I call up Jesse F. Keeler, one half of MSTRKRFT, a few short days after the Canadian men’s ice hockey team take home the coveted gold at the Vancouver Games. With a 3-2 overtime victory against arch rivals the USA, it is hard not to lead with what must be dominating the news in his home country. “As a Canadian I’m kind of obliged to follow the ice hockey,” muses the Toronto native. “So I went to a bar full of homeless people to watch the final. I didn’t get to see any of the Olympics though, but I played a party in Vancouver after the Opening Ceremony.”
It is apparent Keeler wasn’t the sporting type growing up. His interests lay in music, something that became a career option following the success of his mid-noughties band Death From Above 1979. It was with MSTRKRFT, however, that Keeler found superstardom. He and production partner Al-P describe their initial sound as “darker underground disco,” a far stretch from more recent tracks. “The first record [The Looks] was just where my head was at the time,” says Keeler, preferring to look to the future. “Things evolve and we had the idea for the second record and just did it, simple as that.”
It is generally accepted their second album Fist of Gold was far less successful than their first. Yet it was this album that established the sound for which they are now renowned. Unlike many of their contemporaries MSTRKRFT rely primarily on hardware modular synths. “We use a 909 and an MPC because we like the sound,” he says. “Of course we use Waves plug-ins too. My favourite synthesiser cost $25,000. I can’t live without it, it’s like crack ‘cause you can’t stop once you start.”
Modcan are the company that made the duo’s synth. With personalised synths also made for the likes of Daft Punk, the pair knew they had found the equivalent of musical gold. “We’re lucky ‘cause they’re down the street from where we live,” beams Keeler. “It depends on how the synth is put together. Once you know how to use it, sky’s the limit. It’s the closest thing to painting in electronics. It’s way better than a computer ‘cause it always sounds different!”
Much to my dismay Keeler chooses to remain silent about MSTRKRFT’s upcoming third album. “We are working on a new album, yes,” he says, but still mute on details. “I can’t say much about it. If you tell people what you do, other people copy.”
MSTRKRFT return to Australia this May on the heels of their tour late last year. They will be joining the illustrious lineup at the AIS Arena on Saturday May 1 for the Kicks Warehouse Festival.
“Australia has been awesome. They’ve been loyal and interested since like 2005. We try and come out as much as possible!” says Jesse as a final thought. Very good news for us indeed.
Catch MSTRKRFT at the Warehouse Festival at the AIS Arena on Saturday May 1. Tickets through Ticketek.
