Keys N Krates

Turntablist JR Flo, keyboardist David Matisse, and drummer Adam Tune formed the electronic band Keys N Krates in Toronto, Ontario. The trio took shape in 2008 and sought to combine their wide range of inspirations, from early house music to a strain of Southern U.S. rap production that got them tagged as a trap act. Putting their own club spin on the latter with booming bass, double- and triple-time hi-hats, thick synthesizer lines, and samples, they released an EP on YYZ in 2012 and then issued a series of singles and EPs for Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak label. Among the most popular was 2013′s frantic, hard-hitting “Dum Dee Dum,” which reached number 17 on Billboard’s Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart. Over the next several years, Keys N Krates appeared at the Electric Zoo, Lollapalooza, TomorrowWorld, and Sónar festivals, as well as staging their own tours. Their 2014 collaboration with DJ/producer Grandtheft, “Keep It 100,” arrived via Diplo’s Mad Decent label, and they followed up later that year with the Every Nite EP, again on Dim Mak. “Save Me,” a 2015 single featuring British pop singer Katy B, was met with widespread critical acclaim, eventually netting the band a Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year in 2016. The “U Already Know” single preceded the January 2016 release of their third Dim Mak EP, Midnite Mass. The band spent the better part of the year on tour in support of the release. In early 2018, they released “Do What U Do,” the first single from their debut full-length, Cura. Taking steps away from their early big-bass sound, the effort also included “Glitter” with Ambre Perkins, “Flute Loop” with Ouici, and “Music to My Ears” with Tory Lanez. ~ Andy Kellman