It’s a delicate balancing act: banging your head back and forth and thrashing your body to the beat while smoking cigarettes. Yet JFK, of MSTRKRFT, effortlessly pulls this off while engaging thousands of raging fans night after night.
MSTRKRFT at The Ogden Theater in Denver on Saturday. (Courtesy of Dean Keim)
Behind their outwardly serious appearance, JFK (Jesse F. Keeler) and AI-P (Alex Puodziukas) just want to party. Though the mustachioed duo may appear stoic, they hit Denver’s Ogden Theater on Saturday night with partying in mind.
JFK and AI-P began their set at the climax and never came down. Watching the former bassist and producer of Death From Above 1979 respectively, is a similar experience to Zeds Dead, but with notably less violence. Instead, a MSTRKRFT show seems more like a happy laser party. If beats could glow, their beats would be neon.
They’re as fun as Boys Noize, but twice as heavy, with layered bass resulting in something that sounds like electro-step. They’re as focused as Siriusmo but far more inclined to dance. They’re as multi-directional as Bassnectar, dipping into classic rock and house from time to time, but in a more passive way.
They are the hipster heroes that tunnel their intense love of party into their machines, resulting in a polished sound that commands you to dance the entire set through.
MSTRKRFT played their dance classics like “Heartbreaker” and “Take Me Higher,” a down and dirty remix of Cassius’ “I Love You So.” They also previewed new material from their upcoming LP. As usual, MSTRKRFT appeared removed from their surroundings: they rarely look up at the crowd, but it mattered not. Fans could be heard repeating themselves throughout the set, saying, “Oh! I love this song!” again and again.
With blunt honesty and a hint of pretentiousness, JFK fully backed every minute of their set with dancing and smoking. Like pilots, the two wreaked electro-havoc aboard their master craft. While lasers beamed overhead, the crowd was taken to party that felt like it was in the sky.
MSTRKRFT shows no sign of slowing down on their almost continuous tour as they hit Australia this month. They’re a staple at electronic dance music festivals around the world like Electric Zoo, Electric Daisy Carnival and Ultra Music Festival. They have a new LP in the works, following their 2009 album “Fist of God”. The release date is unknown, but two tracks, “Back in the USSA” and “Beards Again” are available for free download on MSTRKRFT’s website, or stream them here:
MSTRKRFT – BEARDS AGAIN by Undocumented Management
MSTRKRFT – BACK IN THE USSA by Undocumented Management
Contact CU Independent Entertainment Writer Rebecca Bratburd at Rebecca.bratburd@colorado.edu.
