A psychedelic lovechild
Kekko is the psychedelic lovechild of cosmic duo Tim and Cherie Kekko. Following the flow of Life led to the convergence of their paths. The Universe beckoned and they heeded the call. Many who are clued in have paid notice, gaining them impressive early features from the likes of NME, Obscure Sound and Nevermind right at the beginning of the Kekko journey.
Vocalist Cherie spent her teenage years covering dream-pop and shoegaze classics on Youtube, garnering a cult following from the most ardent fans of icons like Slowdive, Beach House and My Bloody Valentine. She was also the main vocalist in Bored Spies (with members from legendary 90s band, Seam) which toured the US and Europe, notably playing Primavera Sound Barcelona. In the present, Kekko marks the first time Cherie has been able to step out of her captivating personas and truly embrace her authentic wholeness. Without all sorts of self-created expectations and suppositions of what music should be, she can now sing from a place of warm transcendence, where the music truly embodies who she is deep down inside.
Tasked with the fruitful paradox of expressing the inexpressible, Tim takes care of everything else in the Kekko consciousness, exploring sonic realms with his multi-instrumentation and composition. It often “starts with just one note and a quiet contemplation” of how the sounds makes him feel and he then build and craft melody-focused pieces from the ‘heart cave”, a term carved by the late Ram Dass, a spiritual teacher and psychedelic explorer, who describes it as “a place beyond all forms and limits, a place for letting go.” Deeply steeped in Eastern philosophy and Spirituality, Tim borrows from years of inner and outer work; his aural offerings an attempt to envision and encapsulate the expansiveness and magic of all realms of existence.
Opening track, “Dreaming Life” is the first introduction to this world that Kekko lovingly created. Here, the pair reminds everyone that being in control of our lives is an illusion and this futile pursuit can be very stressful and tiresome. Through Cherie’s hypnotising voice and Tim’s synth-laden textures, they call for an alternative view; that Life actually happens through you and because of you. All we can do is to appreciate each and every moment.
Debut single “Within You” which premiered on FLOOD Magazine, elevates the experience of oneness and was brilliantly described by an early listener as “a soundtrack for floating through the Aurora Borealis”. Here, Tim energetically captures the infinite nature that lies within each and every one of us and releases it back out there into the ether, invoking comparisons to Melody Echo Chamber and Tame Impala.
In “Timelessness”, Kekko slows it down and brings our awareness to how Life is merely a never-ending river of moments, flowing from one to the next effortlessly. The song almost acts like a guided meditation for us to centre ourselves back to the “here and now”. When quizzed what this all means to them, Tim says that “It is where Life blossoms, it is where Love breathes. This is all there is.”.
‘Past Lives’ is possibly the duo’s favourite track off the upcoming EP. Cherie feels that this song “conveys the cosmic connection that Tim and I share, about how a force like Love can transcend time and space, and even span across lifetimes.” Admittingly, there is something otherworldly and transcendental about the way the hazy guitar chords and warm melody on the Moog Matraich merges with Cherie’s enchanting voice. At the end when Tim joins in vocally as the song begins to fade out to end the EP, it begs one to ponder about their own lives and everything in between.
As Kekko embarks on their journey of spreading love and light, they welcome you to join them and enjoy the ride!
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