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Kitsuné Maison is much more than just a music label; it is a clothing brand, a café. And it’s gone global.
The Parisian brand is back with a superb compilation of the artists of tomorrow – both musicians and illustrators.
The Sweet Sixteen Issue has a fresh new artwork composed of drawings by 23 of the most exciting new illustrators scouted by the label.
Illustrators have come from all over the world: places such as Sicily, Surakarta, Copenhagen plus more! It gives a variety of enriching influences that backs Kitsuné Maison’s vivid desire of multicultural art. Le Petite Voyeur, Ajeng Runi and The Fabulous Nobody feature their designs on the latest compilation.
The theme of this new compilation is – as you already guessed – ‘teen years nostalgia’. In fact, it is based around the North American coming of age party, the sweet sixteenth. Indeed for Kitsuné’s co-founder Gildas Loaec, this new volume is resolutely about adolescence.
“Who’s not for re-experiencing the emotions of being 16 again? When life’s all to be discovered and conquered…
“Although in the same vein, Maison 16 is more gentle and tender than its predecessors. I hope it is as wild and eclectic as you would expect from Kitsuné, however it’s definitely deeper and more feminine too…
“Never standing still, the label’s almost unstoppable and is constantly morphing into new shapes and ideas,” says Gildas.
So, what about the musicians?
As always, Kitsuné Maison showcases a complete assortment of the movers and shakers currently shaping up the music industry’s future.
They’ve gone global again here with artists from Puerto Rico to France; New York to London; Zambia to Chicago, and more in between.
Overall, the album is an assortment of tunes that mix and blend together yet bounce off each other throughout – just like any generation of sixteen years old teenagers, and the playlists at their parties.
A lot of the songs are instrumental; ultimately a trademark of the band’s signature style and reflective of their culture too. This is exemplified in Buscabulla’s “Sono”, Fakear’s “Interstellar” and Danglo’s “Forget You”.
Buscabulla are a trio straight out of Brooklyn. Puerto Rican designer Raquel Berrios, multi-instrumentalist Luis Alfredo Del Valle and Dev Hynes at the controls make “Sono” sound like a mixture of cultures mashed together – in a good way of course.
Hip-hop and electronica is what makes Fakear stand out in this compilation. “Interstellar” takes you – not only around the world – but to another planet through his music also.
Danglo is a UK DJ and producer who puts a spin on the sweet sixteen theme by providing a dance tune mixed with saccharine R ‘n’ B vocals. If we were in the 90s, this would have been for the twenty-odd year olds.
In the 21st century, the younger generation love it too. Perfect for Kitsuné’s compilation.
Logo, Croquet Club and Christian Rich blur the lines between trance and disco with their bass lines and sheer joy for creating sounds that blends between love and music.
Logo’s mish-mash of blitzkrieg techno, radiant cold-wave, warm house and italo-disco makes people sweat – literally, whilst Croquet Club has a rock-solid bassline and enchanting melodies showing that Jeremy Villecourt is of a rare breed.
Twins Christian and Rich are in with all the right people which doesn’t mean that their music is any different with greatness to the rest of the album. It does help that they are mates with Pharrell though, right?
The Sweet Sixteen compilation is not just an assortment of dance tracks and international music with only instrumentals; it also has a few songs that are special in a different way. These songs are the ones with vocals from the artist’s mouth.
Margot’s “No One’s Gonna Miss You” is the first of the songs with lyrics. She is a talented singer with a beautiful voice that makes you stop in your tracks. This New Yorker is also gifted with her violin-playing skills.
She paints an emotionally charged picture that’s as infectious as it feels familiar. This is one of the top songs of Kitsuné’s compilation. It is on another level just as it is completely different to any of the other tracks.
Frances has an angelic voice that is louder than any remix. She commands your attention. Mexico’s finest nu-disco producer Cesare turns “Fire May Save You” into a Balearic singalong that still resonates when long gone. The combination of vocals and light beats makes it one to watch.
Sego’s “20 Years Tall”, Jaw’s “Think” and Nimmo and the Gauntletts “Others” are more indie-pop in comparison with the some of the dance-bass combination that The Sweet Sixteen entails.
“20 Years Tall” has intoxicating melodies with spiky guitar riffs which is a breath of fresh air in this techno-digital age we live in today.
Jaws are barely legal. That doesn’t mean they can’t play as good as the others. In fact, they’re damn good. They make ‘breathy guitar pop’ that lures you in to their world. In “Think” they talk about a girl ‘dancing slowly across the room’ which perfectly reflects the teenage nostalgia of being sweet sixteen.
“Others” is Nimmo and the Gauntletts debut. It captures the ups and downs of love. The single is a firework of crystal-clear guitars, expressive keys and harmonic exchanges, not to mention a handful of superior remixes that take this poignant ode to unsuspected levels of drama.
Other songs that are undoubtedly amazing and in-sync with the Sweet Sixteen theme are We Are Shining’s “Hot Love”, Citizens! “Lighten Up”, Davidan’s “Could Never”, Kwamie Liv’s “5 am” which sounds a lot like Lana del Rey’s captivating voice and Tobtok’s “Deux”.
Unmissable and greatly orchestrated, The Sweet Sixteen by Kitsuné Maison is something that everybody should hear at least once.
Out on 24 November.