Keanu DiCaprio isn’t a mutant made in lab to be the ultimate actor. It’s actually a genre-bending project from two musicians who are bringing everything they’ve got to making something different yet accessible.
Fusing hip hop and indie/post hardcore is becoming more relevant and this band is leading the way.
I sat and spoke with both members at length about their first EP, recording process, their brand new release and a lot more:
Questions about Keanu DiCaprio’s debut EP, KD1:
TC: Is Keanu DiCaprio only two people? There’s a lot going on in the music, how long have you been programming/producing and/or making beats?
(to SadboiSam) How long have you been rapping? You’ve got bars.
Ghostshaft: “KD is only two people. It’s myself and SadboiSam. I have been producing and making beats for about a year and half now. I come from more of a technical rock (math rock, prog, post hardcore) background so musicially I tend to find myself layering a ton of sounds in our songs.”
SadBoiSam: “Thank you. I’m so trash. It’ll be two years rapping in November I believe.”
TC: Is this an entirely DIY project? What’s the recording process like?
Ghostshaft- “All DIY! I make all our beats, Sam and I create all of our own artwork, write, direct, and shoot all our music videos.
Our recording process for KD 1 was to kinda incorporate technical guitar writing into a very dirty and raw aggressive hip hop environment. So I would come up with a beat then improvise guitars and honestly try to layer as many Syncopated melodies as I could. For reference, our track “Phantoms” off of KD 1 has 4 different guitar melodies on top of each other.”
SadBoiSam: “We were lucky with KD 1 because we were able to record together, but for D-484 I would either record myself at home or at Shaka D. Cakes studio.”
TC: There’s a very fine line between hip hop, progressive rock, and at some points dance music. What are some of your musical influences?
Ghostshaft : “I pull from so many artists and genres as it may show but my main influences for this project are, The Mars Volta, At the Drive In, Jpegmafia, Death Grips, Rico Nasty, Kenny Beats, MF Doom, J Dilla, Madlib, Freddie Gibbs, Clams Casino, Animal Collective and Earl Sweatshirt.”
SadBoiSam: “For KD (or at least D-484) I’d say Digital Underground, N*E*R*D, Milo, Kid Cudi, Hail the Sun, and a dash of MF Doom. It’s always hard because I try not to listen to the genre I’m writing for when writing, but Ghostshaft makes that hard at times (he laughs) However, I’m learning to read between his lines.”
TC: What’s the significance of the EP title, KD 1?
Ghostshaft: “Our group is based entirely off of a story of two dudes hopping through parallel universes trying to find the other versions of ourselves who have found success in said timeline. While also expressing our true emotions to encourage our listeners to go for what they want in life and breathe a positive message in what may sound like the saddest, glitched out form of music possible.
So KD 1 is the start of the story where our characters wanted to make an album to absorb all of our own and our listeners negative energy from their life and create a shield for our fans so they could have a clear mind to do what they want in life. While doing so we open a portal to what ends up being the darkest timeline and getting stuck, having to face all of our own demons to try and make it back to our normal universe.
Overall the moral of the story is: don’t dabble in things you aren’t educated in unless you are mentally tough enough to face whatever comes from your actions.”
TC: I see music like yours and some others (Hottub Johny, etc) as the beginning of the future. Throwing away genre labels and fusing genres together to make new things.
What are your thoughts on that?
Ghostshaft: “I believe the only way music evolves is just that. Bending and forcing past genres into an idea that is more relevant to the modern day. With that being said hip hop and rap is the most listened to genre so we wanted to some way be the bridge for people who only listen to hip hop and rap to be able to find interest in artists who expanded on experimental music over last decade and vise versa.”
SadBoiSam: “Genres develop limitation and that gives me anxiety.”
TC: That last track “Reasons” might be my favorite on the EP. Can you explain some of the meaning behind it?
Ghostshaft: “Reasons” was the only track on KD 1 I wrote starting with guitar. It was supposed to be the highest point of the album to showcase that we aren’t just some regular hip hop group trying to fit the mold of every other artist in our “scene”. I told Sam that this had to be the most uplifting track on the EP to resolve the story I spoke on earlier.”
SadBoiSam: “I feel we’re all looking for reason to live and working to sever ties with all the BS that holds the same place.”
TC: Is there a plan to tour as Keanu DiCaprio? Any shows coming up we should know about?
Ghostshaft: “We started out as only a studio project but we would love to tour one day. It’s actually in the works now to start performing live but nothing set in stone yet! We have written seven KD EPs so far this year. So the only constant thing at the moment for our future is that we will keep releasing new music as quickly as we possibly can.”
SadBoiSam: “As dope as it would be to tour I think I speak for us both when I say we want to KD live to be a full band experience. I won’t say no, so I’ll leave it at ‘soon’. Join our band if you feel up to it.”
Questions about the new EP, A Summer Stranded in D-484:
TC: I notice a little more composition this time around. The track “Netflix” really reminds me of earlier Anticon Records. Do you pull any influence from Sole, Yoni Wolf, Dose One, etc?
Ghostshaft- “Not even gonna lie I had to look those artist up before answering this and found similarities in our music and theirs which is dope. But honestly I was trying to go for more of a noise rap sound. Used a lot more samples I created opposed to playing live instruments on top of the beats which was more writing process prior to this release.”
TC: Who mixed and mastered these tracks? They sound super clean, and engineers never get enough credit.
Ghostshaft: “I did all of the production on Stranded myself. Watched about every YouTube video I could to fix what I found to be problems on our previous EP, KD 1.”
SadBoiSam: “Ghostshaft. But who knows who produces in other dimensions.”
TC: What keyboard/synth/equipment do you use?
Ghostshaft: “Everything besides the vocals were made and recorded with my iPhone XR. I recorded sounds with voice memos, cut and made samples out of them. Used GarageBand and their drum machine plugin it has to make the beats. Then once the beat was made I transferred all the files to my computer from my phone to be mixed and mastered on my laptop through reaper. I bought a 25 dollar unnamed condenser microphone from Amazon to record our vocals.”
TC: Can you explain the significance behind the title D-484. Did we jump all the way from 1 to 484 that fast?!
Ghostshaft: “So in the KD 1 story we got trapped in another universe (484) and we couldn’t find a way back home. We realized that we got here with our music and we would have to get back doing the same thing. ASSID484 is made to open the portal back home. These tracks are to hold our listeners over for the other KD EP’s we needed more time to finish due to being stuck in another universe. The number 484 is significant to Sam so he can go more in depth on that.”
SadBoiSam: “Ghost actually surprised me with the title. The numbers do hold a very significant importance to me, but just think of #484 as this dimension. Now what is the state of this dimension? How do we feel in it? Do we belong here? Or are we living in each other’s shoes? I know that may seem like a misdirection instead of an answer, but I like when the listeners put it all together.”
TC: I hear a ton of growth between the last release and this one. What would you attribute that to?
Ghostshaft: “KD 1 was my first stab at making rap beats and producing an album so I was not able to hide any imperfections that the EP had. Honestly, these three tracks were written and recorded about 3 weeks ago. So it is the most up to date sound and production. I also structured my working habits into an almost OCD based work environment to really double down on getting the sound I wanted for the EP.
If you are not getting the sound you want with your beats just force yourself to watch 2 hours of music production videos on YouTube and if you want it enough you’ll get better. Overall I worked really hard to be better than I was 6 months ago because I believe in the music I make and want it to be heard the way it’s supposed to be. Nothing worse than when your bass guitar drowns out your kick drum!” (he laughs)
SadBoiSam: “Honestly just practice and being able to communicate what we want from each other, while trusting each other’s process.”
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