Kiefer on Working with Kenny Beats, CARRTOONS and Nate Smith on FATHERS

Photo by Aidan Cullen

Few artists embody the cross-pollination of Los Angeles' independent music scene quite like Kiefer. A pianist, producer and composer whose work draws equally from jazz, R&B, hip-hop and electronic music, he has spent the last decade carving out a sound that feels impossible to place within a single genre. Instead, his music exists in the space where these traditions overlap, blending improvisation, groove and beat culture into something entirely his own.

After moving to Los Angeles to study at UCLA's prestigious Jazz Studies programme, Kiefer developed under the guidance of jazz luminaries including Kenny Burrell, James Newton and Tamir Hendelman. It was there that he began experimenting with the fusion of jazz composition and live improvisation with programmed electronic beats – a creative approach that would become a defining characteristic of his work.

Since then, Kiefer has become one of the most respected musicians in his field. Beyond his acclaimed solo catalogue, he contributed to Anderson .Paak's Grammy Award-winning album Ventura, co-producing tracks including ‘King James’, collaborated with artists such as Kaytranada, Terrace Martin and Moses Sumney, and remains a key member of Mndsgn's live band. Yet despite an increasingly impressive résumé, his music continues to be driven by curiosity rather than convention.

That spirit is central to FATHERS, a new collaborative album with CARRTOONS, Nate Smith and Kenny Beats, released on July 10. Created through a fluid exchange of ideas and recorded in Kenny Beats' newly built studio, the project finds four accomplished musicians trusting one another's instincts and allowing their individual strengths to shape the music in real time.

Ahead of the album's release, Kiefer reflects on the shared DNA between jazz and hip-hop, his evolving relationship with technology, lessons learned from some of his closest collaborators, and why FATHERS is ultimately a celebration of groove, optimism and great musicianship.

Your music seamlessly blends jazz improvisation with hip-hop production techniques. What first made you realise those two worlds could coexist so naturally in your own sound?

I fundamentally think jazz and hip-hop share the same DNA. The rhythms, swing, flow, groove and improvisation are all there, just expressed through different instrumentation and structures. Hip-hop often works in loops, whether that’s one, two, four, eight, or even odd-length loops like J Dilla used, while jazz has a wider range of forms. But there are plenty of moments in jazz where you’re cycling through a four or eight-bar phrase. I’m playing simple chord changes that are jazz-esque, but the repetition and rhythmic approach come from hip-hop.

As a pianist, producer, and composer, do you approach a new track from the keyboard first, from a beat first, or does it change every time?

Anything can win. I can start with a melody, bassline, chords or a beat. It depends on what I think will get the best result. Often, I’ll look at what felt weak in the last few tracks and start there. If I didn’t love the bassline on my last beat, maybe I’ll begin with bass next time. It’s an ongoing process of figuring out what I need to improve.

What are you currently trying to improve on?

Over the last few years, I’ve moved away from making beats on my computer and focused more on writing music – chord changes, basslines, melodies, forms and arrangements. That’s what I’ve always loved most.

I usually start with voice memos. I’ll sit at the piano for twenty minutes, improvise, follow ideas wherever they lead, then refine them, fix an ending, adjust a transition, or clarify a melody. Eventually, I’ll have a complete take that I can revisit later and turn into a record.

I’m also trying to break away from the limitations of software. Ableton naturally pushes you toward two, four and eight-bar phrases. I’m interested in forms where a phrase might be nine and a half bars, or where the bridge moves into free time. I want the music to dictate the structure, not the grid.

FATHERS brings together four musicians who are all leaders in their own right. How did you find a shared creative language with Kenny Beats, CARRTOONS, and Nate Smith without losing your individual voice?

We’re all very open-minded and easy-going, which made the process work. We were only in the studio together for two days, but the pre-production was really collaborative. Ben might send a bassline, Nate would replace the drums with his own ideas, and I’d add a melody that took it somewhere unexpected. Sometimes I’d send a beat and everyone would reshape it into something new.

Everyone wrote their own parts, which is the best way to work in an ensemble. I’ve always believed people create their job descriptions, not the other way around. On a music team, you want everyone doing what they do best. If that’s happening simultaneously, the result is usually great.

Photo by Aidan Cullen

The first single, ‘PEARL,’ has a remarkably organic feel despite the group's production-heavy backgrounds. What was the creative process behind capturing that balance between musicianship and beat-making?

For me, Ben and Nate, we weren’t really thinking about production. We were just playing a tune with an intro, melody, interlude and outro. I wrote the melody, Nate brought the groove, Ben had the basslines, and we played it the way we would live. It’s a simple, self-contained piece.

The production side was really Kenny. We were the first people to record in his incredible new studio that he built. A week later, he did Geese’s record and then Weezer’s new single. There were no click tracks – Nate was the click – and there was very little editing to be done. It was mostly Kenny yelling at us to do better. 

You've worked with artists ranging from Anderson .Paak to Mndsgn and Kaytranada. Is there a collaboration that fundamentally changed the way you think about making music?

Mndsgn was probably the first collaborator who completely changed the way I thought about records. He’s a genius with incredible taste (as well as Devin Morrison) and pushed me to go deeper in my own listening and creative choices. He made me think more about embracing things that genuinely challenge me.

With Kaytranada, I learned the value of speed. He can make something amazing in forty-five seconds because he knows his process so well. I saw the same thing with Sammy Virji. The best producers have the technique to capture an idea the moment it appears.

There’s a lot of weird rules out in music that, in my opinion, aren’t really principles. One of them is that you can’t rush art. Yes, that’s true but it also helps to be fast. Have good technique! 

There’s nothing worse than having an idea, feeling or inspiration, needing to get it out and then not catching it in time with the software. Being fast means that you have good technique and you can capture the idea as it floats past you. You need to be able to throw out a net, catch it quickly and effectively, and then you’re not rushing. You’re adept and swift. So many of the best like Quincy Jones have good technique and know how to get things done. 

What themes or emotions were you personally bringing into the sessions that became FATHERS?

On tracks like ‘PEARL’ and Nate’s composition ‘PATCHWORK,’ I was aiming for brightness and optimism. There’s some music that leans closer to a J Dilla-inspired vibe, but overall this isn’t a sad record. It’s joyful, groovy, soulful and energetic.

The title is tongue-in-cheek. People keep asking if any of us are fathers – we’re not. The name is more about the music drawing from earlier generations and a certain mature musical sensibility. We’re basically ‘uncs,’ but FATHERS sounded better.

When listeners press play on FATHERS on July 10, what do you hope surprises them most – the chemistry between the four musicians, the production choices, or something else entirely?

I think people will be surprised by the sheer quality of the record. Kenny’s studio is incredible, and having Neal Pogue mix it elevated everything even further. But great records start with great performances.

Nate is one of the greatest session drummers I’ve ever seen. Across dozens of takes, he barely made a mistake. The drum sound, the musicianship, the recording environment and the arrangements all came together to create something special.

We ended up with a record that’s incredibly high-quality from top to bottom – something audiophiles, musicians and casual listeners can all appreciate. It’s a well-arranged, well-performed and deeply spirited piece of music.

See Kiefer perform next at North Sea Jazz Festival on the 11th of July

Listen to FATHERS in its entirety on July 10th on Spotify, and Apple Music.