Last night, i had the extreme pleasure of being invited to check out DMC champion, Jr- Flow‘s new live mash-up group, Keys ‘n Krates, which he founded in tandem with the ‘eclectic’ soul singer, Matisse.
As far as I know, these are the only kids on the block that have tapped in to the concept of performing LIVE mash-ups armed with a full band . The DJ is still the core of the group as he provides the beats and samples, while the rest (drums, guitar, keyboard) fill the space with rhythms and harmonies. Yeah, I could go on and on, making all kinds of high brow music critiques but I would only just be scratching the surface of what these guys are all about. They are simply a sight to be seen, or, heard, in the very least, and are fucking phenomenal. Much like a typical mash-up set, you can expect to hear all kinds of shit, new and old, being thrown in the mix. There are lots of vids available on their myspace, but here’s a couple for all you lazy asses out there.
Keys n Krates have been tearing things up across North America for almost a year now. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen so much passion in a live, or dj performance. The only other performer that I can think of that compares would probably be Skratch Bastid, who shows an equal love for the crowd and flair in his stylings. If I haven’t said it already, I’ll say it again, these guys are fucking phenomenal.
You can watch for them in NYC at Urb mag’s holiday party , or follow them at their own blog at http://keysnkrates.blogspot.com/
Mad props to Jesper at Ideall Friends for hooking things up, and Abby at Solepower Productions for smoothing things over at the door.
