Photographs by Tobias Wang.
The cold and crisp winter air provided the perfect contrast for what was to unfold at The Danforth Music Hall that Good Friday evening. The electronic hip hop trio known as Keys N Krates had made their homecoming stop of their aptly named Midnite Mass Tour to a sold out crowd. Practically packed to the rafters, turntablist Jr. Flow, keyboard player David Matisse and drummer Adam Tune never fail to bring EDM fans and hip hop heads together with their mix of infectious trap beats and hard hitting bangers and tonight was no exception. The show would spread the local love by showcasing two more Toronto hip hop inspired Djs to open the show.
Ouici and BEVSTMODE both bring their own unique sounds to The Danforth and set the vibes that flowed throughout the night. Most known for his track The Farewell, artist Ouici starts the show with his beautiful and dreamy sounds. Toronto collective BEVSTMODE kept the energy going with their bass heavy hip hop and soul that any bass head would appreciate. The two DJs of BEVSTMODE knew how to command the crowd by having them clap to the beat, chant their collective’s name and even start a Keys N Krates chant near the end of their set.
The chants for Keys N Krates were at an all-time high by the time the group was set to perform, but was abruptly silenced when the entire room had gone dark. Lights were shone into the crowd and on the roof of the music hall, highlighting some of its incredibly detailed architecture as a melodic introduction caught everyone’s attention. The silhouetted musicians perched behind their instruments were revealed as the LED panel lit up behind them as the first drop from their latest single U Already Know kicked in and the crowd reacted with a loud cheer and started bouncing to the beat. The introductory track seamlessly transitioned into a freestyle remix of Keep it 100; their collaborative track with fellow Torontonian DJ Grandtheft. With Matisse pulling double duties as both keyboardist and hype man, he introduced the group and occasionally commanded the crowd throughout the night. The rest of the evening consisted of the high octane and hard hitting electronic hip hop that Keys N Krates are internationally known for, seamlessly transitioning and combining their original tracks with on the fly mashups of huge trap tracks including an unforgettable mash-up of TNGHT’s Higher Ground and GTA & Juyen Sebula’s Hard House among a multitude of others. To add to the already incredible creative stylings of the Keys N Krates gang, Jr. Flow would add his own hip hop flair by amplifying the set with some freestyle scratching. Most notably is Jr. Flow’s Bittersweet Symphony routine that would undoubtedly gain him DJ Hero status. At one point of the night, Matisse would showcase his keyboarding skills by treating the crowd to his own soulful solo. An iconic addition to an already unbelievable show was when Keys N Krates brought out legendary Toronto rapper Kardinal Official to play Bakardi Slang and jam out to Keys N Krates original track Yes We Faded at the end of the night.
Keys N Krates are putting not only contributing to Toronto’s already impeccable music scene but also bringing innovative hip hop to the masses by combining their infectious electronic sounds with hip hop stylings through the use of traditional instruments. Midnite Mass is truly an unforgettable event for all those who have attended from three humbling and incredible musicians.
