Album Review: Automatic by Kaskade

By Tim

Electrified Album Review – September 2015

Kaskade – ‘Automatic’

This month’s featured album comes from American DJ and electronic producer Ryan Raddon, better known by the stage name Kaskade. The Chicago-born producer grew up listening to the influences of early house music in the 1980s, which flourished his passion for dance music. He holds his Mormon beliefs as a strong part of his identity. Even before his career took off, he was a traveler. He attending a mission trip to Japan and moved to Salt Lake City in the early 1990s for college. His unique journey has poured through his music during his decade-plus-long career, and on his ninth studio release, ‘Automatic’, he unleashes his heart and soul on the dance floor.

The album opener, “We Don’t Stop”, defiantly sets the tone for this chapter of Kaskade’s discography. On his second vocal track in his career, Kaskade sings, “We don’t stop for no one. We won’t break. The world won’t wait for you.” This is his style and he is proud of where the dance scene is at this time, ignoring naysayers and critics of the genre by pushing through the glass ceiling of expectations. Kaskade teams up with rising New York producer CID for track two, “Us”, a powerful song with electrifying verses and a grimy chorus and beat drop. “Us” is CID’s introduction to a wider dance audience, as he will be joining Kaskade on the Automatic Tour this fall. Kaskade has always been known to introduce new artists to dance fans on his albums through features, and this continues again on the third track with Galantis, the former Electrified artist of the week who have been making waves over the past year. Kaskade was an early supporter of the duo, playing their breakout hit, “You”, at Ultra Music Festival in 2014. On “Mercy”, Galantis and Kaskade join forces in the studio for the first time, and the result is nothing short of spectacular. Irish singer-songwriter Tamra Keenan assists on fourth track “Tear Down These Walls”, a mid-tempo number with a mixture of this year’s popular futuristic house style and Kaskade’s classic house from his early career. This track rounds up a stellar album introduction and serves as the perfect segue into the center of the album.

The heart of ‘Automatic’ is where Kaskade really shines. “Phoenix” features 19-year-old vocalist Sasha Sloan, who is inspired by Amy Winehouse and Norah Jones. Her soulful delivery brings raw emotion to a tune with a smooth groove. This is the calm before the storm. ‘Automatic’ next moves into the anthem “Disarm You”, one of the year’s biggest records. The major dance hit features vocalist Ilsey, who sings her heart out on a bold chorus over an infectious, pulsating beat. One major record follows after the other. “Never Sleep Alone”, featuring Tess Comrie, ignited clubs earlier this year for the same reasons as the previous track. These two songs manage to get you out of your seat, but both also convey messages about love. It’s hard to top this, but Kaskade pulls out all of the stops with superstar Estelle on “Day Trippin’”, a melodic tune with a classic house vibe. While the singles get the party started, here Kaskade and Estelle keep the party going with a soon-to-be late-night favorite.

The album segues into a more relaxed vibe following some fiery numbers. Kaskade teams up with alternative artist K.Flay for “Promise”, a deeper and more sensual house number. Scott Shepard provides vocals for “Breaking Up”, which starts off soft and builds into a raw chorus seeping with sentiment. As the track progresses to a more energetic vibe, the tone is set to move into the dynamic lead single, “A Little More”. This dance hit, which Kaskade released last fall with producer John Dahlbäck and vocalist Sansa, is the perfect dose of energy to segue into a calmer album conclusion.

As ‘Automatic’ creeps towards its end, Kaskade collaborates with Utah electronic band Two Nations on “Papercuts”, a song about heartbreak with a natural mix of electronic and alternative rock elements. Tamra Keenan provides vocals once again for “Where Are You Now”, a down-tempo house song in the vein of some of Kaskade’s earlier work. ‘Automatic’ wraps with a notable collaboration with KOLAJ, the buzz worthy electronic band from Los Angeles. On “Whatever”, Kaskade and KOLAJ provide serenity and synth and send off ‘Automatic’ on a blissful note. The carefree vibe of this album closer is much like the album opener, bringing the central theme full circle.

The ‘Automatic’ album cover features a portrait of Kaskade in a prismatic design. A colorful, triangular mosaic pattern fits as ‘Automatic’ is a bright album sharing different sides of Kaskade’s identity, sonically through genre experimentation as well as spiritually and lyrically through the telling of different stories and presentation of fantastic voices. ‘Automatic’ is not only a phenomenal dance album, but it is also one of the most special and intriguing releases of the year.

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