Kevin Keller | |
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 Kevin Keller with Brian Eno, May 2013 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | April 27, 1967 San Diego, California, United States |
| Genres | Contemporary classical, ambient, electronic |
| Occupation(s) | Composer, Producer |
| Years active | 1986–present |
Kevin Keller (born April 27, 1967) [1] is an American composer and recording artist known primarily for "ambient chamber music", [2] a style that combines live instruments with electronic effects. [3]
Starting out as a guitarist in his teen years, Keller turned to the piano while attending Jesuit High School, [4] inspired by the music of Claude Debussy, Brian Eno, and Harold Budd. [5] As a composition student, Keller composed ballet scores and chamber music, including a string quartet premiered by the Kronos Quartet at the 1986 Festival of New American Music. [6] Keller later studied Film Scoring at Berklee College of Music under the tutelage of Pinar Toprak.
Keller's first solo recording "The Mask of Memory" (1994) came to the attention of radio producer Stephen Hill, who included several tracks on a Hearts of Space program titled "Digital Planet" [7] in 1995. This was followed by a Living Room Concert and feature on Echoes, whose host John Diliberto named Keller's second CD "Intermezzo" as one of the Top 25 records of 1996. [8] In total, Keller has released 13 full-length recordings [9] and several EPs and compilations, working with musicians such as cellist David Darling, guitarist Jeff Pearce and Keller's own chamber ensemble of strings, woodwinds, percussion, and piano. [10]
Keller currently resides in New York City, [11] where he composes music for choreographers such as Dwight Rhoden, [12] Elisa Monte, [13] Amy Marshall, [14] and Ray Sullivan. [15] Keller's works are administered by BMI. His 2012 album "The Day I Met Myself" was produced by Russel Walder; the album won the ZMR Music Award for Best Neo-Classical Album of 2012. Keller and Walder teamed up again in 2015 for their follow-up album "La Strada", which also won the ZMR Music Award for Best Neo-Classical Album of 2015.
Keller's work "A Star in a Stoneboat" (from his album "Across the Sky") was featured on Season 13, Episode 9 of So You Think You Can Dance, in a piece choreographed by Tyce Diorio.
Keller's 2021 album "Shimmer" was named CD of the Month [16] for October 2021 on the syndicated radio program Echoes.
Star's End is a weekly, five-hour-long new-age music radio show broadcast by 88.5 WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania's radio station, in Philadelphia. It is the second longest-running show of its type in the world, after Hearts of Space.
Structures from Silence is the third studio album by American ambient musician Steve Roach. It was released in 1984 on Fortuna.
Dreamtime Return (1988) is a double album by the American ambient musician Steve Roach, based on Australian Aboriginal culture and the concept of the Dreamtime. Described as "one of the pivotal works of ambient music" and "groundbreaking," the album has been included on a number of lists of the world's best music, including 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.
Space music, also called spacemusic or space ambient, is a subgenre of ambient music and is described as "tranquil, hypnotic and moving". It is derived from new-age music and is associated with lounge music, easy listening, and elevator music.
Russel Walder is an American jazz oboist and the founder of Nomad Soul Records.
Anton Bruckner's String Quintet in F major, WAB 112 was composed in 1878/79 in Vienna.
The String Quartet in C minor WAB 111, was composed by Anton Bruckner's in 1862 during his tuition by Otto Kitzler.
Mandrake Project was an American band based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Primarily an instrumental band, they have been referred to as crossover progressive, ambient, jam-band and even jazz-rock. Mandrake Project's music is accented by its shared membership with groups like The Polyphonic Spree, The Twilight Singers, New Invisible Joy, Outside Royalty, and The Afghan Whigs.
Paul Adams is an American musician, writer and musical instrument builder.
Jeff Pearce is an Indiana-based ambient/new age musician. He has been called "one of the top two electronic guitarists of all time" by Allmusic, while reviewer John Diliberto wrote in Billboard magazine that Pearce is "one of the best" guitarists to follow the solo electric guitarist concept. Pearce started playing guitar at age 13 and discovered the music of Brian Eno and Harold Budd while in college.
AeTopus is a progressive Electronic music project performed and produced by composer Bryan Tewell Hughes. The music has received critical acclaim within the new-age and electronic music genres, and the album Between Empires won the award of Best Electronic album in the 2012 Zone Music Reporter Awards. The album Tempula was nominated in the Best Electronic category in the 2006 NAR Lifestyle Music Awards. Other nominations for ZMR Best Electronic album include the 2013 Extended play (EP) release Angels and Machines, the 2015 CD When, and the 2018 CD Totem Totum. After having independently released seven albums and two EPs between 2002 and 2022, Hughes signed with the Spotted Peccary Music label for the release of the full-length album Cup in 2023.
Bryan Carrigan is an American music producer, engineer, and electronic musician that has been involved in the production of studio albums and film scores. Carrigan is also known for serving multiple roles in the recording studio as music editor, programming, and sound design.
Departure Songs is the fifth studio album by American ambient/post-rock band Hammock. It was released on October 2, 2012 by the band's own label, Hammock Music.
Erik Scott was an American bassist, record producer, and songwriter. Scott played bass for the band Flo & Eddie in the 1970s as well as Alice Cooper in the early 1980s, for whom he also produced. In the 1990s he was one of the founding members of Sonia Dada, which reached the number one position on the Australian music charts with their eponymous debut studio album. Scott was also the co-writer of the song "Father, Father", which was the title track for the Pops Staples' album of the same name, winner of the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album. In 2008 he became a solo artist as well, with his debut studio album Other Planets. He recorded four solo studio albums in total, including the 2016 ZMR Awards Album of the Year winner In the Company of Clouds.
Oblivion Hymns is the sixth studio album by American ambient/post-rock band Hammock. It was released on November 26, 2013 by the band's own label, Hammock Music.
Bernard Zaslav was an American viola soloist and chamber musician with an extensive recording and performance career. A founding member of The Composers Quartet in 1965, he went on to play with the Fine Arts Quartet, Vermeer Quartet, and the Stanford String Quartet. He has also performed and recorded as the Zaslav Duo with his wife, pianist Naomi Zaslav.
The Intermezzo in D minor is an 1879 composition by the Austrian composer Anton Bruckner. Although it was intended to replace the scherzo of the String Quintet, that piece was instead performed in its original form; the Intermezzo was not publicly premiered until after the composer's death.
Kerani (1968) is a Dutch composer, orchestrator, and producer of Hungarian heritage known for her sophisticated and meticulously crafted music, infused with classical influences. She is recognised for her contributions to various media projects, including documentaries, short films, and trailers. Over the course of her career, Kerani has released eleven albums, each showcasing her unique artistic vision. Notably, Kerani has been honoured in the US with the distinguished ZMR Music Award for Best Neo-Classical New Age Album on three separate occasions, underscoring her significant impact on the genre.
Jeff Oster is a Grammy-nominated American musician who specializes in trumpet and flugelhorn in the New Age music genre. He is a member of the four-piece band Flow. Oster's style has been described as "Miles Davis meets Pink Floyd." He is a three-time winner of the Independent Music Awards and ten-time winner of the Zone Music Reporter Awards. He was featured on the Laura Sullivan's Grammy-winning album Love's River. Flow's debut album reached number 4 on the Billboard New Age Albums Chart in 2017.
Tom Eaton is a Grammy-nominated American multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, and mastering engineer. He is known as the composer of multiple albums, and as a producer and engineer who works with Grammy Award-winner William Ackerman.
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