Kenjanai: Faceless Heroes – VINYL LP

Following previous ventures with the Funk League and production credits for Large Professor, Diamond D or Gift of Gab, French producer Hugo LX returns with a new collective project under his Kenjanai alias. The debut album Faceless Heroes showcases a radical shift for the young beatsmith, as the production style leans towards futuristic beats, ’80s synths and also some downtempo – sometimes ambient – jams influenced by Japanese electronic and new-funk. Kenjanai is not only a producer effort, but a close collaboration with fellow musicians and top-shelf vocal artists: The mighty Elzhi (from Detroit’s very own Slum Village) and indie star Oddisee supply classic verses, while Canadian songstress Amalia (known for her tremendous work with Opolopo) brings her nu-funk trademark and soulful vibe in the mix, alongside Kandisky Effect bassist Gael Petrina and turntablist DJ Suspect. Cruising through atmospheric layers and hard-hitting drum patches, Faceless Heroes expresses nowadays producers’ ability to navigate from a place to another on the musical spectrum, in order to keep the music vibrant.