JFK of MSTRKRFT known for his electronic dance music will bring his DJ stylings to The Graduate in San Luis Obispo on Jan. 15.
JFK, who is part of the duo MSTRKRFT (pronounced master-craft), will not be accompanied by group-mate Al-P when he takes the stage at the venue commonly known as “The Grad.” But according to Tyler Ackelbein, chair of marketing for the show sponsor Central Pacific Ski Club (CPSC), this should have no effect on his high-energy style.
“(JFK) is constantly pushing the boundaries of electronic music and keeps all of our dance floors bouncing,” Ackelbein said. “The show coming up is going to be an amazing time without a doubt.”
JFK, which are the initials for his birth name Jesse Frederick Keeler, has played music since 1979. He began his career in a more punk rock-oriented band called Death From Above. Now he sticks to what he refers to as his “girlfriend” on his Myspace music page — house music.
Electronic dance, or house music, is most commonly recognized by its computer-generated, high-energy sound created with heavy beats and the mixing of different song elements.
This is exactly what JFK aims for when performing and making music with MSTRKRFT, a group most commonly known for their innovative technique of mixing instrumental music with electronic dance, said John Smith, a member of the opening act Casa St. Hooligans.
Smith said JFK will undoubtedly bring his unique DJ style which incorporates more than just spinning to the show.
“He is known to do dance with a more musical touch of instruments,” Smith said. “It is well rounded electronic dance music. It can be a very high energy and is different from what you hear a lot of the time.”
Smith said this will be his first time playing with JFK. However, he said he would compare JFK’s level of success to that of DJ Steve Aoki, a “ a world touring DJ producer” he opened for last October.
Just like with Aoki, Smith will open with fellow DJ Richard Grant to play a high-energy set which he expects to last about an hour.
“I play hard music, really high energy, really in your face with lots of bass,” Smith said. “I like to keep the energy up as long as I can because I’m pretty much dancing just as hard as the crowd.”
Smith said The Grad is perfect for a show like this because he expects JFK to draw large crowds and it is the largest local venue.
“It is a pretty good venue; we use it because we can fit more people,” Smith said. “We want to prove that you can party anywhere and it can be fun as long as you have the right people and vibe.”
The vibe will be determined by the DJs’ performances.
“A lot of DJs don’t move around during the set, but when I saw JFK and MSTRKRFT at (Electric Daisy Carnival) they were insane,” Agriculture business junior Katie Fritz said. “Their energy was casted over the audience, not just the music.”
In addition to Casa St. Hooligans, the other opening acts are Mikey Lion and Easy Love Records, all of which are DJs who Fritz said will make for an excellent show.
“They all have different styles,” Fritz said. “(Casa St.) is more similar to JFK, the music Mikey plays in his sets is always super good and gets people up and dancing and (MSTRKRFT) are super good live so that’s why I’m stoked for next weekend.”
As for Easy Love Records, Smith said it is a group from the San Diego area that he has collaborated with in the past with a specialty in visual production techniques.
“They will probably do visuals for the most part,” Smith said. “But they are a crew just like Casa St. We’ve done a lot of shows with them from here to (Santa Barbara), so we can expand our fan base for both of us.”
Agriculture business sophomore Andy Villamor said he looks forward to the show, and most importantly “the hard electro music of JFK,” especially since he is an aspiring DJ
“I’m going to go see JFK with my group called The Professors,” he said. “We’re all really stoked to go see him, and we hope to open for him in the future — he is a pro.”
The show is put on by the recently formed entertainment organization Collective Effort, which started locally and is geared toward bringing the DJ scene popular in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas to the Central Coast, co-founder Johnny Kenny said. Therefore, the show will make two other stops on the Central Coast — in Santa Cruz and Santa Barbara.
Tickets are currently available at Vallitix.com and at Boo Boo Records for $28. The event is for the 18 and older and doors open at 9 p.m.