Keys N Krates are starting the new year stronger than most of the pack, making their Midnite Mass EP, released on DIM MAK, available to stream via The FADER. This EP, releasing January 15, is a glorious, indie-like bass garden of sound from the Toronto Trio. Their unique sound comes in part from their individual skills as a turntablist, keyboard player, and drummer. This explains why their breakthrough singles “Dum Dee Dum,” “Are We Faded,” and “Treat Me Right” are able to pull the strings of packed festival crowds with a varied use of rhythms. Hip-hop, house and UK bass music all play a role in a Keys N Krates record, but so do the dark-tinged dynamics and widescreen ways of indie acts like Caribou and M83. “Seeing M83 live at the Osheaga festival changed our whole perception of how their music translates live,” says turntablist Jr. Flo. “The chord progressions are beautiful and catchy but never corny. It’s pop music at its best.”
Racking up a million and a half plays on SoundCloud so far, ‘Save Me ft. Katy B’ feels like a huge score with big synths waving between shuffling percussion and vocal samples. You can feel the influence of hip hop in some of their beats, but the layers in each track are what really stand out about listening to this. In regards to their EP, Keys N Krates told The FADER “We wanted to make music that feels good at home but also slaps in the club or at festivals. It needed to feel like a small body of work that is both emotional and epic while banging out at the same time. The process was basically us creating our own samples by co-writing bits with vocalists that we would then fux with and make these tunes around. Every song had to have grimey sample textures whether it was a distorted string lead, lo-fi drum sounds or morphed vocals, because after all, we think of all our beats as rap shit in the end. The shit also had to be catchy and poppy.”
I expect this EP to get big ups from producer/DJs such as Lido, Daktyl, What So Not, Alison Wonderland, Zeds Dead, DjembaDjemba, and more. To celebrate the release, Keys N Krates are embarking on a full North American tour with tickets on sale at www.midnitemass.com
Stream the Midnite Mass EP above and find the tour teaser and full tour routing below.
“Midnite Mass Tour Teaser” –
Midnite Mass Tour Dates:
01/19 – Burlington, VT – Higher Ground *
01/20 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall *
01/21 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club *
01/22 – New York, NY – Terminal 5 *
01/23 – Baltimore, MD – Soundstage *
01/24 – Philadelphia, PA – Soundgarden Hall *
01/26 – Charlottesville, VA – The Jefferson Theater *
01/27 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle *
01/28 – Asheville, NC – Orange Pell *
01/29 – Nashville, TN – Exit / IN #
01/30 – Athens, GA – Georgia Theatre *
02/02 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall *
02/03 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection *
02/04 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall *
02/05 – Minneapolis, MI – Skyway #
02/06 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave *
02/09 – St. Louis, MO – The Pageant *
02/10 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada *
02/11 – Denver, CO – The Ogden Theatre #
02/12 – Albuquerque, NM – El Rey Theater *
02/16 – Reno, NV – Cargo ^
02/17 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades ^
02/18 – San Francisco, CA – Regency Ballroom ^
02/19 – Santa Cruz, CA – The Catalyst ^
02/20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda ^
02/21 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues ^
02/24 – Eugene, OR – McDonald Theatre ^
02/25 – Portland, OR – Roseland Ballroom ^
02/26 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory ^
02/27 – Boise, ID – Knitting Factory ^
02/28 – Seattle, WA – The Showbox ^
03/25 – Toronto, ON – The Danforth Music Hall
* w/ Stooki Sound & Jesse Slayter
# w/ TBD & Jesse Slayter
^ w/ Hermitude & Ganz
