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Ottawa Citizen

Bluesfest Day 9: Kaytranada spins a chill DJ set to wind down the fest

Article content Kaytranada closed out the 31st edition of Bluesfest on Sunday with a solo DJ set that wound down the nine-day party with a chill vibe that was not too heavy, not too loud and fully danceable. Article content With about 10,000 in attendance, it wasn't a massive crowd by Bluesfest standards, especially for an artist who pulls in many millions of views on his YouTube channel. But as the only electronic headliner on this year's program, he had the attention of a demographic that came dressed for the dancefloor, which, in this case, was the rain-dampened dirt in front of the Canadian War Museum. Article content Article content Article content The Haitian-born Montrealer, aka 32-year-old Louis Kevin Celestin, didn't talk much as he conjured a groove-driven set, his surging bass lines dripping with hip hop-laced beats, and often topped off by the ethereal sound of angelic vocals floating overhead. Article content Article content Add a non-stop barrage of strobe-powered lights pulsing to the beat and a closing blast of fireworks, and it was a blissful night for the throngs of fans dancing together on the plaza, including a handful of young women on their boyfriends' shoulders. Article content The instrumental jam band of Canadians barely noticed the change in weather. They were focused on unravelling some intense grooves to warm up the dancers for Kaytranada, and drummer Alexander Sowinski was urging everyone to get loose and shake it out. Article content 'We came to take you on a ride,' Sowinski declared, giving a special shoutout to the band's friends and family in the audience. Turned out it was a homecoming for their Ottawa-born bassist, Chester Hansen, a Canterbury grad. Article content The ride was a musical one that took us down into the funky depths, over a tapestry of jazz and up into the psychedelic atmosphere, with a wonderful salute to the rhythms of Brazil along the way. Article content Article content When the rain hit, Sowinski and his cohorts got even deeper into it, gaining momentum with the increasingly heavy precipitation. Most of the audience scattered in search of shelter in the museum, but a devoted bunch stuck it out to shake and shimmy in the rain.