Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to have judged the new Kavinsky single, “ProtoVision” according to Drive movie soundtrack standards. But when you’re so closely associated with such an evocative sound and my favorite soundtrack since Garden State, it’s hard not to judge harshly. Plus, if you were like me and the Boys Noize remix only exacerbated that problem (sorry, I know a lot of Shufflers loved that track), then it became a little hard to not be disappointed at the trajectory of Kavinsky as he prepares his debut album, OutRun (especially as he tongue in cheek compares it to Drive through his album art).
So leave it to Dev Hynes (aka Blood Orange) to reinvigorate me in the awesome promise that is Kavinsky. Hynes adds some serious nighttime driving funk to the track with a sexy vocal sample that feels right out of Glass Candy’s best work. His Chromatics-level synths give me back that feeling of driving through the shady parts of downtown L.A., a fuck all care attitude to the world as the music blasts through my speakers.
Some of you might know Dev Hynes through his collab with long time friend Florence Welch last year, but I know him best from his amazing single “Sutphin Boulevard.” Check out his SoundCloud for more.