MSTRKRFT

Biography

Mstrkrft (stylized as MSTRKRFT; disemvowelment of "master craft") is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above and Al-P (Alex Puodziukas) formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort. Al-P was also the producer for Death from Above's album You're a Woman, I'm a Machine as well as several of (Keeler's former band) Black Cat #13's records. The duo have been close friends, as well as work partners, for a long time. Mstrkrft also produced Die Mannequin's first EP, How to Kill, and Magneta Lane's second LP, Dancing With Daggers.
Mstrkrft has been commissioned to remix songs by such artists as Death From Above 1979, Justice, Kylie Minogue, Katy Perry, Bloc Party, Ayumi Hamasaki, Metric, Wolfmother, Annie, and The Kills.

History

Prior to forming MSTRKRFT, Al-P and Keeler collaborated in the late 1990s, then lived in different cities as Al-P moved to New York and worked at the studios Sound on Sound and Chung King, and did some recording for Jay-Z and Wyclef Jean. Al-P was later in the electronic pop group Girlsareshort, with friend Daniel Zabawa. They released two albums, Contactkiss in 2002 and Earlynorthamerican in 2003, before disbanding. Al-P produced for Black Cat 13, Death from Above's album You're a Woman, I'm a Machine and The Sick Lipstick's Sting Sting Sting.
The band took out the vowels from their name in order to avoid trademark infringement with Mastercraft, a Canadian tools company. The 'C' was changed to a 'K' in order to maintain the pronunciation and image of the original name. Their first single was "Easy Love×Easy Love2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAEasy Love4:51BMonster Hospital (MSTRKRFT edition)5:20", released in 2006 on Last Gang Records. They released their second single, "Work On You×Work on YouDecember 2006 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Work on You6:03A2Work on You (radio edit)3:46B1Work on You (Para One remix)3:58B2Community Revolution in Progress5:56", on 6 July. In contrast to the "Easy Love" music video, "Work On You" featured animated robots, similar to those found in classic cartoons (similar to Voltron and Transformers). The band has created remixes from a variety of other artists, ranging from Buck 65 to The Kills to Death from Above 1979.
Mstrkrft released their debut album, The Looks×The Looks2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1Work on You6:032Easy Love5:323She’s Good for Business5:044Paris5:485The Looks4:576Street Justice6:527Bodywork5:528Neon Knights5:44, on 18 July 2006 in the United States and 2 February 2007 in Britain. Keeler and Al-P told Eye Weekly weeks before the release of The Looks, that as the album was being finished, the planning stages for a follow-up record had already begun. Describing the upcoming album's new direction, Al-P said that the album would be "darker, underground disco and house with elements of American rock music."
The 2007 version of their song "Street Justice×Street Justice5 March 2007 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracksAStreet Justice6:59BStreet Justice (MSTRKRFT remix)7:16" was also released as a single. On the band's website message board, Keeler mentioned they were also working on a compilation album composed of their remixed tracks. "Street Justice" was also featured in Saints Row 2. "Neon Knights" was also featured on Need For Speed: Pro Street, their remix for Justice's "D.A.N.C.E." was featured in the film Meet the Spartans, and "Work on You" was featured in Dirt 2. Their song "Paris" was featured in a 2006 commercial for the online music store URGE. In 2007, Mstrkrft appeared at the WEMF World Electronic Music Festival. In September 2007, Mstrkrft performed at an Australian spring music festival "Parklife" in Brisbane. They performed their remix of the song "Woman" from Modular label mates Wolfmother. Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother appeared on stage and sang live while Mstrkrft performed the remix.
In 2008, they released a mix CD with Z-Trip through Obeygiant.com. In conjunction with this CD, Obey offered the Artwork print, entitled Soundclash of the Titans. On 24 May 2008, Mstrkrft was featured on BBC Radio 1 show, The Essential Mix. Mstrkrft later performed at the 2008 Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which included a diverse group of artists ranging from Metallica to Jack Johnson. In 2009, their remix of "Woman" by Wolfmother was featured in the film Lesbian Vampire Killers. On 17 March 2009, Mstrkrft released their second LP, Fist of God×Fist of God17 March 2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1It Ain't Love3:4021,000 Cigarettes3:263Bounce2:514Vuvuvu3:395Heartbreaker3:126Fist of God4:037So Deep3:268Click Click3:289Word Up3:5110Breakaway3:38111,000 Cigarettes3:11. Initial critical response was average, with major periodicals Spin, Rolling Stone, and Blender giving the album less-than-stellar reviews. The album features guest appearances by John Legend, E-40, N.O.R.E., and Lil' Mo, among others. In 2010, their song “Bounce’ featuring N.O.R.E. was featured in DJ Hero 2.
In 2011, they released two new singles, "Beards Again" and "Back in the USSA". "Beards Again" was later featured on the Injustice: Gods Among Us video game soundtrack in 2013. The band's third LP, Operator×Operator22 July 2016 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Wrong Glass Sir5:012Runaway3:303Little Red Hen4:164Priceless3:265Playing With Itself5:446Party Line4:207Death in the Gulf Stream4:208World Peace3:309Morning of the Hunt4:4810Go on Without Me4:23 was released on 22 July 2016. The singles "Little Red Hen×Little Red Hen29 February 2016 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 1 track1Little Red Hen4:16" and "Party Line" were released in March and May 2016 respectively to promote the album. Starting in May 2019, MSTRKRFT started releasing a single every month on ORO Records, including "City Violence", "La Chiaccherona", "All Night, All Night", "Buffalo Fat", and "Dorsia".