Review Summary: Look out that your soles don't burn to the floor
Ryan Raddon a.k.a. Kaskade has earned his spot in the energetic and flamboyant world of house music, and rightfully so. His steady rise in popularity can easily be attributed to the quality and production polish that he applies to everything he touches. Be it his solo work, his laid back yet still ear popping influences he applies to side project Late Night Alumni, or any of his numerous high profile remixes; Ryan has always successfully managed to blur the lines between savvy pop stylings and hard hitting kinetic dance. And its for this very reason that his last album of completely original material, 2008's
Strobelite Seduction reached the levels that it did; its intoxicating mix of indelible ear candy coupled with a desirable and adorable lounge like atmosphere helped to push Kaskade's name into the stratosphere. Coupled with a hugely impressive and critically acclaimed mix album,
The Grand, and remixes for such big names as Britney Spears and Lady Gaga, it seemed that the world was at Kaskade's feet. With his brilliant colloboration with Deadmau5, Move For Me, still doing the rounds on the circuit and in everyone's mind,
Dynasty emerges to continue the sonic euphoria. Preserving the sound that we've come to know and love from him, Raddon introduces a few new elements to the equation, reminding us that even when his music already has us on our feet, keeping us on our toes is his main priority.
LNA's siren Becky Jean Williams helps to kick things off with 'Start Again', a slow burner of a track that kicks the album off in a fashionable manner. With the album styled like a typical Saturday night adventure, the beinnings of the journey begin in a more subdued fashion. Slowly working its way into your system, and preparing you for the ride ahead, its a more relaxed offering from the beat merchant, an almost humbling beginning that sets the scene as opposed to out and out flooring you. But then 'Don't Stop Dancing' hits, and then its all over. Featuring longtime empress of the dancefloor Haley Gibbs, Kaskade scratches out a swirl of synthesized strings, perfectly contemplating Haley's angelic and pixie like nature of her vocals. A captivating and all encompassing track, it reminds you just how damn
amazing Kaskade can be when he lets loose and goes for broke.
Haley re-appears on 'Don't Wait', a laconic and simplistic beat that sees her mixing it up with wistful stabs of acoustic guitars and a overly ripe melancholic aesthetic. Crooning “
Don’t wait to take what’s there and make it what you want. All that you need, you have. It’s right there in your heart.”, it comes off as a lightly chilled and slightly provocative lullaby for the dance masses. But when it comes to setting the dancefloor on fire no one really does it quite like Kaskade, as shown in full display with the rip roaring 'Fire In Your New Shoes'. A steady and pusling beat is puncuated with flares of electric guitars and mind altering synths, and Dragonette's guest spot throws the song into a whole new dimension of image and swagger, setting it aside from the friendly nature of his other works.
Dynasty doesn't quite reach the levels of his previous works, but when stacked up against that impressive body of work its easy to see why. Yet it still does a more than admirable job of taking hold of your nervous system and sending it into a frenzy. Ryan's latest offering shows no signs of him slowing down anytime soon, and while it might not be the biggest thing he's ever done, the collection of tracks on offer are still some of the most energetic and absorbing cuts to be heard since, well, since Kaskade last graced us with an appearance.
