'Mind Maps' EP by Duke Keats

So often do the releases I share with you take me by surprise, that I need a default statement I think to paste in as a matter of routine. For Duke Keats, you can pretty much take it as read.

His ‘This California Dreaming' EP started 2025 for me in that fashion & now he has just released a further EP called ‘Mind Maps' which to put it mildly, I was not expecting.

This one is all instrumentals (titled "The Steps", "The Wormhole" "The Mind" and "The Island") and I suspect that like me, you didn't see that coming either.

In hindsight, I suppose (with guidance from the artist to be sure), one can make sense of his highly creative process, even if predicting it is well night impossible.

That an artist so orientated towards the medium of film should, in effect, produce what might be describable as elements of a soundtrack/score makes much sense: the EP is available on his Soundcloud page and they indeed tag it as a soundtrack..  though to be strictly accurate, he tells me that the story (see below) actually relates more to an intended novel. Though it's clearly one which would translate easily into the movie medium in my opinion. I think that one might easily process this quartet in that manner but although the tracks are primarily ambient, they do have the qualities to go down well in live performance & I certainly would not bet against them popping up in that way: they are essentially guitar and/or synth arrangements.

The scenario which underpins the EP goes like this: "in a future where technology allows direct access to the human mind, a daring scientist embarks on a journey that will test the boundaries of consciousness. The story begins on a mysterious island, a secret research facility where an experimental wormhole has been created. This wormhole offers a direct passage into the mind, an uncharted realm filled with both profound beauty and terrifying unknowns".

And indeed there is profound beauty evoked by the music. He cites Brian Eno's 1983 ‘Apollo: Atmospheres and Soundtracks' album (which appears on a variety of soundtracks including "Trainspotting") as an inspiration and not only does the nature of that project reflect in this one, but it would seem that Eno's methodology has rubbed off a bit too: the EP title is probably significant in that respect also.

However, despite my comment at the top of this piece, Duke has kindly given me a peak behind the curtain at some future Duchy releases so the element of surprise (at least for me) will be replaced for the time being with the thrill of anticipation. As for you, you definitely will not be expecting the musical style of a suite of further material which also relates to a narrative/theme but I'm pretty sure that you won't easily guess what that might be.

Like I said: expect the unexpected please.