Sultry Smooth ‘N’ R&B or Punked Up Heavy Electro? The Choice Is Yours!

Two great acts to feature this week, two extremes of the musical spectrum, both on Friday January 7th.

First, at The Shrine, we have the sultry-smooth jazz-groove of soul and R&B singer-songwriter Amel Larrieux. Rising to fame in the mid 1990s as a founding member of Groove Theory with Bryce Wilson, Amel left the duo to pursue her own solo career in 1999 with the release of ‘Infinite Possibilities.’ Amel describes her sound as “Amel’s music” and melds various forms of jazz, soul, R&B, hip-hop, and gospel, with flashes of Middle Eastern, West African, and Indian ethnic styles. Indeed, Amel’s name means ‘hope’ in Arabic. Born to an African American mother and a father with French, English and Scottish descent, it is easy to see where her diverse musical heritage comes from. Citing Ella Fitzgerald, Patrice Rushen, Joni Mitchell and Chaka Khan as some of her influences, Amel has worked with jazz giant Clark Terry on a Duke Ellington charity tribute album, and now runs her own label Bliss Life following her separation from record label Epic after refusing to be “toned down.” With a string of hit albums and singles to her name, Amel is currently working on a new set of tracks with the quest to try “new things” in her journey as a searching musician and artist and has recently teamed up with Bryce Wilson for a second Groove Theory LP, as well as contributing ‘Don’t Let Me Down’ for the Enough Project, a fund raising compilation to foster awareness, protection and empowerment of Congo’s women a priority. Amel performs live at The Shrine from 9pm. Tickets are $30-$500. http://www.myspace.com/bravebird2

Over at The Mid, in north Halsted Street, is JFK (otherwise known as Jess F. Keeler – one half of Toronto-based electro rap punk artists MSTRKRFT, pronounced ‘Master-craft’). It’s gonna be loud, grimey, and mad enough to suit all hard-core electro lovers and dance-rockers alike. Self-confessed DJ fanatic, JFK has said that being behind the decks getting a room full of people dancing is the best experience he has ever had. With workmate and best buddy Al-P, MSTRKRFT have cut some classic pulsating dance hits since they formed in 2005. ‘Easy Love’ was an instant gem, and the duo have gone on to remix tracks for the likes of Kylie, Bloc Party, Wolf Mother and The Kills. The pair first got together in 1998, and have been collaborating ever since. But it was the 2002 album for JFK’s band Death From Above 1979 that saw the partners spend 15 hours a day in the studio creating the hit LP ‘You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine’ that cemented their collaborative karma and spawned a red-hot masterpiece that fused the energy of rock ‘n’ roll with the pizzazz of disco that alerted the critics to their unique sound and has proved such a hit with clubbers from Manhattan to Mumbai. Although JFK is on his own, it’s still going to be a corker of a night, especially with the back-up of local jocks Willy Joy, Danni Deahl and Orvtronixxx providing some solid electro-house sets. From 9pm, $20, in advance $10 from clubtix.net. http://www.myspace.com/mstrkrft