Keys N Krates Reinvent the Remix

Posted on Nov 24th 2009 4:30PM by Jesse Ship
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Like many once-underground trends, mashups have gone mainstream (see: 'Glee'). But here to give the art form back some cred are Keys N Krates, a Toronto trio who claim to be "reinventing the remix" by merging classic hip-hop and top 40 pop with a live band vibe.

Each member brings an interesting contrast to the group. "I'm a real sample guy," says former battle DJ and DMC champ DJ Jr. Flo. "Matisse is a Soul/R&B singer, so he's all about the melodies and keyboards. He takes things in directions that I never envisioned." The third member is drummer Tune, who has been gigging with Matisse for almost ten years.

Despite their skills, it wasn't easy getting started. There are no ground-rules when it comes to orchestrating a live remix, no guidebooks or pre-carved pathways.

"We had no idea how we were going plan things out. We even started using crazy diagrams and flow charts at one point."

But like any band, the more they played together, the more instinctive their communication became -- and the more their party-rocking skills escalated. "There's no system to the way that we do it anymore, but it usually starts with me coming up with some cool new sample or beat."

After performing together for just over a year, things are really starting to take off. There have been heated debates over management rights in the US and the band has captured the attention of URB Magazine, which is releasing Keys N Krates' first mixtape, 'Live Re-mixing 101.'

Jr Flow is modest when asked about their progress. "We haven't sat around and said, 'we want to play the Superbowl next year.' On the other hand, we do know that we want to be playing more festivals. What we'd really like is a substantial fan base in every city we play."

Although most of the band's work consists of live remixes, they plan on releasing an EP on Tremendous Records, made of entirely original music made in studio. "We'd like to see our original production infiltrate our shows more and more. But there will always be a place for samples in our live shows."