Acoustic solo artist Kev Minney is preparing to release his heartfelt new single God Is An Algorithm, out now.
Inspired by Yuval Noah Harari’s book Homo Deus, the song explores themes of our addiction to modern technology and how this has impacted upon how we live our lives in a world dominated by computers, smartphones and, ultimately, AI.
Opening with expertly picked guitar segments, Kev Minney’s harmonised vocals take centre stage and are accented by the gorgeous sweeping orchestral soundscapes produced by a string quartet.
Taken from the forthcoming album ‘Modern Stories’, Kev Minney has already picked up notable press support from BBC Radio, Acoustic Magazine, R2 Magazine and many more.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kev about the new song, challenges, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
That’s a big question – First of all, when I turned thirty I moved down south, from Northampton to Brighton, UK. I was a session guitarist for many years, and was a little frustrated, as inside I was screaming out to be creative. Finally, after moving, and my then girlfriend leaving me, I found a new love for emotional folk music and open tunings. I pretty much woke up, with a hangover, and knew what I’d be spending the rest of my life doing. Twice now a hangover has helped – once for music, and another time, I went for a long jog, (I never really ran before) and started being a full-time runner.
The acoustic guitar is so versatile, there is so much we can do with it. In between, jogging, and drinking I started to play around with open-tunings, and discovered the magic of it. Folk music, with open tunings, with a clear honest open message within my songs, was where I wanted to go – I just needed to learn how to sing first.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
Being able to sing, play, write songs is insanely liberating. IT IS EVERYTHING!. I can sing, play, write, any time I want to. And the beauty of this, anyone can too. I guess I love showing off a bit, and showing my hard work to the public is rewarding – I love the feedback, the comments, It makes me feel good.
Also, the need to express, the need to tell stories of what has happened in my life, and others too. When writing songs, through the early stage, I tend to know if the song is going to be an internal one or an external one, it’s either going to be about how I feel, or what I have seen in others. A part of this journey is about telling stories.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Lots of artists, from all sorts of genres. If I was to pick a few it would be Nick Drake, John Martyn, and Joni Mitchell; they write songs which instantly change moods. I think that should be the primary focus for songwriters. When I was in my teenage years, I’d listen to a lot of heavier music, Guns n Roses, Jimi Hendrix, etc, but with age, and tinnitus, I tend to stick to music which is more relaxing.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
This new album is called ‘Modern Stories’ each song has a theme of modern times; from technological growth to addiction and mental health, or simply having good friends. Each song tells a tale of where we’re currently at in society, the positives and negatives; it’s a reflection of what I see, and feel. This first single ‘God is an algorithm’ is about the losing free will; we’re forever more dependent on our smartphones and those devices making decisions for us. Another example is my song ‘Feeling fine’; it’s about social media addiction and having a love/hate relationship with it. Others strongly themed ones are called ‘Good Friends’, ‘Magic’ and ‘Man of Steel’
What was the last song you listened to?
Steph Brown ‘Feel you near’ as I played guitar on it 😀
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
I stream, it’s easy, I listen to a lot of music, so I like playlists.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Spotify – it’s easy isn’t it, convenience is king and all that.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
The saturation. There are so many, and more and great artist, it is harder than ever to get heard, above the noise. But, I think this is ok, I am happy that many people are making music and art, I think it’s great for society. The algorithm’s on Facebook have also made it harder over the last few years, they have monopolised how content is seen, and obviously make us pay for it, a business is a business, but they could open it up more; I worked out, that without paying for a boost, I’d only get about 2-5% of my likes, followers, organically actually seeing the post – unless I get my little dog Rupert gets on the picture.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
Spotify, facebook, Instagram all the usual platforms – I am there!
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
I believe every artist should do a song about climate change. Mine is called ‘Can you feel it too?’. After watching the latest David Attenborough documentary (I watched it last night), I am deeply inspired to make more changes, and hopefully create a little more awareness to, the whole situation is pretty messed up.
