Keep Shelly in Athens impress not only in quantity and quality – but also variety. Hailing from the Greek capital, the electronic duo draws on a variety of international influences to form their own unique sound that continues to simmer at the surface of universal acclaim. The group cut its teeth on a short headlining tour of North America this past fall and seemed poise for an even bigger breakthrough. We exchanged some e-mails with the busy duo, which you can read below. It’s an opportune time to learn more about the band, their music and their plans for the future before you hear them in a car commercial or in the soundtrack of the next Cameron Crowe flick.
Hit the skip for the interview.
PIMB: Those who have been following this site are familiar with the up-and-coming (and also excellent) electronic duo Keep Shelly in Athens. But for the uninitiated, could you explain who you guys are and how you came to be one of the most talked about music-makers in the indie blogosphere?
Keep Shelly In Athens: Oh, right! Let’s introduce ourselves; we are RPR-the producer-and Sarah P-the vocalist-of KSiA. The key word in your question was ”blogosphere” and the key blog “Gorilla vs Bear” put some of our tracks a year and a half ago…and then from blog to blog music has spread! It is amazing how fast things happen, and it doesn’t matter where do you come from, or who are you anyway. It is a new era that favors new acts..so I guess we had the perfect timing with all this. Lucky ones!
PIMB: One of the most noteworthy things I notice about your music is that it’s not intrinsically tied to one music ‘scene.’ I hear elements of all sorts of influences in your music – from Ibiza/Ballearic dance, to downtempo rhythms that are all the range in the UK and even some American hip-hop bravura (believe we’re calling swagger these days). Greece (to my knowledge) is not exactly known for its music.. my question is this: how has growing there and developing your sound there influenced your unique sound?
KSIA: Well. I think that all this diversity in our music comes from the fact that we are open to different sounds. We have plenty of completely different influences and we mix ‘em up! We find it more interesting than stuck on a beat or on a style. Greece has a great tradition in music, and as far as we grew up here, it is part of our influences, maybe one of the less distinct ones. Oriental references, for example, in “Ready to Pay the Price”, or in our remix of Porcelain Raft’s “Tip Of Your Tongue” cannot hide. But music, as I said before, is not just a thing. So when you describe yourself as a music lover, you cannot listen to just one kind of music and that is all! Radio, internet, TV, magazines always by the side of every kid who wants to exercise his/her ears! Thank god!
PIMB: (Somewhat relatedly, but I have to ask the Obligatory Eurozone Question. Has the Greek economy impacted your day-to-day lives? Your ability to book and play shows? Has it creeped into your art yet?)
KSIA: The economic crisis in Greece has burst when we first appeared in music stuff. Of course things here are not easy, rather the opposite. People turned to be really measured as regards to daily expenses. We are emotional wrecks after all that political and economical fiasco. So of course all this has an impact on our daily lives. But we hadn’t yet any problem in booking shows or making music. And let me say that while rough times are on, human nature is to try to get over it and to create beautiful things. Only culture can raise up the demoralized!
PIMB: Technology, obviously, has a big impact on all of our lives. It’s the reason I’m able to relay interview questions. You guys even put Chachi Carvalho (a rapper from my hometown) on a PotholesInMyBlog.com podcast. Talk about a shrinking world. I presume this technology has helped you along the way. Can you describe how the proliferation of technology (like beat-making programs), the instant sharing of music has impacted both your career and your art (both the process and on the art itself)?
KSIA: That’s right. This is the most important thing-the shrinking world. We are in the eastern south Europe, from a tiny country, known best for its glorious past and monuments(!), and we are so happy to share our musical craziness with anyone around the world who has internet access!It is so impressive! What we realised on our tour in the US is that technology is more powerful than we could ever imagine…Brings people together! And of course, makes it easier to make music nowadays ;) !
PIMB: Your latest EP Campus Martius begins with a remix. Indeed your remixes have garnered more attention than maybe even your original material. What is it about the remix that you enjoy so much? How does it help you get your idea across in ways an original song might not?
KSIA: Oh, our remixes are popular indeed but they are not more popular than our original material. On our soundcloud page you can see that the hits on songs like “Hauntin’ Me” or “Our Own Dream” make them the most loved ones, I guess. But anyway the reconstruction of a beautiful song it is always a challenge! You can turn the inside out, but always you have to respect the original idea of the artist/band! It is really exciting! Remixes have the Keep Shelly in Athens’ touch and point of view, but the original songs are Keep Shelly in Athens’ material. Always the same people, though, with the same way of thinking…
PIMB: The final song on the EP “Struggle With Yourself” is the darkest sound I’ve heard from the group. What’s the song about? Does this foreshadow to some of the sounds KSIA will play in the future?
KSIA: ”Struggle With Yourself”. This song is about fighting with the greatest opponent-routine and well, how do you find yourself in this battle, sometimes you lose, sometimes you win..But all this is a vicious circle, it is never ending..So yes, it is the darkest one of all the songs we have made until now. We love to experiment and we love as well to pace with the era, which is dark and hazy. As regards to future sound plans, well, all I have to say is stay tuned!
PIMB: Lastly, for now, you are scheduled to play some shows in the States in April, but this isn’t your first time playing here. You must have had some positive experiences to return! Is this your first time headlining your own tour here? And just what is a typical KSIA show like? You’ve also hinted at more dates. Any clues to where you’ll surface next?
KSIA: The US tour was an amazing experience. Inspiring! And of course the most encouraging thing is that we will go back there and play shows again! This is great! There are people who trust in us and ask us to headline the shows. That happened in November, and this will probably happen again in April, and well, this is huge for a new born band like we are. Huge! We played with great bands, such as Body Language and Kisses, much more experienced in giving shows. Headlining though is not the panacea. We are working on our stage performance and we think that in April we will offer a cool show! Concerning the dates we haven’t announced yet, we can say nothing for the time, except that we are really excited for all this that it is going on!!!
Blood Diamonds – Lasting Love (Keep Shelly in Athens remix) by Keep Shelly in Athens
