Kavinsky has spent his career shrouded in mystery. He came to our attention in 2006 as a zombie who had died after crashing his Testarossa 20 years earlier. With the success of Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive Kavinsky reached a wider audience when his Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo produced, Lovefoxxx featuring "Nightcall" became the theme song for the movie. This is all too fitting as his music is inspired by thousands of movies he watched as a young boy. OutRun is Kavinsky's first proper full length, and features reworks of a few previously released tunes as well as a bevy of new material. For those that have been along for the ride since the beginning the themes are familiar, but there are twists and turns that keep the journey more than interesting. From the title itself, which references the Ferrari Testarossa featuring Sega arcade game of the same name, to the heavy Jan Hammer influence OutRun feels like a missing piece of the Kavinsky story. There are some surprising moments such as the Havoc (yes that Havoc) featuring "Suburbia" and the 80s soundtrack anthem "First Blood." Surprising as they may be those songs still fit firmly into the Kavinsky mold. Another chapter in the legacy of a zombie that we are only just getting to know.

• music label: Record Makers 2013

reviewed by Michu Meszaros 03/2013