KEYS N KRATES RELEASE NEW ALBUM ORIGINAL CLASSIC OUT NOW VIA LAST GANG RECORDS
LAUNCHES IMMERSIVE VISUAL ALBUM NORTH AMERICAN TOUR KICKS OFF NEXT WEEK
LISTEN TO AND WATCH ORIGINAL CLASSIC
SHOW AT TORONTO'S VELVET UNDERGROUND NOVEMBER 27
"Brazilian Love Song is a jam to blast while desperately holding onto the last days of summer. It's a futile endeavour to try and resist dancing to it."
- CBC Music's Songs You Need To Hear
"It's a sunny, low-riding three-and-a-half minutes,
the kind of song that might just fool you into thinking summer isn't over."
- Exclaim! on Original Classic
"This album features guests like singer Bibi Bourelly and veteran rapper Juicy J,
and they’re all full of bouncy, bassy rhythms you can’t help but move to."
- NOW Magazine's Fall music 2021: 25 albums to soundtrack your season
"a sonic salad bowl that experiments with elements of trap, Brazilian funk, and some disco." - Complex
"a fireworks display of talent that we can't stop listening and dancing to." - CBC Music
"Keys N Krates’ sonic identity is constantly evolving" - Dancing Astronaut
"Toronto based electronic duo Keys N Krates have been pushing the boundaries since they emerged in 2008" - HotNewHipHop
TORONTO, ON – November 12, 2021 – Today, Toronto trio, Keys N Krates, release their album, Original Classic, via Last Gang Records. The 13-track project contains previously released singles, Pull Up, featuring fellow Canadian and Polaris Prize-winning artist, Haviah Mighty, the Juicy J, Chip and Marbl-featuring Original Classic, the Bibi Bourelly collaboration, Take It Off, and this summer's Brazilian Love Song, which is on the FIFA '22 soundtrack.
Keys N Krates speaking about the sound of the new album:
"This album was about us finding our place in dance music, which probably sounds weird coming from a band probably classified as a dance act. Rather than 'jump up and down festival music,' we wanted something more for the dark club. We are hesitant to use the word 'mature,' but we'll just go ahead and say we want it to feel more mature. We wanted a lot of groove, loose feeling but driving drums, syncopation, an overall tribal feeling, a more global sound, 808s, orchestral and synthy textures; all things we love. We wanted it to be a mix of pop songs and instrumental songs and moody interludes that all feel like they come from the same place. We wanted it to be dramatic and fun. Put simply, we tried to make music that we would want to hear if we turned up somewhere to dance."
Coupled with Original Classic's release is the visual album by Sammy Rawal, who created and directed a vibrant and psychedelic video for each track on the record. Rawal says inspiration behind the videos comes from 90s warehouse raves, early 2000s RnB videos and films like Blade and Hackers. The cast is comprised of models and up-and-coming legends of the Ballroom scene from iconic houses such as House of Miyake Mugler, House of Ninja and House of Louboutin.
Additionally, in support of the album Keys N Krates kicks off their 20-day headlining Original Classic Tour, which will feature DJ sets from the group. The run of shows begins next week on November 17 in Washington D.C. with a hometown show at Toronto's Velvet Underground on November 27 and includes stops in Detroit, Chicago, NYC and more. Tickets are on sale here.
Listen to Original Classic above, see full tour routing and album details below and stay tuned for more from Keys N Krates coming soon.
2021 Tour Dates
November 17 - Washington, DC @ Flash
November 19 - Atlanta, GA @ District
November 20 - Tampa Bay, FL @ Ritz
November 27 - Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
December 2 - Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
December 3 - Columbus, OH @ Dahlia Nightclub
December 4 - Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
December 9 - Houston, TX @ Stereo Live
December 10 - Santa Fe, NM @ Meow Wolf
December 11 - Dallas, TX @ Stereo Live
2022 Tour Dates:
January 8 - Denver, CO @ Temple
January 14 - Austin TX @ The Venue
January 15 - Kansas City, MO @ Aura
January 21 - Minneapolis, MN @ Loft
January 22 - Chicago, IL @ Sound Bar
January 27 - Bellingham, WA @ Wild Buffalo
January 28 - Seattle, WA @ Q Nightclub
January 29 - Portland, OR @ 45 East
February 5 - Tempe, AZ @ Sun Bar
February 12 - New York, NY @ Elsewhere
Lead photo by Mitch Brown
DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Artwork | DOWNLOAD – Hi Res Press Photo | DOWNLOAD - Tour Poster
Since forming a decade ago in their native Toronto, Keys N Krates have carved their own path via a bass-centric, sample-driven sound, melding the realms of electronic, hip-hop and beyond. The group — composed of drummer Adam Tune, keyboardist David Matisse and turntablist Jr. Flo — has built a venerable reputation as one of the leading live electronic acts today on the strength of their onstage instrumentation and energetic sets.
Their early sound succeeded in combining catchy, pitched up, chopped vocal samples with 808s, resulting in off-kilter festival smashers like Dum Dee Dum, Treat Me Right, and other fan-favourites. These songs would be reinterpreted into energetic live versions that the trio would play to create their own experience and vibe. Their songs original versions would also be played by legends of their genre like TNGHT, Diplo, Machinedrum, Baauer, and more — helping to cement Keys N Krates as a fixture in festival bass and trap music.
Keys N Krates’ 2018 debut album Cura represented a musical shift for the band. Although the use of pulverizing 808s, organic sounds, and vocal samples would remain a fixture for the trio, Keys N Krates embraced their love for R&B/soul music, more dense instrumentation (such as strings and woodwind instruments), and catchy vocal-driven pop songs.
Anthemic songs with Tory Lanez, Ambre Perkins, and 070 Shake weaved together the band’s technicolor world of vocal-driven songs supported by sample-chopped beats that blended the sounds of disco, trap, and boom bap rap of the 90s. This synthesis earned them commercial radio success and spins from some of their idols on specialty radio — like Elton John and Q-Tip. Flute Loop reached back to the trio’s traditional stripped-down 808 sound while incorporating their new techniques of orchestration and resampling to compliment the minimal with the maximal.
Their latest full-length project, 2019's A Beat Tape For Your Friends, further elevates their craft as they pay homage to their sample-chopping musical influences like Jay Dilla. It’s a collection of infectious, loopy, instrumental beats that shows the seeds their music grows from.
Last Gang is a music company founded in 2003 and credited with launching the careers of Metric, Death From Above 1979, MSTRKRFT and Crystal Castles. The company is also well known for its work with Arkells, Ryan Hemsworth, Purity Ring, Lights, and Chromeo. Last Gang is a MNRK Music Group company. www.lastgang.com