OutRun is the debut studio album by French electronic musician Kavinsky, released on 22 February 2013 by Record Makers, Vertigo Records and Mercury Records. Production for the album was handled primarily by Kavinsky, along with close friend and fellow French electro house artist Sebastian. The album is named after Sega's 1986 arcade game of the same name, which featured the Ferrari Testarossa.[1][2]

OutRun
An image of a red Ferrari Testarossa with its headlights on, and a silhouette of a man with clouds behind them. The artist's name and album title appear above the Testarossa.
Studio album by
Released22 February 2013 (2013-02-22)
Recorded2006–2012
Studio
  • Gang (Paris)[a]
  • CBE (Paris)[b]
  • Third Side (Paris)[c]
Genre
Length44:26
Label
Producer
Kavinsky chronology
OutRun
(2013)
Reborn
(2022)
Singles from OutRun
  1. "ProtoVision"
    Released: 10 December 2012

The concept behind OutRun follows Kavinsky's backstory of a young man who crashed his Testarossa in 1986 and reappeared in 2006 as a zombie who produces electronic music.[2][3][4] Kavinsky cites influences from 1980s video games, television cop shows such as Miami Vice, and the films of Dario Argento.[5]

Singles edit

"ProtoVision" was released on 10 December 2012 as the album's official lead single.[6] The music video, directed by Marcus Herring, was released on 7 December 2012 on Vimeo and on 10 December 2012 on YouTube.[7][8]

Usage in media edit

A one-minute snippet of the song "Odd Look" was used in a 2012 French commercial for BMW i, which was shown in cinemas.[9][10] "Nightcall" plays during the opening credits of the 2011 film Drive.[1] "Roadgame" has been used by Mercedes-Benz in a 2012 French commercial and in 2015 for the Italian commercial of the CLA Shooting Brake. It was also used when Manchester City players and their staff arrives at the Etihad Stadium from their bus during their home matches. In a British 2021 TV commercial for Gusto pre-prepared food ingredient boxes, a short clip of "Rampage" was used as an example of 80's electronica.

Critical reception edit

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic75/100[11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Consequence of Sound     [12]
Drowned in Sound6/10[13]
The Independent     [14]
Mixmag4/5[15]
NME8/10[16]
Pitchfork6.3/10[3]
PopMatters8/10[17]
Spin8/10[18]

OutRun received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 12 reviews.[11]

Track listing edit

No.TitleLyricsMusicProducer(s)Length
1."Prelude"
Kavinsky
1:54
2."Blizzard" 
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
Sebastian3:27
3."ProtoVision" 
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
3:26
4."Odd Look" (featuring Sebastian) 
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
Sebastian4:49
5."Rampage" 
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
Sebastian2:55
6."Suburbia" (featuring Havoc)HavocKavinsky
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
3:28
7."Testarossa Autodrive" KavinskyKavinsky3:37
8."Nightcall" (featuring Lovefoxxx)
  • Kavinsky
  • Homem-Christo
  • Kavinsky
  • Homem-Christo
4:18
9."Deadcruiser" KavinskyKavinsky3:33
10."Grand Canyon" 
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
3:12
11."First Blood" (featuring Tyson)
  • T. Tyson
  • José Reis Fontão
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
3:04
12."Roadgame" 
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
  • Kavinsky
  • Sebastian
3:44
13."Endless"
  • Kavinsky
  • Hahn
KavinskyKavinsky2:59
iTunes Store US bonus track[19]
No.TitleLength
14."ProtoVision" (Red Sky Mix featuring Sugar Tongue Slim)3:02

Personnel edit

Credits adapted from the liner notes of OutRun.[20]

Musicians edit

  • Kavinsky – vocals (tracks 4, 8, 12)
  • Paul Hahn – voice (tracks 1, 13)
  • Raw Man – guitars (tracks 2, 3, 11)
  • Sebastian – vocals (track 4)
  • Havoc – vocals (track 6)
  • Lovefoxxx – vocals (track 8)
  • Tyson – vocals (track 11)
  • José Reis Fontão – backing vocals (track 11)

Technical edit

  • Kavinsky – production (tracks 1, 3, 6–12)
  • Sebastian – production (tracks 1–6, 10–12); mixing (all tracks)
  • A-Trak – recording (track 6)
  • Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo – production (track 8)
  • Florian Lagatta – engineering (track 8)
  • David Mestre – recording (track 11)

Artwork edit

  • The Directors Bureau Special Projects – album art concept, photography
  • Marcus Herring – director
  • Tari Segal – director of photography
  • Benjamin Glovitz – production
  • Duffy Culligan – executive production
  • Charlotte Delarue – art direction
  • Adrien Blanchat – image manipulation
  • Graphame – layout

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Certifications for OutRun
Region Certification Certified units/sales
France (SNEP)[31] Gold 50,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

Release history edit

Release history for OutRun
Region Date Label Ref.
Germany 22 February 2013 Mercury [32]
Ireland
[33]
France 25 February 2013 [34]
United Kingdom [35]
United States 26 February 2013 [36]
Australia 1 March 2013 Universal [37]
Italy 12 March 2013 [38]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Engineering on track 8
  2. ^ Track 11
  3. ^ Backing vocals on track 11

References edit

  1. ^ a b Battaglia, Andy (20 February 2013). "Kavinsky Opens Up About His Survivor Tattoo, Skrillex Movie Dates". Spin. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  2. ^ a b c Jeffries, David. "OutRun – Kavinsky". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  3. ^ a b Raymer, Miles (27 February 2013). "Kavinsky: Outrun". Pitchfork. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  4. ^ Khan, Karim (23 January 2013). "The Interview: Kavinsky". Hunger TV. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  5. ^ Abraham, Amelia (21 January 2013). "Kavinsky". Don't Panic Magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  6. ^ "Protovision – Single by Kavinsky". iTunes Store (France). Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  7. ^ "Kavinsky 'Protovision'". 7 December 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013 – via Vimeo.
  8. ^ "Kavinsky – Protovision". 10 December 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2013 – via YouTube.
  9. ^ Brooks, Richard (18 November 2013). "Kavinsky – Odd Look (Preview) (2013 BMWi Commercial)". Hypetrak. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  10. ^ BMW France (19 November 2012). "Découvrez la..." (in French). Retrieved 24 January 2013 – via Facebook.
  11. ^ a b "Outrun by Kavinsky Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved 27 February 2013.
  12. ^ Gerber, Justin (13 March 2013). "Album Review: Kavinsky – OutRun". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 12 April 2013.
  13. ^ Adams, Sean (20 February 2013). "Kavinsky – Outrun". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 24 February 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  14. ^ Price, Simon (24 February 2013). "Album: Kavinsky, Outrun (Mercury)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  15. ^ Muggs, Joe (21 December 2012). "Kavinsky: OutRun". Mixmag. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  16. ^ Perry, Kevin EG (21 February 2013). "Kavinsky – 'Outrun'". NME. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2013.
  17. ^ Bonich, Adam (1 April 2013). "Kavinsky: Outrun". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 14 February 2014. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  18. ^ Marchese, David (26 February 2013). "Kavinsky, 'Outrun' (Casablanca)". Spin. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  19. ^ "Outrun by Kavinsky". iTunes Store. United States. January 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  20. ^ OutRun (liner notes). Kavinsky. Record Makers. 2013. REC86.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kavinsky – Outrun" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  22. ^ "Ultratop.be – Kavinsky – Outrun" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  23. ^ "Lescharts.com – Kavinsky – Outrun". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  24. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Kavinsky – Outrun". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  25. ^ "Chart Log UK – Weekly Updates Sales 2013". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  26. ^ "Official Dance Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  27. ^ "Kavinsky Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  28. ^ "Kavinsky Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  29. ^ "Rapports annuels 2013 – Albums" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  30. ^ "Tops de l'année | Top Albums 2013" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
  31. ^ "French album certifications – Kavinsky – OutRun" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. 26 June 2013. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  32. ^ "Kavinsky | OutRun" (in German). Universal Music Germany. Archived from the original on 1 July 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  33. ^ "Kavinsky – Outrun". Tower Records Ireland. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  34. ^ "Outrun – Livre-disque – Kavinsky" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  35. ^ "Kavinsky Outrun CD Album". Universal Music UK. Archived from the original on 18 June 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  36. ^ "OutRun [Explicit]: Kavinsky". Amazon. United States. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  37. ^ "Kavinsky Store – OutRun". Getmusic. Australia. Archived from the original on 27 June 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  38. ^ "Kavinsky – Outrun". IBS.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2013.