Keith Human follows up his recent song “Leave Your Baggage By The Door” with a live EP entitled Keith Human with Jouissance – Live at Kusina La Madera. This live EP was recorded on November 27th of last year, when most of us were still getting used to being back in crowded places. It had a soothing vibe to it—- definitely brings you back to the pre-COVID days, when live performances were widely common.
There are six tracks on the EP, including the songs Patterns, Sunset Rays, Hail Aphrodite, Contigo, and Desire. Also included in the set list is his recent single, Leave Your Baggage By The Door. Despite the rawness of the recording, all of the songs have a multi-layered, personal, and comfortable mood to them. Keith describes the music in this EP as “raw, unfiltered, and loose.” It’s his tribute to those who miss the energy and spontaneity of a live performance.
“There’s a lot of genres in this EP so I’m not even sure what to call my music anymore. The EP started with me uttering “Wa ko kahibalo sa akong genre. Basta rock… mao na.” (I don’t know my genre. Safe to say it’s Rock… maybe.”)”
Keith Human on his new Live EP
Keith also expressed that the majority of the songs on this EP were composed in a short amount of time. The majority of the songs’ inspiration came from chance, such as how “Hail Aphrodite” was created on a simple drunken night. “Desire” was a last-minute addition to the EP, while “Sunset Rays,” “Patterns,” and “Hail Aphrodite” were songs he already performed a few times during his days as an acoustic performer. “Contigo,” on the other hand, is Keith‘s ode and birthday gift to Kubra Commander, the band of Leave Your Baggage by the Door producer Bobbi Olvido.
As Keith recalled, the most difficult aspect of this release was producing it. It’s not easy to capture a live performance in its most natural state. Fortunately, he collaborated with Rex (add family name), the sound engineer for this recording, because they were both insanely ambitious with this project. The Who’s Live At Leeds and The Rolling Stones’ Got Live If You Want It, arguably two of the most visceral live albums ever recorded, were major influences.
Keith also mentioned that releasing a live EP without a single or a well-known song bore a risk he took when deciding to release it. He hopes that this EP will serve as a bridge for some of his listeners who are looking forward to his debut album. He also wants to reach out to folks who are unable to attend shows due to a variety of factors as well as those who missed out on some of Keith‘s older tracks since they aren’t available on Spotify. This side of Keith is completely new, so they are in for a treat.
Talking about treats, we have a bonus liner note from Keith himself dedicated to all his fans:
“Live at Kusina La Madera, Nov. 27, 2021”
2021 was one hell of a trip. There’s not much to say about it because, in the end, the year can only be summarized to one sentence: one hell of a trip. It’s as if someone pressed the fast forward button and the year just flashed by right before our eyes. Tragedies happened left and right last year but some good moments happened as well, moments we all saw as a flicker amid the overwhelming darkness. This live performance was recorded during that one beautiful night on November 27. There were ambitions involved during the rehearsals of this gig. From the concept of dividing the set into two: acoustic and full band to continuing the three-piece idea of the Keith Human band, which debuted in July of the same year, and down to hiring a keyboardist, aiming to give justice to Bobbi’s added synths during post-production on my songs.
A week after our first rehearsal, jouissance (the band for this gig) and I stuck to one thing instead- to keep it raw, loud, and as playful as we want it to be. Keith Human wasn’t the same as it was since 2014 and I have no plans in keeping it folk forever nor limiting the capabilities of each individual I’m going to hire as my band. Soon after that shared enthusiasm, each member is contributing ideas in changing the way my songs sounded, and not long after, we were ready.
What you are about to hear now are songs that will be a part of my debut album, “Boringly Wild”. With the intent of bringing you to the venue itself and the energy of the performance and the crowd, this performance is recorded (with the help of my dear friend Rex Aventuna) during a time where the tiniest bit of hope still existed and where bands and lovers of music are gathered in one place to celebrate. Looking back on November 27, after re-listening to the final mixes of the live performance at Kusina La Madera, the people had everything… for a night.
The album cover by itself is a treat. It was inspired by the Blue Note Recording Label’s signature record artwork. Keith enjoys listening to jazz albums. When he saw that Blue Note Recordings created the majority of the cover art for his favorite jazz albums, he knew he had to imitate it.
This year, even with the delays caused by Typhoon Odette, Keith promises to release a teaser for his “Leave Your Baggage By The Door” Music Video by the end of January.
“Well, we’re back to another lockdown. I hope all of you are safe and taking cautions. The material you are about to hear right now is recorded during a hopeful time when a glimpse of living mask-free work feels plausible. Nobody knows if bands will ever experience another gig in front of people but who knows. This is more than a LIVE EP. It’s an experience.”
-Keith’s message to his audience
Listen to the album on Spotify today and let us know what you think by tagging us on social media! @MeltRecordsph