JEREMIAH KANE - They never back down! | An Interview
JEREMIAH KANE is a music-duo consisting of Jeremiah Kane and Vince Kane from Poznań, Poland.
They produce a mixture of electronic music and guitar-driven rock, including many references to the 1980's pop culture and retro video games in their tracks. They're simply a force to be reckoned with having started their journey back in 2017. Jeremiah, then solo, released his first E.P 'NeoAngeles' which was well received followed shortly thereafter by the debut album 'The New Dawn'. Vince Kane joined the band in 2018 as the guitar player and the rest as they say is Synth Rock History.
Upon the release of what was undoubtedly their seminal album 'All or Nothing' they focused on their live performance in 2019 and went on a European tour, touring such countries as the Hungary, Ukraine and Belgium, where they promoted their latest offering.
Fast forward to 2020 where they've aligned with a German music producer, Kristian “Kohle” Kohlmannslehner to work on fresh material of which led to their newest release 'Never Back Down'. I caught up with Jeremiah & Vince on a break from the studio madness to talk about the Group, their current and future plans etc...take a look..
Of course, Jeremiah Kane is now woven into the fabric of Synthwave, somehow the name
itself pairs seamlessly with the music you make, what made you choose it?
JEREMIAH: The name came as a combination of my second name with the surname of the main antagonist from the John Carpenter’s movie, 'In the Mouth of Madness”. I created it before this band as a name for my YouTube channel, where I wanted to post covers, random tracks I made etc. so it wasn’t something really deep or meaningful. After I started to make some steps in the electronic music, I decided to keep it, as JEREMIAH KANE at first was my solo project.
VINCE: We were charmed with the 80's vibe, from cities full of neon lights to movies and music specific to that decade, there were many things going on culturally at that time. We felt like it has the feel and atmosphere that we connect with. Also cultural inspiration with these times has been rising for a while, and we felt like it is something that we would love to contribute to.
What is your creative process like? Typically, how long does it take for you to lay down a
track?
VINCE: It usually starts with some melodies that pop up in our heads, inspired by some events or things that we’ve seen or experienced lately. The time it takes to lay down a track is a really random and can take from a day to a month or even more. It all depends on what direction our song takes and how happy we are with the current state of it. Our producer also gives us a lot of insights, so we have a better idea of what we want it to be.
JEREMIAH: Very often we schedule music sessions with Vince, on which we bring our track or melody ideas to work with. Sometimes we can make a track in one day, sometimes in one or two weeks, but to make it perfect in our eyes, the writing process can even take several months. Very often an idea for a song or track comes up when I am watching movies, read or I am trying to sleep and I start to think too much, ha-ha!
Since the release of 'NEOANGELES’ back in May 2017, how do you feel your sound has
developed?
JEREMIAH: For me, there is a colossal difference between what we do today and what I made back in 2017. Starting from the song writing, sound to musical skills and capabilities we have. Although 'NEOANGELES’ has some sentimental meaning for me, as it was my first electronic music release, looking on it today, I could make a lot of things better in those tracks.
VINCE: Yeah, we feel like we have progressed a lot in many aspects. We have added many new sounds, instruments, and many new things have inspired us to make something more unique and develop our own style.
Who are the bands/artists that have inspired you over time?
JEREMIAH: For the different releases, there were different artists that inspired Vince or me during the writing process. For the new music, I returned to my roots, finding inspiration in bands such as Parkway Drive, The Gazette or Girugamesh.
Girugamesh (ギルガメッシュ, Girugamesshu)
VINCE: There are so many of them from different genres - from more modern electronic music to various metal bands, metalcore bands and j-rock as well.
If no one knew who you were as an Artist how would you describe the music you create?
JEREMIAH: Well, it’s hard to tell for me if we consider everything we made. Our past music was more electronic and heavily 80’s inspired. With 'All or Nothing”, we started to include more instruments and patterns, making the music more versatile. What we create right now could be probably called… Electro dance manga metal rock thingy, ha-ha!
VINCE: Sounds cool, I reckon people would love that, ha-ha! Well anyway, I consider our music to be Synthwave music with heavier rock vibe, mixing in some more modern sounds as well. Also, I think the new songs are more versatile, incorporating some modern electronic sounds as well, so it is really hard to compare it to one specific style, I think!
What made you decide to pursue a career in the music industry specifically Synthwave?
VINCE: We’ve been making music (mostly in rock/metal bands) since awhile before we started with Synthwave, but we felt it is a new, unique trend that we really connected to and it inspired us to make something of our own.
JEREMIAH: Before making Synthwave related music, we played together in a few metal oriented bands with Vince. I wanted to do something on my own and I was trying to find a genre I could try and learn something new. While looking for it, one night I played a game called 'Hotline Miami' and was really hooked by its soundtrack. I started to do a research on what type of music it is, thus I discovered Synthwave and the 80’s journey began.
In your entire Discography what the one track or album that you're most proud of? Why?
JEREMIAH: I think it would be 'All or Nothing' and 'Never Back Down'. We both think that 'All Or Nothing' was our big step in creating our sound and style, and with 'Never Back Down', we developed it even further, mixing our love for Japanese pop culture, electronic music and metal.
VINCE: As for the album, I’d say 'All or Nothing' was our greatest achievement in terms of moving forward as musicians. We started experimenting a little, adding that rock vibe to our Synthwave tracks. I like how the album is diverse in its music - it has some more classic Synthwave tracks, as well as some more guitar focused variations ('All or Nothing', 'Street Warriors'), a track with a darker vibe ('Shibuya Nights') & sort of a ballad ('It can’t rain all the time'). I enjoy its diversity and I think it is a great thing we managed to do on that one. As for the track, I am very proud of 'Never Back Down'. It was the first track where we collaborated with our producer, Kristian, and I think he did an amazing job with it. Also, it is the first track with a music video, and it was a really cool thing to do.
Are there any artists on the scene currently you’re enjoying or would like to collaborate
with?
VINCE: I guess it won’t be a big surprise, but I enjoy listening to Perturbator, Carpenter Brut, Dance with the Dead, Midnight Danger and many others. It would be really cool to collaborate with any of them!
JEREMIAH: I am really charmed by a Synthwave band called Satellite Young, it would be really great if we could collaborate with them!
Who has been your greatest musical inspiration do you think?
VINCE: This might surprise you, but the band that made me pick up my guitar and play the most was Children of Bodom, years ago. As for now, I’m inspired by so many musical acts in different genres it would be hard to mention a single one. My greatest inspiration can even change from day to day :)
JEREMIAH: If i could choose one person which really had an impact on my musical life and who I am, I would say it is Hideto Matsumoto from the band X-Japan.
How do you like to relax when not working on music?
VINCE: Apart from music and regular job I have, I enjoy spending time going out with my friends to drive at night and visit some abandoned places in the area. I also quite enjoy biking lately and playing games when I have time to do that.
JEREMIAH: Sleeping, guitar playing, playing video games and reading manga. But mostly sleeping.
I've never had the good fortune of seeing you guys live YET! Can your fans expect some gig news for 2021?
JEREMIAH: Of course, we constantly look for new places we can schedule our shows and we are very open for any propositions!
VINCE: Like Jeremiah said, we’re hoping to visit many new places in 2021! Stay tuned!
What's your favorite movie?
JEREMIAH: Definitely Crows Zero.
VINCE: I’d say that would be Shutter Island.
