Let’s venture into the realm of footwork, where the basslines are intricate and the undeniable drums only serve to lure you further in. It’s here that we’ll find Keys N Krates with their recently released album, Original Classic, created to keep that anthemic vibe up. Speaking of the inspiration behind the LP, the trio say: “This album was about us finding our place in dance music, which probably sounds weird coming from a band probably classified as a dance act.”
Stream / Download: Original Classic LP
Using sparkling embellishments, the trio open their LP with the rhythmic ‘Crescendo’ which sets the stage for the diverse cast to follow. Shortly following is the ever-so chilled hip-hop-infused title track that features Juicy J, Chip and Marbl. Keys N Krates explain: “Rather than ‘jump up and down festival music,’ we wanted something more for the dark club. We are hesitant to use the word ‘mature,’ but we’ll just go ahead and say we want it to feel more mature.”
The previously released ‘Brazillian Love Song’ picks up the tempo with a light and vibrant style, earning itself a place on the FIFA 22 soundtrack. Lido Pimienta immediately captures our attention in the following ‘Siento Mi Destino’, which reimagines vocals with numerous techniques. A short interlude follows, in which we’re introduced to the ironically joyous ‘Chopped Soul’. The trio give a bit more insight to the sound: “We wanted a lot of groove, loose feeling but driving drums, syncopation, an overall tribal feeling, a more global sound, 808s, orchestral and synthy textures; all things we love. We wanted it to be a mix of pop songs and instrumental songs and moody interludes that all feel like they come from the same place. We wanted it to be dramatic and fun.”
‘Take It Off’ proves collaborations make magic as it features German-American singer-songwriter Bibi Bourelly with her honeyed vocals. A gentle reprise follows before we’re introduced to the “in-your-face” track ‘The Way I Feel Tonight’. We begin to venture into rhythmic tribalism in ‘Ocean Dreams’ with a complicated layering of vocals providing a gentle yet masculine strength to the LP.
Polaris Prize-winning artist Haviah Mighty dives into the down and dirty basslines before soaring into lighter tones in the previously released ‘Pull Up’ single. ‘Bollywood Bounce’ is unashamedly vibrant, bringing the organic elements and pairing them with repeated vocals and numerous distracting elements. Keys N Krates share their final words on the album: “Put simply, we tried to make music that we would want to hear if we turned up somewhere to dance.”
We won’t ruin the ending for you but let’s just say, a little humour goes a long way.
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