MSTRKRFT with the Small Town DJ’s
Every time I hang out with ‘la mia famiglia’, I am always turned on to new music and genres by my cousin Antoine, who although hails from the non hotbed of music Lloydminster, always seem to have their finger on the pulse of something new and banging. So, based on their advice, the first show on my newly revised calendar was going to be MSTRKRFT with the Small Town DJs. When I fly solo to a show, I end up people watching and inevitably meeting some strangers who have an impact on the fun factor of the show. This night, it was two rave kids, one from Montreal and one from Prince George, BC. I have to say that these two were quite a pair as they managed to drink and possibly dose themselves into fine oblivion, and I talked and busted a gut over their antics periodically the whole night. I hope to hear from or see these two lads again as I know they know how to have a good time.
Since Flames Central has been central in a ton of discussion on Reading For New Times lately, I think it might be fair to start the coverage of the show there. I must say that I have had the honor of being in the venue for a separate social event and I wasn’t all that impressed especially with overpriced drinks, weak service, glossy atmosphere and expensive pub fare. Along with this, all of the publicity received lately with the Roots show coverage and my expectations were super low. After all, it is a Calgary Flames themed sports bar so how good could it be? I have to say though that my own personal opinion from last nights show is that aside from the silly Flames distractions, minor sound system issues and prick security guards, Flames Central was a non factor from a show enjoyment perspective.
The Small Town DJ’s kicked off the night with a great opening. It was nice to hear some old school Daft Punk – Around the World and some Basement Jaxx – Where’s your Head At criss crossed into their mix. These two chaps are technicians as evidenced by their ripping through their superbly crafted eclectic set. My toes were tapping and feet moving the whole time. They had some sound troubles but worked through them with ease. Big big ups to Grimes and Emes for really getting the crowd stoked up for MSTRKRFT.
Finally, JFK and Al-P from MSTRKRFT took the decks. Hailing from Toronto, they have a distinctive sound consisting of electro, rap, pop, punk and rock that probably shouldn’t be classified as dance music but makes you want to move your body to it. They are the producers of my current tracks du jour Bounce (featuring N.O.R.E), and Neon Knights and have remixed and worked with artists like Justice and Kylie. It’s clear what these two intentions are; getting your ass on the dance floor with some dirty, electro beats. It seemed that each mix, the build was built up so much that when it dropped, the club jumped. Not wanting to let the fans or his alcohol habit down ( I guess) JFK was swigging Crown Royal straight from the bottle and did not hesitate on really loading up on it during the set. I must say that after listening to the band’s latest Essential Mix from BBC Radio 1, I was looking forward to a departure from that and it didn’t happen. It was a bit predictable in fact, almost so much so that you could guess when the next bumping track was going to dropped. That being said however, it was super rad to see this pair in action and I can safely say that the entire night was a ton of fun and I would not hesitate to see them again. One big up for Flames Central is that it made filming clips of the set nice with its balcony vantage points so I have to give it props for that.
Overall, a pretty fun club show despite the relatively high admission price. Lots of interesting people watching with world class DJ’s and a bumping soundtrack made this night out one of the more entertaining ones in recent memory.
- MSTRKRFT with the Small Town DJ’s
- by Adrian Bryksa
- Published on August 22nd, 2008
- Artist:
- MSTRKRFT with the Small Town DJ's
- When:
- July 25th, 2008
- Where:
- Flames Central (Calgary, AB)
- Price:
- $20
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