First Thoughts: K+Lab, 'The Worldly's'
Futuristic funk in full force.
The mothership has returned! New Zealand’s newest music prodigy has arrived with his sophomore album, The Worldly’s, on Lowtemp Records and is looking to bring back the futuristic funk in full force for once and for all.
K+Lab’s newest album is a big blend of funk, hip hop, glitch hop, electronic, and drum n bass, and somehow into one. He plays his signature Keytar (also featured on the album’s cover art) along with some beat machines to produce his tracks. Having been nominated for Electronic Album of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards, at the UK Glitch Hop Awards, and touring throughout Australia, Canada, and New Zealand, K+Lab is now looking to expand his reach even further. The Worldly’s is fit for listening in the car, gym, party, or even grandma’s house if she’s cool enough. Now let’s get into some tracks.
“Mothership ReEntry”
The first track does its job perfectly. It engages the listener well, sets up what to expect for the rest of the album, and most importantly it is dope. Featuring Alias and The Mic Smith, the three complement each other well and deliver a great opening track to help set the fun tone of the album. Definitely in my top 3 tracks.
“Pull Up”
K+Lab’s lead single “Pull Up” continues with a g-funk inspired beat, as well. With features from Melodownz and Mustafa Akbar on the track, the catchy groove and synth bassline are nearly impossible to not bob your head to. This song reminds me of the West Coast g-funk days in the 90s with its rapping, but also incorporates electronic undertones and modernizes it. And I have no complaints about that. This one definitely gets the party started and the music video is just as much fun.
“Neck Breaker”
K+Lab had to put a song called “Neck Breaker” on here. The synth design on this song is incredible and again reminds me of 90s hip hop that you could not stop bobbing your head to the beat. Def3 also delivers some of my favorite verses from the album here with compound rhymes and a flow that suits the song well. A very cool track that just might be my favorite on here.
“Fangz”
The album’s closeout song brings it all back with some more groovy tunes after a few slower songs near the end of the album. K+Lab features Sacha Vee and Tali on here. They complement the song well along with some nice female vocals. The bassline sticks out the most.
‘The Worldly’s’ is out today, October 14._