About
A short version
St. Paul
Early on
I grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, where neighborhood friends started calling me Kef. There was always music in the house: my mother sang with a church group, an uncle was a working folk musician, and my sister was taking piano lessons, so I learned to play by ear.
By fifth grade I was making multitrack recordings. They weren’t very polished. In high school I DJ’d and spent a lot of time in the school’s sixteen-track studio, and from 1991 through 1997 I worked as a DJ and MC on Coca-Cola’s Spring Break tour: Daytona Beach, Panama City and South Padre Island, with crowds of up to 15,000.
1993
On tour with Prince
In 1993 I got a job with Prince’s organization, handling electronic drums and samples for New Power Generation drummer Michael Bland on the Act I and Act II tours, first North America and then Europe. I programmed the MIDI drum loops and sample sets that ran under the live show.
It was my real education in how records and shows get made. In 1995 I moved to Los Angeles.
Los Angeles
The records
In 1998 I put out my first single, a pop/hip-hop promo CD on my own label, KEFSKI Music, under the name D’Kaffe. The A-side, “Get ’Em Up,” turned up in an episode of Baywatch that fall. The B-side, “Jump In, Jump On It,” was reworked and came back two years later as “Jump On It.”
Then in 2000 Amherst Records released Poppaloopa, a pop/hip-hop album I wrote and produced at home, along with two maxi-singles. The first, “Hottie Boombalottie,” did well on radio in a few markets, and the video, which I shot and edited, spent part of that summer in the top 10 on The Box. I did a run of radio-station summer shows with two dancers and a DJ. Without much promotion behind it, that’s about as far as it went.
A few years later I taught myself guitar and made Alright, a pop-rock record with some friends, released on my own label in 2004. It got some college and public radio play. In 2006 I produced Love Songs for Bunkum Bros., Mark Carter’s comedy country act. I played on every track and co-wrote a handful of the songs.
Along the way a few songs ended up in film and TV, including Baywatch, two Disney Channel movies and NBC’s Las Vegas.
Now
Since then
These days most of my time goes into my creative agency, Chuck & Charlie, and a bit of photography. I still write and record music, but mostly for my own enjoyment.
Elsewhere
Elsewhere
For the record
Quick facts
Who is Kef?
Kef is the name Dave Keffer used for his music. Dave is a multi-hyphenate creative with a long career in television, photography, and branded-content creation. He grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota, lives in Joshua Tree, and released a 1998 single as D’Kaffe (“Get ’Em Up”) and the albums Poppaloopa (Amherst Records, 2000) and Alright (KEFSKI Music, 2004). He also produced Bunkum Bros.’ Love Songs (2006). Today he runs the creative agency Chuck & Charlie.
Did Kef work for Prince?
Yes. In 1993 he handled electronic drums and samples for New Power Generation drummer Michael Bland on Prince’s Act I tour of North America and Act II tour of Europe.
Who sang “Hottie Boombalottie”?
“Hottie Boombalottie” is by Kef featuring Sandra Allen. Amherst Records released it in 2000. Kef shot and edited the video with the cast of Baywatch Hawaii, and it reached #10 on The Box.
Where can I hear the music?
Poppaloopa and Alright are on Spotify and Apple Music. Bunkum Bros. is on all the major streaming services.
Is this the KEF loudspeaker company?
No. This Kef is the musician Dave Keffer, with no connection to the British loudspeaker maker.