Muphoric Sounds first mentioned DJ Kiva last summer with his Degrees of Freedom, which was a mixture of broken beats, smooth soul and hip hop (read article here). Now comes his latest experiment, BTR8ION, the world’s first ever written and produced album entirely on a Sony Playstation Beaterator! And I’ve got to tell you this, it’s very impressive. Kiva put BTR8ION together while on the streets, on a plane, in the car, basically, in transit. Packed with experimental sounds, in broken, dubstep, hip hop with dirty basslines and gritty synthesizers, I’m still amazed that it was all made on a little handheld.

In addition to being a musician (guitarist and keyboardist), Kiva teaches Electronic Music Production at Manhattan’s DJ and Music Production school — the Dubspot. A few months ago, Kiva was featured on NY1 discussing the PSP Beaterator and how his school adopted the console into their curriculum and after-school programs. It would be a sound decision for Sony to recruit Kiva in the production of their 2nd generation device; clearly, he’s an expert!

I think this is pretty awesome and I would love to know your thoughts on BTR8ION. What’s better -  making beats or playing games? Why not both?

Check out BTR8ION below – it’s also available for free download at Soundcloud.

BTR8ION by DJ Kiva

Tracklisting:
01. Hollywood Starz
02. Situation feat. Channel Earth
03. Keep the Fire Burning
04. C’mon Y’all
05. Satta Massagana*
06. Bring Da Beat Back
07. Center of the Universe
08. Another Kind of Language
09. Mysyde
10. Era Unknown
11. Altitude
12. Back to My Galaxy

* Satta Massagana written & originally recorded by the Abyssinians

When you come across an album title that truly exemplifies the content, you can exhale with a feeling of completeness. That is exactly the case with DJ Kiva’s sophomore album, Degrees of Freedom. From the opening to close, Kiva explores throughout the album his musical freedom. The album is a mix of broken beat, smooth soul, bordering with dubstep, and hip hop rock. With a host of artists, such as Nigerian born vocalist/spoken word artist Onome, Oakland based hip-hop artist Sunru, Philadelphia’s vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist Jneiro Jarel, NY afrobeat empress Toli Nameless, and others all help Kiva illustrate his degrees of freedom. The best way to describe DJ Kiva’s production is to imagine an expansive road that is atmospheric, unconstrained, and uplifting. Some of the most enjoyable parts of Degrees of Freedom are Kiva’s instrumental pieces coupled with euphonious vocals, taking futurist electronic sounds to another level. A great composition.

Check out some of the songs from Degrees of Freedom, which can be purchased on Bagpak Music or iTunes.

“Degrees of Freedom” feat. Onome

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“Walk in Broken Shade” feat. Afra Behn

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