Like the mythical Pied Piper, who lured and hypnotized followers with the sweet sounds of his magical flute, the dance-band duo from Brooklyn known as Matt and Kim have that same capacity to take hold of their audience.
With charming smiles, saccharine, almost childlike demeanors, and the fortitude to crowd-surf over thousands of fans, Matt and Kim live are mesmerizing. Their 2015 single "Get It" exemplifies their talents, especially their simple, catchy lyrics: "At 1 a.m.," goes the verse, "We go for gold. At 1 a.m. when we, we lost control. At 1 a.m./Oh yeah, god damn, god damn!/We don't wanna go home!" Who can't get onboard with that mentality? It's celebratory and rabble-rousing all at once.
Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino came together in 2004 and started making dance music with a strong pop sensibility — not necessarily the droning club-style many are familiar with but rather music to shake your booty to that's more relatable, with standard verse, chorus, and bridge structuring. In 2006, they released their debut, Matt & Kim, and started touring extensively, including a stint with Lollapalooza.
In 2009, the duo recorded their second album, Grand, and played up their sexuality in the album's single, "Lessons Learned," the music video for which they stripped naked in Times Square on a cold February afternoon, only to be momentarily corralled by police.
Since then, Matt and Kim have released five albums, and their 2006 song "Daylight" was certified as a gold record. With raucous live shows to match their uplifting sound, Matt and Kim are a quintessential modern pop sensation.
Matt and Kim
7 p.m. Saturday, November 7, at Revolution Live, 100 SW Third Ave., Fort Lauderdale. Tickets cost $24 plus fees. Call 954-449-1025, or visit ticketmaster.org.
