MSTRKRFT

MSTRKRFT (pronounced Master Craft) is the pet project of Toronto musician Jesse F. Keeler (Death From Above 1979) and studio wizard Al-P, two music-loving homies who’ve been itching to make people dance as hard as they’ve rock out in the past. Come the 26th August you will be able to taste the sonic warrior’s treats for yourself with the Australian release of their debut album, The Looks.

“It all comes down to feel,” states ALP. “We’re interested in making people feel like they want to dance, at least a little bit, so it’s all about whatever it takes to get people there.”

The pair has been collaborating, on and off, since 1998. Though they went separate routes – Jesse taking a brief break from music, and Al moving to New York where he worked at studios like Sound on Sound and Chung King recording artists as diverse as Jay-Z, Wyclef Jean, and David Clayton Thomas – the friends remained in contact, trading tapes of their individual, unreleased forays into dance music.

This studio success naturally led to Al’s being at the helm early in 2002 when Jesse was looking for fresh production ideas to compliment his new band, Death From Above 1979. Jesse and Al worked 15 hours a day in the studio together to complete DFA 79’s “You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine”, a red-hot masterpiece that fuses the energy of rock and roll with the oomph of disco that received rave reviews and spawned hit singles like “Romantic Rights,” and “Black History Month.” It also gave rise to Jesse and Al’s resolve to start there own project.

Enter MSTRKRFT, a package of house, hip-hop, grime, punk, and all kinds of electronic experimentation rolled into one. In a little over a year they have developed a cult following of dance fans around the world and have remixed just about everyone including The Kills, Annie and our beloved trio Wolfmother’s track “Woman”. As such, Modular felt there efforts were shit-hot and would really suit the diverse shape of the label.

The first track off the album ‘Work On You’ is an extravaganza of pogoing, robot-rock pandemonium and a film clip to match. ‘Easy Love’ is our prediction for the tune of the summer and has a film clip is bound to get most young male creatures blood a boiling with its steamy milkshake connotations. You can also expect to see the MSTRKRFT duo lighting up the East Coasts smoky club den’s in Mid September when they tour Australia.

“I love DJing so much,” enthuses JFK. “It’s so emotionally rewarding to see a room full of people dancing. That’s better than any experience I’ve ever had.”

With two feet firmly planted in punk rock’s influential past, and two in dance music’s future, MSTRKRFT are the now of now, wow.