David Keno is geared to make his Australian debut this weekend, playing dates in Sydney and Melbourne.
Since his relocation to Berlin in 2006, Keno's profile has grown significantly. His production output has remained steady over the years, releasing on labels like Kindisch and Paradigma Music. His sound is firmly rooted in house, mainly of the deep persuasion. His DJ sets follow a similar aesthetic, typically emphasising deep grooves laced with warm chords.
Chatting recently via e-mail, Keno told us about his first attempts at producing, living in Berlin, and some of his upcoming projects:When you first started producing as a teenager, what kind of gear were you working with?
I started at around 14, with a simple tracker software on my 386 PC that only could produce 8-bit sounds over the PC's speakers. It sounded really bad, but I had fun and kept doing it. Rock music was more interesting at that time, but I used one of the first Cakewalk sequencers with some general Midi sounds for composing new tracks for my band.
What was the electronic scene like where you were back then?
I spent my teenage years in Frankfurt. The music scene there in the late '90s was dominated by techno music. After the Omen closed we spent many nights at the U60311 and Stammheim. I wouldn't want to miss these days, but I am also glad that the music changed. House music is more my thing. I spent more time in the house floors these days because, most of the time, the music was a little too hard for my taste.
When did you first move to Berlin?
I came to Berlin in 2006. After my studies in Media Informatics were finished, it felt like it was time for something new. Why not Berlin, I thought. It sounded like an adventure. It was the right decision. I've never thought that it was a mistake to come here. It is not a city for me where I want to grow old but at the moment it is just the best way to spend my time.
Will there be another record out on Keno Records this year?
The label has been on hold for the last months, because I focused more on making music than the business stuff. In fall I will get back to it with new releases. I have received a lot of interesting demos and am looking forward to releasing some nice material.
Finally, do you have anything coming up production-wise?
I did a couple of remixes recently, and there will be a four-track EP released that I'm really excited about. It's called the Bambi EP and will be released on Trapez Ltd in November. At the end of September there is a single on Suara named Regina with remixes from Hugo and Roberto Rodriquez.
Tickets to Keno's Sydney appearance, going down this Friday at Civic Underground, are available over at RA Tickets.