Keith Carnal

Dutch DJ and producer Keith Carnal plies a warm, melodic style of techno with retro influences on his 2019 debut album Retrofit. Born in North Holland into a music-loving household, Carnal grew up listening to his parents' favorites like Dire Straits, New Order, and Donna Summer. As a teen, he got heavily into techno, but around the time he became interested in making his own music, he fell in with a house- and electro-loving crowd, so his first productions were in that style. Beginning in 2008, he released tracks on labels such as Hotfingers, Suara, and Tuamotu, before he returned to his first love and started making techno tracks again. In 2014, when he was happy with the quality of his productions, he sent a demo to Joachim Spieth, boss of the Affin label. Spieth liked his tracks and signed him for several 12"s, including the popular "Objective." He also released tracks on Arts, and in 2018 founded his own label, SEC ND° ("Second Degree"). He became a tastemaker of sorts, with his functional and club-ready melodic tracks admired by techno selectors across the spectrum. Carnal released his debut album, Retrofit, in 2019 on his own label. A mostly introspective, home-listening type of record than his earlier productions, it was inspired largely by his favorite soundtrack music from the likes of Vangelis, Angelo Badalamenti, and Hans Zimmer. ~ John D. Buchanan