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American composer and producer
Keith Kenniff records post-classical music under the name
Goldmund, primarily played on solo piano with occasional touches of acoustic guitar, synthesizer, and effects. His recordings are typically sparse, intimate, and reflective, serving as the ideal accompaniment to contemplation and nostalgic remembrance. Perhaps unsurprisingly,
Kenniff's music lends itself well to soundtracks, and he has composed extensively for films, television programs, and advertisements. In addition to his work as
Goldmund and under his own name, he is well known for his downtempo and ambient electronic music as
Helios. Additionally, he makes shoegaze and indie pop with his wife,
Hollie Kenniff, as
Mint Julep.
Kenniff's discography as
Goldmund began in the early 2000s and grew to include high points like 2008's somber
The Malady of Elegance and 2020's nostalgic
The Time It Takes.
Originally from Pennsylvania,
Kenniff began playing drums, guitar, and bass as a youth. He started making ambient music as
Helios in 2001, and his debut album, Unomia, was released by IDM label Merck in 2004. The following year, he debuted his
Goldmund project with
Corduroy Road, issued by
John Twells' Type label. The label also released
Goldmund's EP The Heart of High Places, as well as
Helios' acclaimed
Eingya, in 2006. Around this time,
Kenniff graduated from the Berklee College of Music with a B.A. in percussion and composition. As
Goldmund, he released the short album
Two Point Discrimination, his first for Western Vinyl, in 2007. The project returned to Type (which had issued two additional
Helios albums) for 2008's
The Malady of Elegance. While most subsequent
Helios work was released through
Kenniff's own Unseen Records label,
Goldmund remained with Western Vinyl. Famous Places, a slightly more atmospheric
Goldmund outing, appeared on the label in 2010. This was followed by 2011's
All Will Prosper, an album of Civil War-era folk songs played mainly on acoustic guitar and piano.
Kenniff took a bit of a hiatus while he and his wife raised their son, but he returned toward the end of 2015 with
Helios'
Yume as well as
Goldmund's
Sometimes, which featured a guest appearance from avowed fan
Ryuichi Sakamoto. This was followed by
Occasus, a slightly darker, more distorted
Goldmund full-length, which was released in 2018. Two years later, the tranquil and nostalgic album
The Time It Takes arrived, fleshing out
Kenniff's spare arrangements with extra layers of new age instrumentation and clouds of ambient reverb. ~ Paul Simpson