punk to open for their 2007 “Alive” world tour, and later toured alongside The Rapture, Justice and SebastiAn.

 

Kavinsky      Photo Credit: André Chemetoff

 

Founded in 2000, Record Makers brings together a community of like-minded people, convinced that eclectic music with a strong French touch can reach international impact. Independent since day one, the label encompasses a large variety of styles: the dark, brooding electro of Kavinsky, the rich compositions of the goldsmith Sebastien Tellier, the electro-pop mish mash of Hypnolove, the seminal soundtracks of Drive (by Nicolas Winding Refn), Assault On Precinct 13 (by John Carpenter), or Air’s Virgin Suicides (by Sofia Coppola, the first release of the label), the roaring disco of Californian songwriter Cola Boyy, Dita Von Teese’s sparkling musical adventures, Tristesse Contemporaine’s new-wave or Turzi’s rock disciplinaire. All these different styles are all united by hazy romanticism, handmade craftsmanship and one credo: music and images are one and the same.

 

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