Dirtybird co-founder, Justin Martin, is at it again with a summery remix of Kenna’s hit single Relations. Justin Martin morphs the playful track into a spaced out deep house tune that even breaks out a little bit of an Italo-disco vibe at times. Glitchy synths and warm bass notes balance Kenna’s soulful vocals, creating an undeniable groove. Lucky for you, the remix of Relations is out now on Dim Mak Records.
The original tune, which was produced by Chad Hugo of The Neptunes, was from Kenna’s EP “Land 2 Air Chronicles II: Imitation is Suicide Chapter 1“. The initial remix of Relations featured a guest turn from Childish Gambino (and was accompanied by this sparse yet funky music video, and after the success of that rework, Martin now takes a swipe at this acclaimed song with his own bass-heavy remix. This EP was part of a three-part series on Dim Mak, consisting of “Land 2 Air Chronicles I: Chaos and the Darkness”, :Land 2 Air Chronicles II: Imitation Is Suicide Chapter 1″, and “Land 2 Air Chronicles II: Imitation Is Suicide Chapter 2”. These were released over 4 months and consisted of 12 original tracks plus the Childish Gambino collaboration.
Grammy nominated artist Kenna made a name for himself with his breakthrough 2003 debut album release “New Sacred Cow”. The album grabbed the attention of MTV, nabbing a MTV VMA Breakthrough Video nomination. Now in the spotlight, artists from Justin Timberlake to Depeche Mode‘s Dave Grahan have enlisted Kenna as an opening act for their tours. The music videos of Freetime and Hell Bent appeared with heavy rotation on MTV and MTV2, while Freetime reached #19 on U.S. Dance charts and earned Kenna two MTV VMA nominations. Riding off that success, Kenna’s second album, Make Sure They See My Face debuted at #1 on the Billboard Top 20 Heatseekers Chart. Additionally, his track Say Goodbye To Love was nominated for Best Urban / Alternative Performance in the 2009 Grammy Awards.
Justin Martin is no stranger to the electronic music community, launching his career in 2003 with his first record The Sad Piano. As a third of the renowned Dirtybird crew, Martin has established himself as a force in dance music. Recognized for his success, he appeared on the infamous Essential Mix series with the legendary Pete Tong in 2010, as well as gracing the cover of DJ Mag the same year. Recently, he collaborated with fellow Dirtybird member Eats Everything on their “Hello Mr. Jello EP”.
“…packed with a lot of emotion…” – Complex
“…melancholy, eerie, and electrically charged…” – 2DopeBoyz
“Kenna manages to get mighty funky…” – MTVu
“…the dude sure knows how to mix up funk, R&B, and sex.” – Noisey
“…admirable for the way it offers an alternative interpretation of modern funk that isn’t particularly concerned with recent trends in that realm.” – LessThan3
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Serafina Thoma – EDM TOR
