Zeds Dead and Keys N Krates impresses at Ottawa's Bluesfest
/Saturday Night, perfect evening weather, Zeds Dead and Keys N Krates - what more could one ask for? Ottawa's Bluesfest got a whole lot more intense on its first Saturday of the 2 week long festival as the Toronto duo known as Zeds Dead descended upon Ottawa for a show that left many within the crowd sweaty and happy.
Keys N Krates, the live electronic trio from Toronto, did a fantastic job warming things up just before Zeds Dead took the stage. Watching these guys play live showed the diversity within EDM as they incorporated live instruments into their set.
It became clear during the performance that Keys N Krates wanted the audience to focus on them rather than the background LED screen. During this EDM boom, it would seem that the bigger and flashier the light show you put on, the bigger edge you have on your fellow DJs. So it's refreshing to witness an act like Keys N Krates who bring it back to basics and focus on only the music. I enjoyed their main stage set and even their more intimate afterparty show that brought out some fun mashups with tracks like "Water Verve" and Jay-Z's "On To The Next One". The key highlight was hearing their recent hit "Treat Me Right" two separate time.
Zeds Dead took the night to a whole new level as they busted out a relentless set filled with their best tracks. One of the most notable first tracks played was Zeds Dead "Oh No" which led to the heart pumping Gemini remix of Ellie Goulding's "Explosions" that set the tone. The set itself mimicked what Zeds Dead had already played a few days before at EDC Las Vegas, but since the vast majority in attendance and myself hadn't heard it live, it was a fresh experience. They have a special gift of picking the right vocals to coincide with their accompanying style of primarily dubstep beats which makes them special. Tracks like "White Satin", or their remixes of "Eye On Fire" and "Lies" are exactly what makes Zeds Dead style so powerful and memorable. Lucky for us, encore's are the norm at Ottawa's Bluesfest and Zeds Dead managed to finish off their performance with their remix of Massive Attack's - "Paradise Circus", a personal favourite.