MSTRKRFT (pronounced "master kraft") are the
Daft Punk-loving alter ego of
Death from Above 1979's
Jesse F. Keeler along with producer Al-P. Hailing from Toronto, the duo makes a move from
DFA 1979's abrasive rock to robotic electronic complete with vocoders and handclaps. In addition to releasing two singles ("Easy Love" and "Work on You") and an LP in July 2006 on Last Gang Records,
MSTRKRFT have remixed several buzz bands such as
Metric,
Wolfmother,
the Kills, and
Bloc Party. As their profile grew (and their album was re-released by Modular) they also began remixing bigger names like
Kylie Minogue,
Usher, and
John Legend, as well as poppier artists like
Annie and
Jesse McCartney. For their second album, 2009's Fist of God, the duo jumped to Dim Mak/Downtown and scored guest appearances from
Ghostface Killah and
E-40. The album spawned two hits with
John Legend ("Heartbreaker") and
N.O.R.E. ("Bounce").
A
DFA reunion would keep
Keeler busy in the years between
MSTRKRFT releases, and the duo would not reappear until 2016 when they released their third effort,
Operator. ~ Kenyon Hopkin