Delicious Audio: Keepaway – A Hummable Experiment
By Ken Partridge + PDG for Delicious Audio
The Brooklyn avant-pop trio Keepaway was born out of two overlapping friendships, one forged in Massachusetts in the ‘90s, the other San Francisco a decade later. Both involved guitarist Nick Nauman.
Avant-pop trio, Keepaway
In addition to Nauman’s guitar, the band builds its songs with drums, triple-layer vocals, and two MPC samplers, which it loads with snippets of obscure European records from the ‘60s and ‘70s.
“Baby Style,” Keepaway’s debut EP, is experimental enough to warrant Animal Collective comparisons and yet instantly hummable and likable. We asked the band a few questions about equipment, recording and… style!
How much of your recording is done at home versus in the studio?
Mike: Most sampling is done in a home studio setup, whereas live instruments are recorded at the studio.
Nick: The more time we spend in the studio, the further down new paths we go.
Frank: However, we seem to be opening up new possibilities at home as well, this week in particular, though it’s more belabored because we don’t have “professionals” there guiding and enabling us.
Is there a piece of equipment that you find particularly inspiring when recording at home?
Frank: Is caffeine a piece of equipment?
Nick & Mike: LOL… LOL.
Nick: Actually, I don’t really use caffeine that hard. We do employ a super-dank Neumann condenser mic, though.
Frank: The most central pieces of “technology” we enjoy related to our project would be AKAI MPC samplers and LAPTOPS. Drums and guitars are technology too, and we use them. But in any case my favorite piece of equipment is Mike’s brain.
Click to read the full Keepaway interview at Delicious Audio!
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