Seekae: Life is Nice

25 March 2011

by Thomas Gilmore

If you were going to follow in the footsteps of an independent act in Australia right now, Sydney electronica group, Seekae would definitely be one of the acts you'd consider. The trio is leaping from strength to strength, winning awards, touring and recently releasing their (already critically acclaimed) sophomore album, +Dome.

It is not surprising that Seekae have grown in the time since their debut, The Sound Of Trees Falling On People. Their performances and writing habits have developed and blossomed with the help of their labels (Rice Is Nice and now Popfrenzy as well) and the Soundclash grant scheme.

Seekae's first record was independently recorded, and picked up soon after by Sydney label, Rice Is Nice. The label's passion for the band made all the difference, as Alex Cameron from the group discusses. "Jules [Wilson, from Rice Is Nice] was the only person that showed genuine interest in us when we finished our first record." The relationship was born.

Shortly after the first record, the group scored a Soundclash grant from the Australia Council. It probably couldn't have come at a better time. "It was amazing. It helped us rent a space. We were able to use the money to write a lot of material for the remix EP we did and our second record.

"A lot of musicians at some stage or another have had to hold down full-time jobs while they also have full-time writing duties, which can also take up months and months in the year. When it comes to that kind of thing, having a grant can be the difference between having a full day to make music, or just two hours at the end."

With a little more time on their hands and a truckload of hype behind them, the group was able to write another record the way they wanted to. The liberty to spend time writing together as a group was the key element that shaped the end results. "It's a brand new record. We approached it as if it was our first, because we want every new record to be a new thing. It is nice to be able to remodel yourself in the downtime between records and we wanted to make sure that we were keeping ourselves feeling fresh with our material."

The record is no great departure from the group's previous material, but the process certainly has developed and the band's sound is changing. This time around, instead of sample packs, you can hear live instruments being contorted to fit the Seekae sound. "We used our own recordings. We used a couple of big spaces and some small spaces. Recorded drum sounds, piano stuff, clarinet and strings… We took all the parts and then went into mixing. It was definitely a different approach. It is definitely a new endeavour."

It sounds like a few other developments are on the cards for the group as well. International touring, a more challenging live performance including guitars, and even more music. "We're going over to the UK to play some shows over there. We've also given ourselves a couple of weeks in a house just outside of Cambridge and we've got plans to do an EP there. We'd love to come back to Australia with new material."

2011 may well prove to be the band's most successful year to date.

New Album +Dome out now.