by Steven Ashford
Fifty-two weeks in this year means 52 reasons why Lincoln's wonder-boy showman Darren Keen will be a hot, reoccurring theme with his electronic project Bad Speler. Keen has embarked on an ambitious goal to release a new, unreleased track every Thursday, for an entire year.
The tracks will be posted online each week by Illegal Art, and will be accompanied by a music video created by Bryan Klopping. Below is Bad Speler's first track along with the video entited "My Intentions."
After producing Bad Speler shows for more than 18 months, Keen's making a move to reach a large audience that's entirely deliberate, if less careful than the approach taken by some of his peers.
“One way modern DJs break out is they produce one really hot song,” Keen says during a phone interview, referring to Duck Sauce and their hit “Barbara Streisand.” “They've only made two songs and they're famous as hell. I mean, that's one way to do it is to make one great song and have the best publicist – spend a bunch of fucking money blowing it up, basically.”
Having produced and created multiple projects from the ground up, Keen possesses a hard-working perseverance and mentality that's likely best suited for rapid release.
“I've always been really punk with 'do-it-yourself' ethics and have been down with the idea of releasing a bunch of tracks and throwing it out for free and getting it to blogs and still be able to have time to record albums and tour,” Keen says. “It's just a little challenge and a way to make a name for myself.”
The whole idea behind Keen's vision to release a track every year derives partially from internationally known Deadmau5. The oversize-masked DJ is notorious for creating entire sets literally on the way to a show and being openly cocky about how electro music is really easy to make. As Keen became more comfortable making electronic music, he knew he could do the same.
“I think all music is easy," he says. "I think it's fun and easy and all people should constantly create it, and I guess I'm putting my money where my mouth is.”
Keen says each of his 52 tracks will be original, and won't come from a bank of ready-to-go songs. (As we spoke, he was in the works of putting the final touches to next week's track.) There's no theme planned for this year-long quest of electronic originality. He expects to be inspired by fresh things during the year.
“Right now I'm real interested in these post-African, heavy-percussion rhythms,” Keen says. “I think that it will change multiple times throughout the year.”
Keen originally started Bad Speler to help him learn Ableton software. He now uses the DJ program when performing in his other acts, including Touch People.
“It's all really new to me still,” Keen says. “I'm about 18 months into using Ableton and it feels good because I've been introduced into using new software and getting involved with a pretty cool label.”
Beginning on Jan. 25, Bad Speler will accompany DJ Blac and Kobrakyle every fourth Wednesday of the month for a concert series at House of Loom entitled “Good Speakers.”
“We'll also be doing one every third Wednesday in Lincoln at the Bourbon Theatre,” Keen says. “We plan on keeping it all DJ-incorporated and we'll see how big we can make this thing. Hopefully it goes on for a while.
"If we can get people to set their iPhone reminders to show up at House of Loom every fourth Wednesday we should be good.”
Steven is a Hear Nebraska editorial intern. Like sand in the hourglass, these are the times of Bad Speler. Reach Steven at stevena@hearnebraska.org.