Seekae

Seekae
Origin Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres Indie pop, minimal, ghetto ambient, IDM, post-rock
Years active 2006–present
Labels Knitting Club Records, Rice Is Nice, Future Classic
Website http://www.seekae.com/
Members Alex Cameron
George Nicholas
John Hassel

Seekae are a Sydney-based electronic music group. They formed the group under the name Commander Keen in reference to the mid-'90s PC DOS video game series, later changing the name to an elongated version of Commander Keen's initials (CK) after realising the name was taken by a Scottish band.[1] They released their debut album The Sound of Trees Falling on People in 2008 and released the follow-up +Dome in 2011 and the EP 3 in 2012. The band released their third album The Worry in September 2014.[2]

History

Alex Cameron and John Hassell met in high school and played in an indie rock band together. After finishing high school, Alex was reunited with George Nicholas with whom he went to primary school and after realising their common music tastes, the three began playing more experimental electronic music using George's MPC sampler and John's MicroKORG.[3] The trio garnered critical acclaim from the Australian music press [4][5] and were praised for their unique sound on the Sydney scene at the time, taking influence from UK post-dubstep producers Mount Kimbie and James Blake as well as being compared to fellow Australian electronic musicians PVT.

Releases

The Sound of Trees Falling on People album

In 2008, Seekae's debut album The Sound of Trees Falling on People was released independently in Australia, then officially through Knitting Club Records and re-released when the band signed to Rice is Nice the following year.[6] The album uses samples from instruments traditionally associated with indie and electronica such as piano, guitar and vocals, layered over 8-bit style synthesizers (most prevalent on the track Snax) and polyrhythmic electronic percussion. Rather than being a completely studio based production, Cameron wrote that the debut album "was a mixture of having written songs for live [shows], which we sort of shaped and morphed over time... After about a year of playing live we realized we had enough for a record".[7] The album was the focus of much attention from Sydney radio station FBi, which named it album of the week in May and heralded Seekae as the best live act of 2009.[8] The album was also responsible for Seekae winning the Soundclash grant from the Australian Arts Council,[9] as well as receiving a 7.9/10 from popular Australian music journal Polaroids of Androids.[5]

Remix EP

On 6 August 2009, the group self-released five remixes of various Australian artists digitally and on limited CD-R release.[10] They launched the EP at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney, playing alongside the artists who were featured on the EP.[11]

+Dome album

The band's second album, +Dome was released in Australia on Rice is Nice and Popfrenzy on 25 March 2011. +Dome brought Seekae to the attention of international music media after the band toured the album locally, in Europe, North America and Japan[12] and in return, reviewers cited that the album reflects a greater influence from the UK bass and post-dubstep scenes as well as from '90s IDM artists such as Autechre.[13] In response to the financial grant awarded to the band in 2009, the band were able to use more complex recording techniques, +Dome featuring more exotic instrumental acoustic recordings and a more sonically embellished production. NME gave +Dome a 7/10 and cited that despite the heavy electronic elements present, the rhythms feel "directed by human hands".[14]

In 2012, a 12" pressing of the track "3" was released and sold alongside +Dome at Seekae's headline and support slot shows around Australia, featuring a club-edit of the track on the A-side (mixed by Seekae) and a remix of the track by Belgian techno/house producer Locked Groove (Hotflush Recordings).[15]

The Worry album

On 12 September 2014, the band released their third album, The Worry, with Future Classic. It’s the first LP the group has produced with the vocals of frontman, Alex Cameron. Their reason for wanting a lyrical album was to tell a story to the audience, and "eliminate any ambiguity", which they felt they could not do with instrumental music.[16] Despite being a major departure from their previous sound, FasterLouder praised The Worry, giving it 8/10, saying "though The Worry has less flavours in the mix [when compared to +Dome] they turn out to be potent ones".[17]

References

  1. ↑ Elmer, Adrian. "Seekae Interview by Adrian Elmer (Web Only)". Cyclic Defrost. Australian Council for the Arts. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  2. ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Seekae-The-Worry/release/6088465
  3. ↑ Thompson, Bron. "Seekae - Interview". The Vine Music. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  4. ↑ Mills, Adam. "SEEKAE: The sound of trees falling on people". Mess+Noise. Mess+Noise p/l. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Seekae: The sound of trees falling on people". Polaroids of Androids. etcetcawesome.com. Retrieved 3 January 2013. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  6. ↑ "Seekae". Discogs.com. Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  7. ↑ Fernandes, Sanjay. "Breaking Through: Seekae". Resident Advisor. Resident Advisor ltd. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  8. ↑ "Past SMACS". Smac Awards. FBi Radio. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  9. ↑ King, Gemma. "Soundclash". Artery. Australia Council. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  10. ↑ "Seekae - Remix EP". Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  11. ↑ "Seekae prep new remix EP". Polaroids of Androids. etcetcawesome.com. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Unicomb, Matt. "Seekae - +Dome". RA Reviews. Resident Advisor ltd. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  13. ↑ Ilic, Vel. "Seekae - +Dome". Thequietus.com. The Quietus. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  14. ↑ Clark, Chris. "Seekae - +Dome". NME.com. IPC Media. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  15. ↑ "Seekae - 3". Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  16. ↑ Redman, Jessica. "We Asked the Band Seekae Some Questions about Music". Band Tidy Music. bandtidymusic.co.uk. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  17. ↑ Macgregor, Jody. "Seekae - The Worry". FasterLouder. Sound Alliance Pty Ltd. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
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