House music in Houston. It’s not terribly difficult to find in the city. You just have to know where to look. And yet, I come across many people that tell me that they don’t know where they can hear good house music and don’t know who is making it in the city. It’s a shame, really. These people don’t know what they’re missing out on because there is some serious heat being produced in this city, and I don’t mean from the sun that gives us all its got in the summertime here.
Photo by Mike Victorick of Mike Victorick Photography
If you’ve kept up with house music in Houston, then you know of Lucas Keizer. If you haven’t seen him spin live, you’ve likely heard his music in plenty of sets. For those that don’t know, Lucas Keizer is a household Houston name. His production spans back almost a decade so he’s no spring chicken. The earliest memory I have of Lucas is him holding down the fort at what I think was a smoothie shop north of Houston in Spring, Texas. Wanting a space to play out, he had to improvise so he came together with others to spin house and other dance floor favorites. It’s just one example of the can do spirit down here.
Lucas would end up attending the Media Tech Institute where he studied audio engineering and then move on to work as an engineer at Sunrise Recording Studios. It was only a matter of time before Lucas Keizer began producing, remixing artists like JT Donaldson, Tracy Cooper, L Boogie, Mikkael, Block Committee, Virtual Funk, Giom, Carl Cox, and Jay Pei. One remix in particular transports me back into the finger snapping 50s. Check out Lucas Keizer’s remix Frank Sinatra’s cover of The Way You Look Tonight below and download it for free. It’s a jazzy twist on an absolute classic.
Besides being on remix duty, Lucas Keizer has also released under his own name, leaving a blazing trail of jazzy, funky, and soul infused tracks that explore the depths of house music. He has been featured on many labels, including Kolour Recordings, Guesthouse Music, Bush Records, Neurotraxx, Tango Recordings, Uniform Recordings, and his recent label venture Deep End Recordings, which launched last year. In 2015 Lucas also released his first full fledged artist album, Parallel Paradise, which flows evenly over twelve tracks. You can stream the album here on Spotify.
Next up for Mr. Keizer is the release of his latest EP, Sky Fall. The Sky Fall EP contains two tracks: Sky Fall and Resistance, the latter of which was done with producer Michael Eclectic. Sky Fall is the perfect track to wrap your summer up with a sultry vocal laid upon chic, downtempo beats, providing the perfect music elixir. The rhythmic high hats and familiar clap in Resistance serves as the perfect contrast to the more mellow Sky Fall. Mark your calendars because the Sky Fall EP will see a world wide release from Deep End Recordings on August 23, 2016.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Z_328-vCI
It’s been great seeing a genuine, hard working person like Lucas go from a local to a globally recognized producer. Check out a baby faced Lucas back in 2009 rocking it on a boat on the open water.
Video credit to Youtube user naps216
As much as some things change, many things stay the same. Lucas continues to be passionate for house music and dedicated to his craft. It was an honor to speak with him about the past, present, and his future plans.
I took note of your trip to the Netherlands on Facebook. Looked like a great trip! How was that? The Netherlands is a place I really would like to visit. I plan to next summer actually for Luminosity Beach Festival.
The Netherlands was fantastic! The people, food, music, and culture were all amazing! I had the pleasure of DJing at The Chicago Social Club & The W Amsterdam Hotel while I was there with Prunk and my PIV Records crew. I am part Dutch myself, so it was nice to explore my roots and come away with a lot of new friends and a fresh perspective on House Music. The events there are mental, and the people are so in tune with the music!
So why the name Sky Fall for this track?
Cause its hot like fire! Fire = sun. Sun = setting. Sun setting = Sky Falling. Get it? I don’t know, it sounded cool. Lol.
How would you describe your sound to someone who had not been introduced to you?
Well I go in a lot of different directions depending on the event or venue I am DJing at, or what mood I’m in while working in the studio. I guess simply its House Music. It can be deep, funky, techy, or soulful with a dash of jazz, rnb, or disco samples sometimes. Mainly, I just try to keep it fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjDedYsZ38o
Who are your influences?
A loaded question! I love all kinds of music and I pull inspiration from all kinds of places. Ones that stand out in dance music would be KiNK, Mark Farina, Jimpster, Kerri Chandler, Miguel Migs, and loads of others. On my chill time I enjoy listening to stuff like Café Del Mar, Pink Floyd, Gotan Project, and Henry Mancini.
What has been your favorite performance to date that you took in as a music fan?
Without a doubt KiNK live PA here in Houston at The Jet Lounge. I’ve been studying his music for years. As a producer I have always been intrigued by how he automates and sequences his songs. It was really cool seeing him do all that live with such a big smile on his face!
What is your opinion of the future state of house music? What direction do you think it is going in?
I think that classic house sound is really coming back around with a modern twist. That old school US house vibe with a European twist. It’s really fresh and fun, and I’m super excited about where things are going.
So tell me a little bit more about what you guys are aiming to do with Deep End Thursdays?
Our Deep End Thursday night party at Deans is a way for me and my fellow resident DJ Michael Eclectic to reach out to the local house music community. Every week we bring in a different local guest DJ. It’s all about getting people together and having a fun time! It’s also really nice to have a home base to test out music fresh out of the studio every week.
What else can we expect from you and Deep End Recordings? Anything in the works you can talk about?
We have a nice release schedule for Deep End Recordings through the rest of the year from myself and other producers from all corners of the globe. We’ve also been in talks about doing some underground type events early next year! Also, I have a 4 track EP coming out soon on PIV Records in Amsterdam that I am very excited about! I’ll be back in The Netherlands in October for ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event), and can’t wait to announce where I’ll be performing. Stay tuned for more info!
Follow Lucas Keizer on Facebook, Soundcloud, and Instagram. Keep up to date at his website. You can find Lucas Keizer’s music on Traxsource, Beatport, Itunes,and Spotify. You can learn more about Deep End Recordings at Facebook, Soundcloud, and on the official website.
I was listening to electronic dance music without even knowing it when I was listening to Jock Jams in the 90s. Fast forward to my senior year in high school and I had discovered Fatboy Slim. I have been listening to edm ever since and love writing about new sounds, good sounds, and the music that makes us move.
