October 2023: Blue Electric Light opens on funk and a Star Wars name
The first thing you hear on TK421 is the groove: dry funk guitars, a dancefloor kick, analog synths coming in, quite loud. Then Lenny Kravitz’s voice rides the groove, talkbox wheezing in the mix, and a saxophone solo that sits forward in the mix. The title points to TK-421, the stormtrooper callsign in Star Wars, and slang that also turns up in Boogie Nights. Kravitz turns the code into a private joke and a dance cue at the same time. Released 13 October 2023 via BMG, the track opened the Blue Electric Light campaign. Kravitz produced it himself in the same multi-instrumentalist habit that has defined his records since the early 90s.
Released on 13 October 2023 via BMG, the track opened the Blue Electric Light campaign. Kravitz produced it himself in the same multi-instrumentalist habit that has defined his records since the early 90s. The arrangement is packed and still easy to read: funk guitars upfront, robotic synths answering, a beat built for clubs as much as rock radio. Dry funk guitars, a dancefloor kick, analog synths coming in, quite loud, talkbox wheezing in the mix, and a saxophone solo that sits forward in the mix. The title points to TK-421, the stormtrooper callsign in Star Wars, and slang that also turns up in Boogie Nights.
The single keeps the dance beat and does not become a ballad. After years of ballad singles, he opens with a dancefloor beat and a sci-fi nickname. The first chorus makes the tone of the campaign clear from the start. Kravitz turns the code into a private joke and a dance cue at the same time. The arrangement is busy and still easy to follow: funk guitars upfront, robotic synths answering, a beat built for clubs as much as rock radio. This single stays on a dance beat and does not slip into a ballad. After those years of ballads, he opens on a dancefloor beat and a sci-fi nickname. BMG press flagged the funk guitars, the talkbox and the saxophone as the opening sounds.
The dance beat stays in front. The sci-fi nickname on the single is TK-421. BMG had already named the funk guitars, the talkbox and the sax.
Right out of the gate, Kravitz packs a punch on ‘TK421’ with ecstatic funk guitars, robotic analog synths, weezy talkbox, a dancefloor beat, and a soaring saxophone solo.
(BMG press release, October 2023)
TK421 remains the lead single for Blue Electric Light: funky, referential, and hardly solemn. Live, the talkbox and sax give the band room to show off without losing the groove. TK421 remains the lead single for Blue Electric Light: funky, referential, and hardly solemn. Live, the talkbox and sax give the band room to show off without losing the stride. The stormtrooper name is a joke. The groove is what the single is built on. The opening funk is the part the campaign leads with.
TK-421 is the Star Wars name in the title. The groove is the part that stays.
Bea | 8 October 2026
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Not my usual lane but TK421 got me. Fair enough. Might be recency bias but I do not care today. Good piece.
Sam W. | 8 October 2026
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Heard TK421 a thousand times. This reminded me why it stuck.
Marc G. | 9 October 2026
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Simple song, big feeling. TK421 still does that.
Diego | 10 October 2026
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Ok but who else puts TK421 on at 1am and feels seen? Also the comments section on old forums was wild about this.
Olivier | 10 October 2026
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Heard TK421 a thousand times. This reminded me why it stuck. Might be recency bias but I do not care today.
Carmen | 11 October 2026
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First time I heard TK421 was on a burned CD. Still got the scratches in my head. Sharing this in the group chat. Expect chaos. Good piece.
Bruno | 11 October 2026
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I argued with my brother about TK421 for years. This is my exhibit A. Ok bye.
Ray | 11 October 2026
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I never knew that detail about the session. Changes how I hear the intro.
Ivan | 12 October 2026
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First time I heard TK421 was on a burned CD. Still got the scratches in my head. I told my coworker and they shrugged. Their loss.
Rosa | 12 October 2026
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cool. Now I want the deep cuts around TK421 too.
Louise | 14 October 2026
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This is the track I put on to test new speakers. Lenny Kravitz never lies.
Théo | 15 October 2026
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Solid chronicle. I forgot how sharp Lenny Kravitz sounded on this one.
Amy | 15 October 2026
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Anyone else think the live versions of TK421 are better? Studio still wins for me though. Also the comments section on old forums was wild about this. Anyway.
Jackie | 16 October 2026
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Ok but who else puts TK421 on at 1am and feels seen?