KEER – 45 Degree Studio

Thank you for being flexible with the online format. Lets do 10 questions. Im sure it will be enough to cover the bases and to leave more for the future! Lets start from the beginning. When did you start playing music and why Techno?

I started playing music when I was 15, I got a guitar, I was obsessed with Nirvana, I always wanted to make albums, I played Irish banjo too for a few years in my 30s and went to lots of Irish Trad and singing sessions, but I was barking up the wrong tree, it never happened with instruments, I found Grooveboxes and Techno 7 years ago when I was already 37 years old, I was instantly hooked, better late than never!!

Wow, that is crazy bro!
⁠Do you remember the moment when it all clicked?

Yeah I do, I was at home with Flu, I never heard of a groovebox before, I thought electronic music was made on computers, the Youtube algorithm sent me a Groovebox video ... ''what the fuck is that ??'' It was a Teenage Engineering OP-1 in the hands of Jeremy from Red Means Recording, it looked and sounded like the best craic ever, ''I need one !!'' ... 10 minutes later I had a groovebox app on my phone and I was off making beats and hoovering up all the info I could on gear, artists, genres, scenes, history of electronic music and synths. Been at it everyday since !!

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Thank you for being flexible with the online format. Lets do 10 questions. Im sure it will be enough to cover the bases and to leave more for the future! Lets start from the beginning. When did you start playing music and why Techno?

I started playing music when I was 15, I got a guitar, I was obsessed with Nirvana, I always wanted to make albums, I played Irish banjo too for a few years in my 30s and went to lots of Irish Trad and singing sessions, but I was barking up the wrong tree, it never happened with instruments, I found Grooveboxes and Techno 7 years ago when I was already 37 years old, I was instantly hooked, better late than never!!

Wow, that is crazy bro!
⁠Do you remember the moment when it all clicked?

Yeah I do, I was at home with Flu, I never heard of a groovebox before, I thought electronic music was made on computers, the Youtube algorithm sent me a Groovebox video ... ''what the fuck is that ??'' It was a Teenage Engineering OP-1 in the hands of Jeremy from Red Means Recording, it looked and sounded like the best craic ever, ''I need one !!'' ... 10 minutes later I had a groovebox app on my phone and I was off making beats and hoovering up all the info I could on gear, artists, genres, scenes, history of electronic music and synths. Been at it everyday since !!

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Thank you for being flexible with the online format. Lets do 10 questions. Im sure it will be enough to cover the bases and to leave more for the future!

Lets start from the beginning. When did you start playing music and why Techno?

I started playing music when I was 15, I got a guitar, I was obsessed with Nirvana, I always wanted to make albums, I played Irish banjo too for a few years in my 30s and went to lots of Irish Trad and singing sessions, but I was barking up the wrong tree, it never happened with instruments, I found Grooveboxes and Techno 7 years ago when I was already 37 years old, I was instantly hooked, better late than never!!

Wow, that is crazy bro!
⁠Do you remember the moment when it all clicked?

Yeah I do, I was at home with Flu, I never heard of a groovebox before, I thought electronic music was made on computers, the Youtube algorithm sent me a Groovebox video ... ''what the fuck is that ??'' It was a Teenage Engineering OP-1 in the hands of Jeremy from Red Means Recording, it looked and sounded like the best craic ever, ''I need one !!'' ... 10 minutes later I had a groovebox app on my phone and I was off making beats and hoovering up all the info I could on gear, artists, genres, scenes, history of electronic music and synths. Been at it everyday since !!

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Thank you for being flexible with the online format. Lets do 10 questions. Im sure it will be enough to cover the bases and to leave more for the future! Lets start from the beginning. When did you start playing music and why Techno?

I started playing music when I was 15, I got a guitar, I was obsessed with Nirvana, I always wanted to make albums, I played Irish banjo too for a few years in my 30s and went to lots of Irish Trad and singing sessions, but I was barking up the wrong tree, it never happened with instruments, I found Grooveboxes and Techno 7 years ago when I was already 37 years old, I was instantly hooked, better late than never!!

Wow, that is crazy bro!
⁠Do you remember the moment when it all clicked?

Yeah I do, I was at home with Flu, I never heard of a groovebox before, I thought electronic music was made on computers, the Youtube algorithm sent me a Groovebox video ... ''what the fuck is that ??'' It was a Teenage Engineering OP-1 in the hands of Jeremy from Red Means Recording, it looked and sounded like the best craic ever, ''I need one !!'' ... 10 minutes later I had a groovebox app on my phone and I was off making beats and hoovering up all the info I could on gear, artists, genres, scenes, history of electronic music and synths. Been at it everyday since !!

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Thank you for being flexible with the online format. Lets do 10 questions. Im sure it will be enough to cover the bases and to leave more for the future! Lets start from the beginning. When did you start playing music and why Techno?

I started playing music when I was 15, I got a guitar, I was obsessed with Nirvana, I always wanted to make albums, I played Irish banjo too for a few years in my 30s and went to lots of Irish Trad and singing sessions, but I was barking up the wrong tree, it never happened with instruments, I found Grooveboxes and Techno 7 years ago when I was already 37 years old, I was instantly hooked, better late than never!!

Wow, that is crazy bro!
⁠Do you remember the moment when it all clicked?

Yeah I do, I was at home with Flu, I never heard of a groovebox before, I thought electronic music was made on computers, the Youtube algorithm sent me a Groovebox video ... ''what the fuck is that ??'' It was a Teenage Engineering OP-1 in the hands of Jeremy from Red Means Recording, it looked and sounded like the best craic ever, ''I need one !!'' ... 10 minutes later I had a groovebox app on my phone and I was off making beats and hoovering up all the info I could on gear, artists, genres, scenes, history of electronic music and synths. Been at it everyday since !!

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Thats awesome! It must have been overwhelming and refreshing at the same time. 7 years passed since the first steps.

⁠What is your go to set-up now? I bet its not just the phone app.

I had a huge process of trying out all the different synths , grooveboxes and drum machines, anything that interested me I hunted it down on Adverts . ie. There is so much potential in each instrument, I try to lean into the machines strengths and see what is the best sounds and tracks I can coax out of it, during this process I developed a style of creating then performing and recording all my tracks live in one take, I didn't realise at the time, but this was getting me ready to perform on stage, after trying as much gear as I could I settled on Elektron as my favourite instruments and ecosystem for producing tracks. Syntakt, Digitone 2 being my faves. Set up wise I am a minimalist, I tend to use just one groovebox at a time, every now and then I use two simultaneously.

What is your creative process behind recording your tunes? Where does the inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes from the joy I get from making a Groovebox really sing !! Like having a track coming straight out of the box as if it was recorded in a studio. When the groovebox really feels like an instrument in my hands, I'm connected with it and flowing. Inspiration also stems from all the amazing electronic artists and genres I have discovered and enjoyed over the last few years. My creative process is jamming a lot until I find a jam with a touch of magic that I can craft all the way into a full track, then I press record and try to capture the best take I can !!

"My inspiration comes from the joy I get from making a Groovebox really sing"

I dont want to keep you here all night so just a couple more. What are your plans for the year? Will we see you in clubs or you prefer to focus on releasing a new album?

I only really do 2 or 3 gigs a year, they take a lot of prep, I'd like to do more, because they are some buzz !! So lets see what comes up. I just finished 2 really fun gigs and I'm back in the lab now, exploring, experimenting and creating new tracks.

⁠You mentioned that you were a big Kurt fan and been playin on instruments your whole life. How does your past 20 years influences the present and since the revelation, who do you get influenced by?

That's a good question man, I'll answer in 2 parts ... from my past I'm influenced by the rage and energy from dirty, fuzzy Rock music and Punk, Nirvana, Joy Division, Bad Brans and Rage Against The Machine. I had a decade long Funk, Jazz Funk and Afrobeat phase which I adored for baselines and pure groove which I try to capture. I must be influenced by the psychedelic vibes of The Beatles, Pink Flyod and early Jamaican Dub, this would come out in my Dub Techno and Jungle tracks. I have to mention the Irish Banjo style which has such speed, crisp melodies, bounce and energy, I try to have that bounce in my Techno baselines.

Since I got into making Electronic music I realised how much inherent influence comes from listening to The Prodigy, Daft Punk and Ltj Bukem before I knew anything, they are kinda built into my musical world view and I still love their vibe. I'm heavily into and influenced by 90s Jungle and Drum and Bass, Detroit Techno, Acid Techno, Dub Techno, a dash of Trance and Techno bangers of all kinds. Aphex Twin, Boards of Canada, Radiohead, 90s Boom Bap ... I could go on and on !!

What do you think of the Irish scene?

I'm just beginning my journey into the Irish scene, there seems to be a lot of energy already and a growing appetite from artists and listeners alike, I've met some great DJs and artists and I watch a few from afar with admiration, I hope to grow as an artist as a part of the growing Irish scene.

Who should be next?

I would like to nominate Cable.Percussion to go next, I had the honour of sharing the stage with him a few times, a quality noise maker and 303 master, with frenetic beats and a pH so low it'll clean your jewellery !!

Haha, Love it! I Really enjoyed it. Thank you for doing this again! Last words for the readers?

Just me link and please have a listen everybody https://ciaranmulhall.bandcamp.com/

woohooo

Lezzzz Goooo