Auckland-based producer KINGS’ self-titled debut arrives after a raft of collaborations over the past several years (BulletProof, Dan Aux and Dick Johnson, to name a few) and continues his fusion of hip-hop, EDM and chilled R’n’B.
Sure, he has a bit of work to do on differentiating his vocal chops from others who also talk over beats (not quite rapping per se) then break into harmonic swoons, but KINGS’ ear for ear-candy textures signals he has plenty of off-kilter ideas, the gritty synths and pulsing high-hats of Y. C. S. W. U., and the pitched-shifted conga and lazy horn stabs of Different Levels just a couple of examples of his compositional nous.
• KINGS. KINGS. Warner Music.
• Three and a half stars (out of five)
Single download: Don’t Worry About It
For those who like: Digable Planets meets Air
— Shane Gilchrist
