Color Me Impressed: MSTRKRFT

("Color Me Impressed" is a segment that addresses the question, "What's so great about those guys?")

by Dave "Scout" Tafoya

At first listen, or even second or third, MSTRKRFT (pronounced "Master-craft") appears to be an unremarkable techno act. Some things may catch the ear, like their rubbery bass sound that nicely brings out their rhythm. And, if you're willing to pay attention to some of their remixes, you can see something a little different about them as opposed to the myriad of other DJs in the electronic music world. But ask anyone who's seen them live and you'll see where their genius lies, as there's something indefinably amazing about watching those guys do their thing. I detest the idea of clubbing but when I saw them live at the recent Rothbury Festival, it was an amazing, relentless assault of bass and pop hooks that were ground up like sausage and spat out like magma from the mouth of a volcano. If you watch the two men at the helm (Alex Puodziukas, or Al-P, and Jesse F. Keeler), they're just as mesmerized by the sounds they make as the many hundreds who show up to lose control to their music. They shake, bounce, smoke, and drink, all in time with their music, exhilarated by merely being there and unleashing their set on the crowd. Just before they went on at Rothbury, Keeler leaned over to me and told me giddily the song they'd be starting with; it was obvious that they were just dying to get on stage. I was happy to hear his secret, even if only for the three minutes that it was one, and I was even happier to dance like an idiot for the duration of their set.

Give a Listen: Zero (MSTRKRFT remix)-MSTRKRFT
Buy: here

(MSTRKRFT is touring throughout Europe, Canada, and Australia this fall, and doing two US shows, the Monolith Festival in Denver, CO and the Treasure Island Festival in San Francisco...see specific dates here.)