Keys N Krates • electronic • Stookie Sound • Jesse Slayter
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 the frantic, hard-hitting "Dum Dee Dum," which reached number 17 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart. They took pride in their performances, appeared at Electric Zoo, Lollapalooza, TomorrowWorld, and Sónar festivals, and staged their own tours.