Adem K (born Adem Kerimovski; 10 January 1975) is an Australian

independent rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produce ...

musician and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

. As a founding member of the group Turnstyle, Kerimovski is credited with helping to revive

Casio is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing corporation headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Its products include calculators, mobile phones, digital cameras, electronic musical instruments, and analogue and digital watches. I ...

and toy keyboard integration in

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

in the late 1990s and early 2000s in Australia.

Turnstyle

Kerimovski's first band Turnstyle achieved a degree of success in 1999 with the single "Spray Water on the Stereo", reaching No. 16 on the ARIA Singles Charts. The band formed in 1995 and went on an 8-year hiatus in 2002. Reforming first in 2010 and again in 2013, the band has permanently reunited and after releasing the album ''Time Equals Function'' in 2015 (produced by Kerimovski), have played several shows and released a follow up ''Happy Factories'', released on 1 December 2018. When asked about the new release in a conversation with

The West Australian ''The West Australian'' is the only locally edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia. It is owned by Seven West Media (SWM), as is the state's other major newspaper, '' The Sunday Times''. It is the second-oldest continuous ...

, Kerimovski described it as "going to be oddball in parts but a bit more contemporary in sound". The band trickled short clips from the album on their Facebook page leading up to the album's release. In late 2020 the band signed to Valve Records (

Regurgitator Regurgitator are an Australian rock band from Brisbane, Queensland, formed in late 1993 by Quan Yeomans on lead vocals, guitar and keyboards; Ben Ely on bass guitar, keyboards and vocals; and Martin Lee on drums. Their debut studio album, '' ...

Shonen Knife Shonen Knife is a Japanese pop-punk band formed in Osaka in 1981. Influenced by 1960s girl groups, pop bands, the Beach Boys, and early punk rock bands such as the Ramones, the band crafts stripped-down songs with simple yet unconventional l ...

) and prepared the compilation ''KEY NOTE SPEAKER'' for release. The album features the band's

-heavy songs and one new song performed by only 2 members of the band due to the pandemic.

Mitey Ko

Kerimovski joined the duo of poet/activist Allan Boyd and West Australian Symphony Orchestra, WASO cellist/author Kevin Gillam in 2000 as a percussionist and keyboard player. In 2002, the band's music was the featured musical component of the independent film

Teesh and Trude ''Teesh and Trude'' is a 2002 Australian drama film directed by New Zealander Melanie Rodriga, and was adapted from an original stage-play by Wilson McCaskill. The film was produced and shot entirely in Western Australia with Production Investmen ...

starring

Peter Phelps Peter Phelps (born 20 September 1960 in Sydney) is an Australian actor, singer and writer. He is notable for his role as Trevor Cole in ''Baywatch''. Phelps is also known for his roles in the internationally successful Australian series '' So ...

and Susie Porter. Mitey Ko released 4 albums, all featuring Kerimovski.

The Burton Cool Suit

A band Kerimovski once described as "a kind of arranged marriage of indie rock and 60s garage rock", existed between 2003 and 2007. At the behest of some band members Kerimovski abandoned much of his past influences for the band's first release instead taking a more retro approach. The Burton Cool Suit supported

Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks is an American rock band consisting of Stephen Malkmus, Mike Clark, Joanna Bolme, and Jake Morris. Malkmus was the main singer and songwriter behind the influential 1990s indie rock band Pavement. History The Ji ...

on their 2005 Australian tour as well as a varied list of other supports including

The Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton, England in 1976 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto. They are regarded as a seminal influence on the Manchester music scene, the independen ...

, Idlewild and Youthgroup.The band's second album reintroduced some of Kerimovski's earlier influences by which time he had effectively annulled the band. In an interview with Perth Music Journalist Bob Gordon he said, "I felt like I was not making music for myself but for the people who still thought it was 1966, it just wasn't me. The last straw was when

The Stems The Stems are a garage punk band formed in Perth, Western Australia in late 1983. They were founded by Dom Mariani in late 1983. The Stems are heavily influenced by 1960s garage rock and 1970s power pop. The band initially broke up in August 1 ...

reneged on a promise of us supporting their Australian tour and I told them to go fuck themselves". The song 'SQ' was nominated for a

WAM Song of the Year WAM was originally formed as the Western Australian Rock Music Industry Association Inc. (WARMIA) in 1985, with its main aim to develop and run annual awards recognising achievements within the music industry in Western Australia. WAM first receiv ...

award in 2007. In July 2016 The Burton Cool Suit albums were digitally re-released by revered Australian independent record label Half A Cow. To commemorate the release the band performed two shows in October 2016.

The Community Chest

After releasing a well received solo album in 2010, Kerimovski formed the Community Chest featuring close friends, his wife Dee and Turnstyle producer Laurie Sinagra, winner of numerous

West Australian Music Industry Awards The Western Australian Music Industry Awards (commonly known as WAMis) are annual awards presented to the local contemporary music industry, put on by the Western Australian Music Industry Association Inc (WAM). The WAMi Awards are Western Aust ...

. Originally formed to perform Adem's solo material, the band forged their own identity and eventually recorded a debut album, which was released in July 2013 on vinyl format. The band released an EP "Make Your Decision Now And Live With It Forever" in October 2015 which further explored Kerimovski's interest in drones, repetition and rural futurism. Self-produced, the EP was mastered by

Stereolab Stereolab are an Anglo- French avant-pop band formed in London in 1990. Led by the songwriting team of Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier, the group's music combines influences from krautrock, lounge and 1960s pop music, often incorporating a repeti ...

producer

Paul Tipler Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chri ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The band released the "Concrete" EP in early September 2019, eschewing the drones and extended endings of their previous release for more compact songs with even stronger lead synth elements and sparse guitar work. The song "Reflections Through Corrugations" written by Kerimovski and sung by Dee came in at number 71 of radio station

RTRFM RTRFM (call sign: 6RTR) is a not-for-profit, community radio station based in Perth, the state capital of Western Australia. It is self-funded, largely through listener subscription and fund-raising events. However, it does carry some "advertis ...

's 100 most played songs of 2019. During the early days of the

COVID-19 pandemic in Australia The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of the coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first confirmed case in Australia was identified on 25 Januar ...

Kerimovski prepared several songs for release, releasing 3 as singles. The first single "In My Dreams" was released in September 2020 and mixed by American-born producer Casey Rice. It came in at number 24 of radio station

's 100 most played songs of 2020. The second single "Handshake" was recorded and mixed by the band (with Kerimovski’s son receiving a co-writing credit) and post-production by Andy Ramsay of

. It was launched with a custom brewed beer called "Hazy Handshake" using a recipe provided by Kerimovski. The third song, "SOUNDER" was mixed by Aaron Espinoza at Ship Studio in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and features additional production and sound manipulation from

Jason Lytle Jason Lytle ( ; born March 26, 1969) is an American musician best known for his work in the indie rock group Grandaddy. The group split in 2005, and Lytle continued to release music as a solo artist and in collaboration with other musicians. Gra ...

Grandaddy Grandaddy is an American indie rock band from Modesto, California. The group was formed in 1992, and featured Jason Lytle, Aaron Burtch, Jim Fairchild, Kevin Garcia and Tim Dryden, until Garcia's death in 2017 following a stroke. After several ...

. These singles, along with several other songs are assumed to appear on a future release.

Other

Kerimovski once played drums for

Jens Lekman Jens Martin Lekman (; born 6 February 1981) is a Swedish musician. His music is guitar-based pop with heavy use of samples and strings, with lyrics that are often witty, romantic, and melancholic. His work is heavily influenced by Jonathan Ri ...

in 2005 during the latter's Australian tour. In 2014 he played drums for

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

band Shining Bird at one of their two Perth concerts. In November 2017, Kerimovski supported

Laetitia Sadier Laetitia may refer to: Mythology and religion * Laetitia (goddess), a minor Roman goddess of gaiety * One of the 16 geomantic figures, primary symbols used in divinatory geomancy Other uses * Laetitia (given name) * 39 Laetitia, an asteroid ...

, former vocalist for

on her Australian tour as a solo artist, interpreting selections from his discography using guitar loops and live Casio. In early-2018, Kerimovski released an EP with ex- Lemonheads member and Half a Cow founder

Nic Dalton NIC may refer to: Banking and insurance companies * National Insurance Corporation, Uganda * NIC Bank, a commercial bank in Kenya Politics, government and economics * National Ice Center, an agency that provides worldwide navigational ice a ...

on a project known as The Hotpoints, heavily influenced by Brian Eno and Turkish psychedelia. The EP was preceded by a 7"single in 2017. He toured Germany and Spain in October and November 2018. During this flurry of activity Kerimovski engineered for other artists ranging from synth-pop to country. In September 2019 Kerimovski performed a live comedy sketch with SNL alumni

Fred Armisen Fereydun Robert Armisen (born December 4, 1966) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. With his comedy partner Carrie Brownstein, Armisen was the co-creator and co-star of the IFC sketch comedy series '' Portlandia''. ...

on the latter's Australian tour. The two reportedly met after Kerimovski loaned Armisen a guitar amplifier for an instore performance earlier in the afternoon. In October 2019 Kerimovski toured Japan and live streamed a solo performance from a bar in Nakano City at the tour's conclusion. He continues to write and record with Turnstyle and The Community Chest.

Personal life

Kerimovski married in 2004 and has a child. The Kerimovski family live in Bassendean, a suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Adjunct to his home is The Future Ranch, a small studio complex he uses exclusively for recording and rehearsals. He works at a Perth-based university in the screen arts/ filmmaking department.

Equipment

Kerimovski predominantly uses Fender guitars, namely Japanese Jazzmasters and Jaguarshttps://youtube/LfL6S6oeiTw/ , Only Boys - Top 10 Guitars, references Adem K at 26:10 and a pre-CBS 1965 Duo-Sonic II that he gifted to his wife in 2013. Kerimovski has been seen occasionally playing a 1967 Gibson SG Melody Maker. Live dates throughout 2015 and 2016 have seen him using a

Guild S-100 The Guild S-100 electric guitar is a lightweight solid-body guitar made by the Guild Guitar Company. It features two humbucking pickups and its body is styled similarly to a Gibson SG, but is slightly offset. In the 1970s, a version of this gui ...

reissue. After using a Fender 2 x 12 Deville amplifier for many years, in 2009 he switched to a Fender Deluxe '65 reissue, running it through a mid 70s Fender Bassman cabinet. At the beginning of 2018 he returned to using a larger amp, a Fender Twin Reverb. Kerimovski has remained loyal to

's MT series of keyboards and also owns a sizeable collection of Synthesizers including various Roland models, a

Korg , founded as Keio Electronic Laboratories, is a Japanese multinational corporation that manufactures electronic musical instruments, audio processors and guitar pedals, recording equipment, and electronic tuners. Under the Vox brand name, th ...

MS20, and numerous monophonic Moog synths. Kerimovski claims to have the only working

Farfisa Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professio ...

Syntorchestra in Australia.

Selected discography

with Turnstyle

* ''Turnstyle'' (1995) Cassette * ''Itcheekneesonchee'' (1997) Cassette * ''Seasides'' (1997) CD * "Spray Water on the Stereo" (1999) CD single AUS No. 16 * ''Turnstyle Country'' (1999) CD * ''Purple Crown'' (1999) CD single * "Portamento" (1999) CD single * "I'm A Bus" (2000) CD single * "Geek Party" (2000) CD * "Turnstyle Corporation" (2001) CD * "Sad Rambo" (2002) CD, Limited to 100 copies * "Colour Me In" (2013) CD, Limited to 50 copies * "Colour Me in Vol 2" (2014) CD, Limited to 50 copies * "Time Equals Function" (2015) CD, Digital * "Happy Factories" (2018) CD, Cassette, Digital * "Colour Me in Vol 3" (2020) Digital * ''We Ran With The Pack'' (2021) Digital Single * "Key Note Speaker" (2021) Vinyl, CD, Digital

with Mitey Ko

*"2thresQ" (2000) CD *"5% Famous" (2001) CD *"Incidental Guerillas" (2003) CD *"Devastated, Frustrated" (2008) CD

with The Burton Cool Suit

* "The Burton Cool Suit" (2005) CD * ''You Can't Fight City Hall'' (2007) CD

Solo

* ''The Community Chest'' (2010) CD

with The Community Chest

* ''Top of the Hour'' (2013) Vinyl LP * ''Make Your Decision Now And Live With It Forever'' (2015) CD EP * ''Reflections Through Corrugations'' (2019) Digital Single * ''Concrete'' (2019) CD EP * ''In My Dreams'' (2020) Digital Single * ''Handshake'' (2021) Digital Single * ''Sounder'' (2021) Digital Single

Other releases

*"The Town We Loved In", Showbag (2003) CD (as lead guitarist) *"Death of Robot", Airport City Shuffle (2007) CD (as sound engineer) *"Self-Titled", OkiOki (Recorded 2007, Released 2015) Digital (as sound engineer) * "Welcome to the Growth Zone", When the Sky Fell (2009) CD (multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer) * "Choose The Sentinel Blooze", 6s & 7s (2010) CD (as co-sound engineer, percussion and synthesiser) *"Boy's Night", Spod (2017) single (as backing vocalist) *"Crosswires/Gotcha!", The Hotpoints/Modern Bombers (2017) Split 7" single (multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer) *"Perth Mint", The Hotpoints (2018) CD, Digital (multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer) *"Invisible Seams", Em Burrows (2018) Vinyl, Digital (as sound engineer) *"Swinging Simian Sounds", King Cornelius and the Silverbacks (2018) Vinyl, CD, Digital (guitar, organ, vocals) *"No Caveat", Didion's Bible (2021) Cassette, Digital (as Producer) *"AWWWW", Lonesome Dove (2021) CD, Cassette, Digital (as Producer) *"Back in Time/Mall Grabbing", Dead Tooth Hottie (2022), 7" single, Digital (mixing) *"Monkey or a Man/ Creature from the Black Lagoon", King Cornelius and the Silverbacks (2022), 7" single, Digital (guitar, organ, sound engineer)

References

External links

Adem K's Community Chest

Profile
at

National Library of Australia The National Library of Australia (NLA), formerly the Commonwealth National Library and Commonwealth Parliament Library, is the largest reference library in Australia, responsible under the terms of the ''National Library Act 1960'' for "mainta ...

Love Is My Velocity - Adem K
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adem K 1975 births Australian songwriters Australian rock keyboardists Living people Musicians from Perth, Western Australia Australian rock guitarists Australian people of Albanian descent 21st-century guitarists