Interview with Le Keep on Soccer, New Music, and Blood Orange

Written by Yaw Appiah

When you push your two deepest passions to the forefront, people take notice. Steele Kratt, aka Le Keep, is building a following by fusing his career as an indie artist with his admiration for soccer. Le Keep is indistinguishable without the sport, which adds him to a list of revered artists who possess a similar love for the sport. 

Last year, Le Keep had his best year yet. His tour brought him from Paris to Brooklyn, and he released his first three singles. While in Brooklyn, he opened for his friend and soccer teammate, Blood Orange. 

His work features guitar-heavy melodies and mellow vocals—a combination that easily captivates his listeners. I spoke to Le Keep about his passion for soccer, touring with his friend and teammate, and his future as a rising artist.

Yaw: Your name is based on the French football magazine, Le’Equipe. How did you land on that?

Le Keep: I initially wanted it to be the same as the magazine, but then I figured they would sue me. For a couple of months, I worked on a solo project called Brooklyn Steel, but they sent me a cease-and-desist letter. I decided on Le Keep because it sounds like how an American would spell Le’Equipe.

What went into making your new single, “How Did You Know You Were Out of Love.”

I was looking through photos and when I saw a picture of my ex, I realized that we looked a little unhappy. It’s one of those things where if you’re looking in the rearview mirror, you can see so much more than when you’re actually in it. I think it just brought up a lot of questions, and I picked up the guitar, and it all came out. Within 20 minutes, I had it.

The lyrics are about how people can prematurely see the signs of something ending, and how you know to trust your gut on following through with that. In retrospect, I realized that some things needed to be changed, but it took stepping back to see it. So, it’s about that and breaking up, and realizing how to spot or ignore the signs as they’re coming up.

What artists have you been enjoying recently?

I’ll just go ahead and say Blood Orange because I’ve been on the road with him, and I’ve gotten to know him through playing sports. He’s someone I really look up to, and everything he makes I’m kinda like, ‘damn.’ Turnstile is another band I’ve been into recently, and Daniel Caesar as well. I recently kinda dove back into Blonde, so I’ve been listening to a lot of Frank Ocean while on the tour. 

I’m always listening to ’80s-’90s British new wave, like New Order, The Cure, and Underworld, which mixes electronic with rock. I love bands that mold both, where you can get a lot of melodies, but also electronic stuff. A lot of the stuff I’m writing these days is a lot more electronic and synthesizer and drum machine-driven, while still keeping the melodies of a pop or a rock song. 

I listen to a lot of classical music too. I got into classical music this summer. And always Brian Eno.

What’s your relationship with Dev Hynes, aka Blood Orange, like, as a musician but also as a soccer teammate?

He’s so great. I think when people talk about musicians who are really serious and who make important work, there’s always the caveat of like, ‘Is that person going to be a jerk?’ It’s really common for people who are really smart and gifted at doing a craft to be deficient in other areas, and he’s [Dev Hynes] great in every way. 

He’s humble, committed, loyal, and open to sharing his time. It’s been really nice to get to know him and how generous he’s been to all the people around him. He’s not someone who has an ego or any sort of attitude. We’ve become friends, and it’s nice to have a friendship where someone is always solid.

He’s a good teammate, too. He’s a good soccer player and a good dribbler good winger who can use both feet.

I discovered your music from your show with FullKit. What does their work mean to you?

I met Robbie [Laing] pretty early on, and I was between projects at the time. He was a fan of some of the work I had done previously, and we became close through soccer. He’s helped me with my music, and we’ve collaborated on merchandise, soccer kits, and shows together. He’s become one of my best friends, and it’s another case of a solid, all-around good friend and a serious and talented artist. 

He’s the best soccer player I’ve ever played with, hands down. He’s so good. Playing with him, I’m always like, ‘Yep, this rocks.’ He’s a solid center midfielder who tracks back and plays the right passes with a powerful shot. He’s like Steven Gerrard, he’s solid. Robbie’s not flashy, but could be, and gets the job done. And yeah, he’s a great friend, and everything he does hits.

Why do you support Arsenal?

I didn’t grow up playing soccer; I was always a basketball player and a die-hard Knicks fan. I played basketball my whole life and took AAU very seriously. I started getting into soccer during my junior or senior year of high school, thanks to an English teacher from England who was an Arsenal fan. 

He was the only teacher I ever clicked with, so being close to him got me into Arsenal. When I went to college, no one played basketball, and they all played soccer. So I got into playing from there, and both the Arsenal obsession and the playing obsession ramped up from there. That was my gateway in.

What’s next musically for Le Keep?

I plan to continue releasing singles and put out more music in the new year. I’m aiming to put out a song every six to eight weeks and shift the direction a little bit into more of the electronic thing I was talking about. I also want to work on features with people for those tracks and the tour. 

I’m trying to go back to Europe for some shows. I might do some stuff in the US in March and the UK in April and May. I might go to Europe for a month, just to write and see what I come up with. Rinse and repeat basically. I just want to keep touring, releasing, and building momentum.

You can find more of Le Keep’s music here.