Music
Press
4 Stars
Would one dare generalize Keenhouse’s Civic Transit as “dance music?” During the first listen perhaps, as its subtleties are well, subtle. After that first go-round Civic Transit is several shades of wonderful: catchy, dense, retro, and best of all, varied.
Producer Ken Rangkuty’s fruit smoothie of electric delight on Transit is two-step friendly, but some tracks are best suited for travel or leisure listen (“Civic Transit” and “Treehouse”). At once it’s four-to-the-floor housey, in other places its flash and neon disco, but the Kraftwerk-steelo rigidity on synths are just as vital to this multi-faceted EP. Another observation is Keenhouse’s focus on accessibility. Robotic vocalists and emotionless disco queens “la la” and “ooo-ahh” throughout, while hooks and choral snippets tag tracks with distinct personality to remember them by. Purists might argue that electric music is best without the compromise of catchy hooks and melodies, denouncing the stat quo’s of rock music. And? A balanced synthesis of retro-futurism, Civic Transit is electro, disco, house, techno and German synthpop, but most of all, it’s a well-crafted album worth a glance. - URB Magazine
"Ken Rangkuty's Keenhouse collection Civic Transit (listed as an EP but really a mini-album at forty-two minutes) mixes the ‘80s sounds of Soft Cell, Human League, Giorgio Moroder, and The Buggles with the android funk of Daft Punk into a sugary milkshake of frothy electro-pop. The half-German and half-Indonesian Rangkuty (now an LA resident after leaving Germany) has no trouble maintaining that breathless energy throughout the release's eight euphoric set pieces?and set pieces they are, as Rangkuty works a panoramic mix of synthetic sounds, drum machines, and vocals into his candy-coloured confections. The android pop of “Deep in the Forest ” explodes jubilantly, establishing the material's sunny tone from the first moment. A synthesizer solo squeals at the song's center, after which a piano part gets shredded into pieces and a burning bass throb takes charge. The tight electro strut of “Dame Yo” strongly suggests a Daft Punk influence while the lush stomp of “Treehouse” brings a more natural vibe to the set. Throughout the release, elements of disco, funk, electro, and house smoothly coalesce into five-minute anthems while vocal choruses spiritedly chirp and keyboard melodies wildly careen. Civic Transit's bright melodies surreptitiously insinuate themselves into your memory after repeated listens and the material's infectious exuberance gives the EP a charge that's also hard to deny (the wiry electro-acid shuffle of “Revolution” as good an example as any). " - Textura Magazine
Discodust (Aleks): "I think it has been a while since we have unearthed such a great talent and i really mean it"
BigStereo: "The total sum is some glamy after hours synth drenched robot music"
Trash Menagerie: "So, so good! ... Keenhouse, I love you."
Valerie: "Prepare to be won over, as we were, by the synthesized and poetic delicacy of this talented young American"
Too Many Sebastians: "Keenhouse is a immense talent, we've compared him to artists such as Lifelike & Kris Menace in the past." - Blogs
Discography
2008 - Civic Transit EP (Sunlinxx Records)
2009 - Civic Transit Special Reissue (Thistime Records)
2009 - Valerie and Friends (1 song 'Deep in the Forest')
2009 - Binary Presents: LA Lights (2 Songs)
Keenhouse's single from LA Lights, 'Ari-es' has been getting scattered radio airplay across the US, as well as multiple plays on Radio1 UK.
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Bio
Keenhouse is Ken Rangkuty, hailing from Germany and living in LA. A cornerstone of the Binary Family, Keenhouse is quickly becoming an international sensation bringing dreamwave to the masses via his album Civic Transit and his epic remixes. Keenhouse has been professionally producing music for over 10 years. He has toured Japan and has a major label record deal with Sony overseas. His productions have been in movies,video games, and on countless records. Keenhouse is Ken's own project, the place that he pours his own passions. Keenhouse's music is lighthearted Euro-favored disco/electro. Keenhouse's album, Civic Transit, is a fast paced trip that will keep you moving through its entirety. Keenhouse's live set is a completely unique set of original dance music produced by Ken. Encompassing live mixing, live synthesizers, and a knack for huge buildups, Keenhouse is a lock to rock a crowd of any size.
Keenhouse has been featured on practically every important music blog on the planet in the last couple of years. His first record, Civic Transit has been reviewed by many publications, garnering him a large amount of print and online buzz. He's received heavy airplay on KCRW in LA, and his single, "Deep in The Forest" has been getting played in clubs worldwide. Ken's remixing prowess as Keenhouse has made him the go to source for dreamwave dance floor killers. Recently completed commissioned remixes include remixes for College, Fari Soldi, West Indian Girl, Fitz & The Tantrums, Jogger, Division Kent, Melnyk, and Loose Shus. Keenhouse is continuing to build on his live show while working on his full length follow up to Civic Transit. He was recently featured on the highly anticipated Valerie and Friends compilation album, as well as Binary's compilation album, LA Lights. His song Ari-es lead him to become one of the top 5 most blogged about artists on hypem.com for the month of October 2009. In addition, Japanese powerhouse record label Thistime Records recently re-released Civic Transit in Japan, with plans for a Japan tour in the works.
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