Jesse F. Keeler
Encyclopedia
Jesse Frederick Keeler is a Canadian musician. He is known as the bassist of Canadian dance punk duo Death from Above 1979
, and for being one half of the electronic music
duo MSTRKRFT
.
Keeler is known to be able to sing, play drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, saxophone, as well as produce and write, and this has led him to create music of a variety of styles over the course of his career; these styles include (but are not limited to) punk, hardcore, rock, house, and electro.
and released several, now collectible, 7" records. Once Black Cat split, he formed his own 7-piece music project, Femme Fatale. Keeler recorded all 3 of the released EPs himself, which were produced by longtime friend Al Puodziukas, with whom he would later go on to form MSTRKRFT
.
In 2001, Keeler had recorded three bass and drum instrumental demos which he showed roommate Sebastien Grainger
, who then expressed a desire to sing on them. After trying to find a drummer with no luck, Grainger tried singing and drumming at the same time, the result of which became Death from Above 1979
.
After touring extensively for 4 years with Death From Above 1979, the band took time off. In this time Keeler finished building MSTRKRFT studios in East York, Toronto, and started MSTRKRFT alongside producer Al-P. On August 4, 2006, Keeler officially announced Death From Above 1979's breakup via their website, at which point he admitted the breakup had actually happened a year prior. Since then, MSTRKRFT as well as solo production and DJing as JFK have been Keeler's full-time occupation.
Working with more indie and disco influenced ideas on their first album The Looks, MSTRKRFT gradually introduced more Hip Hop and R&B influence leading to the Fist Of God
LP. They have performed at many major music festivals around the world, and have amassed a dedicated group of hardcore fans.
At present, Keeler and Al-P are touring as MSTRKRFT, doing select remixes and are working on their third LP.
On February 5, 2011, it was officially announced via the Death From Above 1979
website that the band would be reforming to play the Coachella Festival. It is currently unknown whether this reunion will include releasing of new material or is long term, although the number of shows the band are due to play frequently increases.
In 2011, Keeler produced and composed tracks for the Mortal Kombat reboot.
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
, and for being one half of the electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
duo MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort...
.
Keeler is known to be able to sing, play drums, guitar, bass, keyboards, saxophone, as well as produce and write, and this has led him to create music of a variety of styles over the course of his career; these styles include (but are not limited to) punk, hardcore, rock, house, and electro.
Biography
Keeler started off playing in a number of different Toronto based pop punk outfits, his best known early project being Black Cat #13. They toured with The LocustThe Locust
The Locust is a musical group from San Diego, California, United States known for their unique mix of grindcore speed and aggression, mathcore complexity, and new wave weirdness.- Style :...
and released several, now collectible, 7" records. Once Black Cat split, he formed his own 7-piece music project, Femme Fatale. Keeler recorded all 3 of the released EPs himself, which were produced by longtime friend Al Puodziukas, with whom he would later go on to form MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT
MSTRKRFT is a Canadian electronic music duo from Toronto, Ontario. The group was started in 2005 by Jesse F. Keeler of Death from Above 1979 and Al-P formerly of the Mississauga, Ontario electropop group Girlsareshort...
.
In 2001, Keeler had recorded three bass and drum instrumental demos which he showed roommate Sebastien Grainger
Sebastien Grainger
Sebastien Alexandre Grainger from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada is a Canadian singer and musician, best known as drummer and singer of the dance-punk duo Death from Above 1979 and the singer and guitarist for his current band, Sebastien Grainger and The Mountains...
, who then expressed a desire to sing on them. After trying to find a drummer with no luck, Grainger tried singing and drumming at the same time, the result of which became Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
.
After touring extensively for 4 years with Death From Above 1979, the band took time off. In this time Keeler finished building MSTRKRFT studios in East York, Toronto, and started MSTRKRFT alongside producer Al-P. On August 4, 2006, Keeler officially announced Death From Above 1979's breakup via their website, at which point he admitted the breakup had actually happened a year prior. Since then, MSTRKRFT as well as solo production and DJing as JFK have been Keeler's full-time occupation.
Working with more indie and disco influenced ideas on their first album The Looks, MSTRKRFT gradually introduced more Hip Hop and R&B influence leading to the Fist Of God
Fist of God
Fist of God is the second album by MSTRKRFT, released on March 17, 2009 by Dim Mak Records and Downtown Records.-Reception:Initial critical response to Fist of God was very average. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has...
LP. They have performed at many major music festivals around the world, and have amassed a dedicated group of hardcore fans.
At present, Keeler and Al-P are touring as MSTRKRFT, doing select remixes and are working on their third LP.
On February 5, 2011, it was officially announced via the Death From Above 1979
Death from Above 1979
Death from Above 1979 are a Toronto-based Canadian dance-punk/noise rock duo. Their album, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, was released in late 2004. The band broke up in 2006, but announced a reunion in 2011.-History:...
website that the band would be reforming to play the Coachella Festival. It is currently unknown whether this reunion will include releasing of new material or is long term, although the number of shows the band are due to play frequently increases.
In 2011, Keeler produced and composed tracks for the Mortal Kombat reboot.
Femme Fatale
- 2002 As You Sow, So Shall You ReapAs You Sow, So Shall You ReapAs You Sow, So Shall You Reap is a seven-song EP released in 2002 by Femme Fatale. This album was only released on vinyl and was released in a limited amount of 1,000 copies.-Track listing:# "Blood Money " – 0:36...
(EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2002 Fire BaptismFire BaptismFire Baptism is a seven-song EP released in 2002 by Femme Fatale on Beta:Beat Records in Germany. Jesse F. Keeler decided to release this album on such an obscure label because one of his friends owned the label and Jesse told him that he would put the album out on his record label. This is the...
(EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2004 From the Abundance of the Heart, the Mouth SpeaksFrom the Abundance of the Heart, the Mouth SpeaksFrom the Abundance of the Heart, The Mouth Speaks is a seven-song EP released in 2004 by Femme Fatale on Last Gang Records in Canada. This is the third release from Femme Fatale, and the only to be released in digital format...
(EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
)
Death from Above 1979
- 2002 Heads Up (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2004 Romantic Rights EP (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2004 You're a Woman, I'm a MachineYou're a Woman, I'm a MachineYou're a Woman, I'm a Machine is an album by Canadian band Death from Above 1979, released on October 26, 2004 by Vice Records in the United States, Last Gang Records in Canada, Ache Records on vinyl, and Victor Entertainment in Japan...
(LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
) - 2005 Romance Bloody Romance: Remixes & B-Sides (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
)
MSTRKRFT
- "Easy Love" (singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
) - "Work on You" (singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
) - "Street Justice" (singleSingle (music)In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
) - The Looks (LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
) - Bounce/VUVUVU (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - Fist of GodFist of GodFist of God is the second album by MSTRKRFT, released on March 17, 2009 by Dim Mak Records and Downtown Records.-Reception:Initial critical response to Fist of God was very average. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has...
(LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
)
JFK and St. Mandrew
- 2010 Beehive/Towel Swinger (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2010 Face Pump (EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
)
Die Mannequin
- 2006 How To KillHow To KillHow To Kill is the first EP by the Canadian rock band Die Mannequin, released on September 25, 2006. Produced by electronic music group MSTRKRFT, How To Kill was the group's first release and because Care Failure had yet to put together a full time band she performed the vocals, guitar and bass...
(EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
) - 2008 Unicorn SteakUnicorn SteakUnicorn Steak is the first studio album by the Canadian rock band Die Mannequin, released on November 13, 2007 in Canada and March 4, 2008 in the United States...
(LPAlbumAn album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
)