Major thanks go out to brothers Rome and Red, from The Keymakers, who connected with DCWS for an exclusive interview to discuss their incredible newly released EP “Spectra”, a project which they self-produced, wrote, and performed. These guys are definitely the dynamic duo, and from our conversation, we learned a lot about how they joined together to form The Keymakers music project, the development of the EP itself, their upcoming 2020 tour, and much more.

After reading our Q&A with Rome and Red, be sure to connect with them on their website and social media, find out when they’ll be tearing up the stage in your city, and listen to the “Spectra” EP. Lastly, be on the lookout for our in-depth review of the EP coming very soon!

Because you two worked independently as artists for such a long time, at what point did you decide to form The Keymakers, and what does the name mean?

Red: The first time we actually joined up to make a tune together was in the summer of 2016, there was a remix that I worked on but never released and, after we stripped the vocals off, Rome wrote some lyrics to make it our own. But even at that point, The Keymakers wasn’t a thing yet so we sort of approached each track as one of us featuring the other. When we really became one unit was when we shifted focus from releasing our own music to songwriting and beat-making for other artists, that’s when it clicked to us that our skills complement each other perfectly. From there it only a few months until we recorded and released our first single ‘Good For You’ and the rest took off from there!

Rome: As for the name, The Matrix was one of our favorite movies growing up. 20 years later and that movie is still incredible. But there’s a character called The Keymaker that can create keys that open any door or turn any door into a portal to anywhere else in the world. When we make music that’s what we’re trying to do, give someone a portal to a different place, an escape. So we hope the name fits pretty well!

Congratulations on the completion and release of your EP "Spectra".

Tell us about the development of the project; how long did it take to complete and how did Cadence XYZ end up on the "What You Wanted" song?

Red: Thank you!! All in all, it took us about 8 months from the time we decided to do it to when we put it out. It’s tricky because a couple of those songs were brand new, started and finished in the second half of this year, and others had already been somewhat in development and just took new shape. But 8 months ago we were sitting by the Charles River in Boston and formed the full concept for the EP. That’s when we started to dig in.

Rome: We had the concept for that song before it was written, and we knew we wanted it to be from a woman’s perspective. So after I wrote the song and we all but finished the production, we did a pretty hard search for the voice that we thought would bring it to life with the sound and emotion we were looking for.

Honestly, we were just really lucky to find her and thrilled that she loved the song and wanted to be on it. From there, we worked back and forth to make sure it sounded the way we both wanted!

What would you say that you are most proud of with the "Spectra" EP?

Red: The biggest thing for us is that we did it our way. As an artist, especially nowadays, there are so many different inspirations out there and so many voices to listen to, it's important to find that balance where you’re always growing and improving but staying true to your sound. Hearing the feedback so far we’ve gotten on ‘Spectra’ has made us feel like we stayed true to what we’re about! And that’s not to say that we didn’t get tons of help on the way, which we’re grateful for, but we can still feel like this is a project that we built together.

What are you most looking to with your tour in 2020? What cities will you be performing in?

Rome: We have full tour dates on all of our socials and up on our SongKick, but to name a few highlights - we’ll be going to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington DC, New York City, and our hometown Pittsburgh, PA. We can’t wait to get on stage everywhere we go, it’s going to be an awesome few months.

What are some things/people/places that inspire your creativity as artists/musicians?

Rome: One skill that we always try to keep sharp is being able to stay inspired wherever we are. That being said, the first thing that came to mind is a concert or festival. We’re huge live music fans so we make it to a good amount of shows and there’s this feeling of clarity right after a great performance or incredible festival show that makes you just want to sit down and let your ideas run wild.

Red: As for people, right now we’re taking in a lot of influence from melodic house artists. To name a few - Lane 8, Enamour, Ben Bohmer, Luttrell. There’s something really special about the way they use slow-burning melodies to shape such emotive tracks. We think there’s a lot to learn from that style of music production as artists and as listeners.

We know about the awesome tour coming in 2020, but what are some other things musically that you aspire to accomplish next year?

Rome: We’re just looking to keep growing as artists. We’re planning to relocate over the summer of 2020 and we think that’s going to be a huge opportunity for us. It’s going to be a year of hard work but also we think some of our biggest things yet are coming in 2020.

Connect with The Keymakers: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Songkick