Mount Kimbie will release a new double album on Warp in November.
MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning comprises two individual albums by its two members, Dom Maker and Kai Campos.
Die Cuts, produced by Maker, was inspired by his move to Los Angeles half a decade ago, around the same time as the band’s old friend and collaborator James Blake. The pair began doing production sessions with people from the world of rap and hip-hop, including Jay-Z, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky, SZA, and Rosalia, among many others.
We’re told to expect a “reflection of this nascent community.” Skipping between hip-hop, RnB, and electronic pop, the album “combines high class song-craft with a delicate left-field touch. It showcases a cast of vocalists including James Blake and Slowthai, alongside new collaborators Danny Brown, Reggie, Nomi, Keiyaa, Wiki, and Liv.e.
Campos’ side began after the duo’s Love What Survives album led to a period of extensive touring. Back home, he was hungry for a change of pace. He found it in DJing, which offered a new kind of performance: unplannable, unpredictable, and thrilling. In 2018, he recorded a slick DJ-Kicks mix, before embarking on a project of “intense listening and thinking about listening,” while “immersing himself in new sounds and music-making approaches.”
The outcome of this creative journey is City Planning.
“Wild, warped and loopy,” the album “twists avant-garde signifiers from on and off the dancefloor into a deft and refined statement,” we’re told. “Its sleek beats and stuttering arpeggios are caked with scuzz and personality, making for an album that’s warm and inviting even at its most confrontational.”
While Maker’s side is colourful and melody-led, thriving on the spark of collaboration, Campos’ side is tactile and unpredictable, the product of a “deeply personal aesthetic voyage.”
Alongside the announcement, the duo have shared a double A-side single which features, “f1 racer” (feat. Kučka) produced by Dom Maker, and “Zone 1 (24 Hours),” produced by Kai Campos.
Die Cuts
01. DVD feat. Choker
02. In Your Eyes feat. Slowthai and Danny Brown
03. F1 Racer feat. Kučka
04. Heat On, Lips On
05. End of the Road feat. Reggie
06. Somehow She’s Still Here feat. James Blake
07. Kissing feat. Slowthai
08. Say That feat. Nomi
09. Need U Tonight
10. If and When feat. Wiki
11. Tender Hearts Meet the Sky feat. Keiyaa
12. A Deities Encore feat. Liv.e
City Planning
01. Q
02. Quartz
03. Transit Map (Flattened)
04. Satellite 7
05. Satellite 9
06. Satellite 6 (Corrupted)
07. Zone 3 (City Limits)
08. Zone 2 (Last Connection)
09. Zone 1 (24 Hours)
10. Industry
11. Human Voices
MK 3.5: Die Cuts | City Planning LP is scheduled for November 4 release, with pre-order available here.
