Words by Art Jefferson
Photography by Niki Topouslidou
Keep Shelly in Athens are one of the most important bands to emerge from Greece in the past five years. Founded by producer RΠЯ in 2010, KSiA gained an international following with their atmospheric melting pot of downtempo, pop, indie, experimental electronica and more, which ultimately morphed into their distinct dreamy sound. Although an air of mystique brewed around the band from day one, with only the singer even being fully displayed in imagery and RΠЯ remaining slightly illusive, the impact of the music has remained at the forefront causing music lovers and critics alike to be engulfed in their tidal wave of sublime rhythms.
With the band name created as a play on the Kypseli section of Athens, RΠЯ along with vocalist Sarah P. recorded a number of releases on labels such as Planet Mu, Sixteen Tambourines and Forest Family, including their successful first 12″ In Love with Dusk, which set the tone of their future mood-driven recordings. The group went on to remix artists such as Body Language, Crazy P and Tycho. In 2013, Keep Shelly in Athens unleashed their debut LP At Home, an interplay of chilled production and vocals that were dark and exceptionally beautiful in the same breath. Whilst the world embraced the band with open arms, with KSiA performing shows around the world, in 2014 Sarah P. departed from the group, relocating to Berlin. In March of the same year, RΠЯ announced KSiA’s new singer Myrtha, unveiling their warm and melodic song ‘Fractals’ that November, which was even placed in Urban Outfitters’ Mixtape 6.
Back with a new album entitled Now I’m Ready, out on the Los Angeles-based label Friends of Friends, Keep Shelly in Athens’ latest record skillfully adds vibrancy and imagination throughout the pop and electronic landscape, all the while maintaining their otherworldly and astral sound that has made the band some what of new age heroes. And like a soundtrack to all that is artful, KSiA’s new work is is utter proof that musically not one beat has been missed but rather creatively gained and widened.
Listening to the new album ‘Now I’m Ready’, the sound is definitely expansive in my opinion. How would you compare this new recording to past releases?
RΠЯ – Well the truth is that from the very beginning we were playing around with various genres, and I think that this album is not an exception. Still I think that even when we are producing tracks that range across a wide spectrum of genres there’s still a distinctive sound in our work.
This new album features the vocals of Myrtha. How did you two come into contact with one another?
RΠЯ – We were searching for a new singer and a common friend introduced Myrtha to me. We had a little conversation and a short audition and that was it!
You have often been called an electronic duo, however there are bits of inspiration in your music that stem pass the borders of electronica. With that being said, you have also managed to mesh various genres into your distinct style. How long did it take you to develop that sound that you have become known for?
RΠЯ – It’s not something that is intentional or static either. We look at the whole songwriting process like a game of putting down all of our influences in our own way, and every time this leads us to new soundscapes and results. As for the time it took for this development, I am not quite sure but I think that after our first 2 EP’s people started to recognise a KSiA sound.
Whenever there are changes in a band, fans sometime do not know what to expect. Although the new recording is surely a great one, did you ever feel any pressure to prove to the fans that the KSiA brand is still as strong as ever?
RΠЯ – When I’m writing songs in general I never feel any kind of pressure. I would say the exact opposite in fact. Concerning the internal changes in the band my only concern was to find a really good singer and a nice person as soon as possible to continue making new tracks.
There has always been a slight mystique about Keep Shelly in Athens. Does having a bit a mystery allow you the freedom to musically travel in various directions without being pigeon-holed into one particular genre?
RΠЯ – In the era of selfies a bit of mystery is a good thing I suppose. As I said before the way our music moves around genres is not something that is intentional as such but is just how we make music.
With ‘Now I’m Ready’, you signed to the L.A.-based label Friends of Friends. Can you talk about how that deal came about?
RΠЯ – We are extremely happy about our collaboration with these guys! Friends of Friends is more than a label. They are listeners first and we had a very positive feedback from them about our album.
How does living in the city of Athens influence your palette of sound and creativity?
RΠЯ – Living in Athens is both very exciting and very difficult at the same time especially in recent years. We really love our city and everything we’ve done so far is influenced by its rhythm of life and its vibe. We were born and raised in the area called Kypseli near the centre of Athens which is a really urban landscape and full of working-class families. We are proud of our neighbourhood and this is why we were named Keep Shelly in Athens (Kypseli in Athens).
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