At Tonitruale, we have our favorites, and we don’t hold back from championing them whenever the chance presents itself. We stay with their music, linger, obsess, and write until there’s nothing left to say, only to dive back in and start all over again. To keep the ink flowing about the same artist and the same songs you’ve dissected on various occasions, you need a generator, someone who can ignite that fire afresh and fan the flames of your curiosity. Mk.gee has been doing just that, a multi-dimensional force whose novel and poetically distorted vision demands we rehash the depth of his music time and time again.
I vividly remember the first time I listened to Two Star & The Dream Police earlier this year on a bus ride, and how that 33-minute album lingered in my mind for months. I listened to it multiples times a day, front to back, with no desire to move on to anything else. Mk.gee’s music, stripped from the influence of cyclical trends, glowing with earnestness and novelty, intrigued me. He reshaped my understanding of experiencing music, not merely letting it wash over me, but actively engaging with it as his arrangements draped layers of distortion-driven haze. Turns out I wasn’t alone in my revelation. Today, no self-respecting musician fails to namecheck him among their influences and established artists have been known to chase him down at concerts, eager to decode how he does what he does.
The engagement surrounding his music taps into something deeper than just his arrangements. It’s the irresistible spark of curiosity that has listeners buzzing with envy, adoration, or both. Fans and musicians alike, are on a mission to unravel the “mystery” behind his sound, what pedals he’s using, how he creates those otherworldly textures, and which guitar he's performing with, which seems to be an extension of his hand than a mere instrument. The internet is flooded with videos dissecting every nuance of his music, which is understandable. He invites interpretation, famously not being the one to do a lot of interviews, and shrouding his onstage persona in a cloak of anonymity. When on stage, his lightning production only adds to this mystique, positioning him as a figure who could be “anyone”, a regular dude playing the guitar, bathed in shadow rather than spotlight.
Yesterday, I kicked off my concert prep around 3 PM, ready to bask in the presence of the man, the myth, the legend himself at Élysée Montmartre in Paris. I was first introduced to Mk.gee through our beloved columnist Rob Lucchesi ’s Two Star and The Dream Police review therefore it felt like a betrayal not experiencing the concert together. After having a mini-heartache about that very situation, I headed off, realized I didn’t print my ticket on paper, which is something you should still do at this day and age apparently. A quick detour to a print shop ensued, where I later came out with a glossy copy of my ticket. On my way, I quickly tried to estimate how the crowd size would look like. In my mind, Mk.gee was still an underground gem, not quite recognized in France, where his online presence seemed modest at best. Imagine my surprise upon seeing the line snaking outside the concert hall at 6 PM for a show that wouldn’t start until 9. The queue was a sea of Mk.gee lookalikes—think long trench coats and capes—making their entrance, with cardboard signs at hand, a sight that reminded me of the recent Timothée Chalamet lookalike contest in New York.
I quickly lined up to wait for the doors to open, reminiscing about how I did this many times mostly in my youth (about two years ago) very frequently. My bladder and the heavy drinking I did before the show (modest, according to what kind of a person you are) conspired against me and I found myself asking “Excuse me can you hold my spot for two seconds as I go pee” at least three times during the line, which would go up to 6 times once I was in in front of the barricade.
Being the shameless journalist I am, I turned around before the opener SeeS00000 made his apparance, giving out business cards, introducing myself and asking people if I could interview them on why they were Mk.gee fans, that I would include in this very article. It resulted in me meeting some lovely people whose responses you’ll be able to read in the second part of this article.
As producer and DJ SeeSOOOOO took the stage, everybody was already high on anticipation. You might recognize him from his acclaimed track RAL2222, which he delighted us with during his set. His eclectic influences, evoking Yves Tumor and Dean Blunt, combined with an undeniable skill for mixing allowed people to get a little dance kick in before Mk.gee took the stage.
When Mk.gee appeared, he materialized from the smoke like a ghostly figure, leaving me questioning whether I was experiencing a dream-state psychosis or if he was truly there. The concert kicked off with his latest single, ROCKMAN, the crowd cheered, belting the lyrics at the top of their lungs, already memorizing words to a song released only recently. What struck me first was the lighting; his face remained shrouded in shadow, making it impossible to discern him fully. This choice transformed the already enigmatic Mike Gordon into something more abstract, elevating him from mere presence to a figure which almost looks mythical and ever-present.
With a smooth guitar solo leading into Dream Police, he set the stage for what was to come. This was one of the songs I’d been looking forward to most, as it had been a guiding light during many turbulent times. His vocal delivery was raw and intense, just as the song demands. It’s not an unknown fact that Mk.gee is a wizard when it comes to commanding his guitar, but witnessing it live was something else entirely. The way his hands glided over the strings, picking and pulling them to create textures that defied the norm, all while maintaining complete control was something you just have to see to believe. The light hit his back, casting a halo-like glow around him, evoking the imagery from the press photos of this release cycle. During Candy, another standout track from his latest album, the guitar seemed to speak, scream, and crunch. Driven by distortion, Mk.gee struck his guitar like a drum, cranking up the sound to a deafening bliss of chaos.
One of the standout moments for me was his performance of New Low. Now bathed in red flickering light, the stage amplified the song's angst, transforming a track I’d heard countless times into something far more chaotic. The guitar took center stage, mimicking the rumble of thunder as he screamed over it, reshaping the song's original yearning for connection into a more visceral expression of frustration and disillusionment. The first DNM song of the night (there would be two in total) was played afterwards, the opening drum pattern eliciting an immediate roar of recognition. The DNM count has evolved into a staple of his performances, marrying chaos and playfulness in a way reminiscent of punk's collective cathartic energy. He raced around the stage, urging the audience to take the lead while occasionally screaming the familiar “ARRGGGHHHH”s we all came to love. This moment feels like it serves as a counterpoint to the common practice of artists pausing mid-set for small talk, checking in with the crowd and asking if they’re having any fun, or giving a discourse about something à la Matty Healy. Mk.gee, however, doesn’t rely on dialogue to engage as his music already speaks, and in songs like “DNM,” he forges a connection through sheer energy that everyone reciprocates in turn.
Are You Looking Up was the final song of the night, if you don’t count the perfect Alesis encore. The closing track delivered one of the evening’s sweetest moments. The lights shifted to warmer tones, bathing the venue in a glow reminiscent of a sunset, transforming the once-abstract Mk.gee into a figure of flesh and bone.I looked around out of pure curiosity, to see if my thoughts were shared. It felt as if we were all basking in the glow of a shared bliss, suspended in that very moment of collective awe. I saw couples and friends turn to each other, saying “I love you” holding hands, swaying. Besides all the technical excellence of his music, it’s the sentiment that he can get across that evokes a sense of presence among people, inciting them to turn around and face each other. Amidst your personal narrative, whether good or bad, his music transcends individual history, drawing you beyond your self-constructed context into a space where you can let the music speak for you, freeing you from the need to find words to articulate your feelings. It’s already there. It's fitting to call Mk.Gee our ultimate generator, having already inspired a wave of reviews and personals essays. An artist like him appears rarely and suddenly, manifesting before us in the haze of smoke machines on a dimly lit venue at your local venue, catching you completely off guard.
Fan interviews
The first person I approached was called Rylie. How fitting is that? I asked all the fans the same three questions to understand what draws them to Mk.gee, how they discovered his music, and which song resonates with them the most. It’s a chance for you to get to know the great people you rub shoulders with at concerts, but rarely get the opportunity to speak with.
What is your favorite song?
Rylie: For me it has to be DNM. I’m sorry I screamed so much at the concert during that part. I think I ruined your videos.
Jade: Can I say two? I will say two. Rylee & I and Alesis.
Alvin: It changes everyday but for the moment it’s How Many Miles, I Want and Rylee & I.
Lily: More old school but I’d say dimeback.
Marco: Dream Police for me for sure.
Iman: It changes all the time so it’s very difficult to answer that question. Initially I really liked Alesis but then it changed. Now I really like You Got it and How Many Miles. How Many Miles got me through a lot of tough moments, when I lost myself. Normally I’m able to give one answer for a question like this but with Mk.gee, I really like everything he does.
How did you discover Mk.gee?
Rylie: I listen to a podcast called Emergency Intercom and they have a segment where they talk about their favorite song of the week. One of the hosts recommended Mk.gee
Lily: It’s a bit cliché but TikTok
Alvin: I have a friend who lives in the States who showed me Dijon and Mk.gee. The same day I listened to his album and I was blown away.
Jade: Through to Alvin. Every Friday we do something together with Alvin called “Listening time” and we listen to a lot of albums and that’s how I learnt it.
Marco: There is video called “How Does He Make His Guitar Sound Like That?” By Rhett Shull where he breaks down his music.
Iman: I saw him playing the guitar online, it must be YouTube. It was one of his visualizers. It must be around February or March. It’s my favorite discovery of the year.
Why do you think you like his music?
Marco: I really like Dijon and he working with Mk.gee opened up a way for me to discover him. I also love guitar music.
Rylie: It’s very emotional and incredibly gritty. I think there aren’t many people who can achieve what he has going.
Iman: Because he just has “it!” Whatever that is. He has charisma, stage presence, he gives you an experience every time. Whenever he plays a song it sounds different than it sounded before. I like that he doesn’t play on the image, it’s his music that stands out. I think in an era where visuals overpower everything it’s so inspiring to see an artist who can let us imagination do some work.
Jade: He makes very interesting sounds with his guitar, it’s so original. He has his own touch.
Alvin: I do play the guitar too but I have no idea how he makes the sounds he makes. He is just so creative.
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