Biography
Keith Kenniff, an American composer and producer, issues post-classical works under the alias Goldmund, emphasizing solo piano while adding occasional acoustic guitar, synthesizer, and effects. The resulting pieces tend to be sparse, intimate, and reflective, making them well suited to quiet contemplation or nostalgic recollection. Unsurprisingly, the music frequently appears in visual media, and Kenniff has supplied scores for numerous films, television programs, and advertisements. Beyond Goldmund and his solo output, he is widely recognized for downtempo and ambient electronic music released as Helios. With his wife, Hollie Kenniff, he also creates shoegaze and indie pop under the name Mint Julep. Goldmund’s catalog, launched in the early 2000s, features notable entries such as the somber 2008 album The Malady of Elegance and the nostalgic 2020 release The Time It Takes.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Kenniff took up drums, guitar, and bass during his youth. He launched the Helios project in 2001, issuing the debut album Unomia on the IDM label Merck in 2004. The following year he introduced Goldmund with Corduroy Road on John Twells’ Type label, which also put out the Goldmund EP The Heart of High Places and the acclaimed Helios album Eingya in 2006. Around the same period Kenniff earned a B.A. in percussion and composition from the Berklee College of Music. As Goldmund he delivered the short album Two Point Discrimination, his first Western Vinyl release, in 2007. The project returned to Type—by then home to two further Helios albums—for 2008’s The Malady of Elegance. While later Helios material generally appeared on Kenniff’s own Unseen Records imprint, Goldmund stayed with Western Vinyl, releasing the slightly more atmospheric Famous Places in 2010 and the 2011 album All Will Prosper, which interpreted Civil War-era folk songs primarily on acoustic guitar and piano.
After pausing to raise a son with his wife, Kenniff resumed activity near the end of 2015 with the Helios album Yume and the Goldmund album Sometimes, the latter featuring a guest contribution from avowed fan Ryuichi Sakamoto. A slightly darker and more distorted Goldmund full-length, Occasus, followed in 2018. Two years later came the tranquil and nostalgic The Time It Takes, which expanded Kenniff’s lean arrangements with additional layers of new age instrumentation and ambient reverb.
Originally from Pennsylvania, Kenniff took up drums, guitar, and bass during his youth. He launched the Helios project in 2001, issuing the debut album Unomia on the IDM label Merck in 2004. The following year he introduced Goldmund with Corduroy Road on John Twells’ Type label, which also put out the Goldmund EP The Heart of High Places and the acclaimed Helios album Eingya in 2006. Around the same period Kenniff earned a B.A. in percussion and composition from the Berklee College of Music. As Goldmund he delivered the short album Two Point Discrimination, his first Western Vinyl release, in 2007. The project returned to Type—by then home to two further Helios albums—for 2008’s The Malady of Elegance. While later Helios material generally appeared on Kenniff’s own Unseen Records imprint, Goldmund stayed with Western Vinyl, releasing the slightly more atmospheric Famous Places in 2010 and the 2011 album All Will Prosper, which interpreted Civil War-era folk songs primarily on acoustic guitar and piano.
After pausing to raise a son with his wife, Kenniff resumed activity near the end of 2015 with the Helios album Yume and the Goldmund album Sometimes, the latter featuring a guest contribution from avowed fan Ryuichi Sakamoto. A slightly darker and more distorted Goldmund full-length, Occasus, followed in 2018. Two years later came the tranquil and nostalgic The Time It Takes, which expanded Kenniff’s lean arrangements with additional layers of new age instrumentation and ambient reverb.
Albums
The Time It Takes
2020
Occasus
2018
Sometimes
2015
All Will Prosper
2011
The Malady Of Elegance
2008
Two Point Discrimination
2007
Corduroy Road
2005
Singles
