Keys N Krates

Keys N Krates have spent more than ten years delivering a hybrid strain of dance music that has energized festival audiences worldwide. The Canadian threesome fused club-focused hip-hop, house, and trap with U.K. bass while nodding to foundational styles such as drum'n'bass and dubstep; their productions also incorporated classic breakbeats and samba rhythms. Formed in the early 2010s, the group placed early material on Steve Aoki's Dim Mak imprint, where the RIAA-certified gold single "Dum Dee Dum" (2013) and the Juno Award-winning Katy B collaboration "Save Me" (2015) became career markers that showcased their skill with vocal samples and live vocalists alike. Subsequent full-lengths Cura (2018) and Original Classic (2021) further documented their output.

Turntablist Jr. Flo, keyboardist Matisse, and drummer Adam Tune came together as Keys N Krates in their hometown of Toronto. The production unit coalesced in 2008, aiming to merge influences that stretched from early house to a Southern U.S. rap aesthetic that initially earned them a trap designation. They applied their own club-oriented treatment—marked by booming bass, double- and triple-time hi-hats, dense synthesizer lines, and strategic samples—and issued an EP on YYZ in 2012 before moving to a run of singles and EPs on Dim Mak. The 2013 track "Dum Dee Dum," frantic and hard-hitting, climbed to number 17 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic Digital Songs chart and later achieved gold status.

In the following years the trio strengthened their standing as a live act through appearances at Electric Zoo, Lollapalooza, TomorrowWorld, and Sónar, alongside headline tours. Their 2014 collaboration with DJ/producer Grandtheft, "Keep It 100," surfaced on Diplo's Mad Decent label, followed later that year by the Every Nite EP, again via Dim Mak. The 2015 single "Save Me," featuring singer and co-writer Katy B, earned broad praise and captured the Juno Award for Dance Recording of the Year in 2016. Preceding the January 2016 arrival of their third Dim Mak EP, Midnite Mass, was the single "U Already Know"; the band spent much of the year touring in support. Early 2018 brought their first full-length, Cura. Shifting from earlier approaches, the group enlisted Ambre Perkins ("Glitter"), 070 Shake ("My Night"), and Tory Lanez ("Music to My Ears") for a more pop-leaning collection. Before year's end they released Live in Toronto.

In the interim between albums, Keys N Krates issued the summery A Beat Tape for Your Friends and followed in 2020 and 2021 with singles including "Double Dutch" and "Take It Off." The latter, a Bibi Bourelly collaboration, served as the lead single for Original Classic, which arrived in November 2021 as their debut on Last Gang Records. The album wove Brazilian and Indian influences throughout and was further spotlighted by the title track featuring Juicy J, Chip, and Marbl. A 2022 deluxe edition incorporated remixes from Byron the Aquarius, Soul Clap, and Justin Martin. The trio maintained momentum with "Get Up," "What Girls Do," and "Say You Love Me" arriving through 2023.