Inside Longboat: Igor Keller Talks Jazz, AI, and Surviving the Noise

As Longboat, Igor Keller has quietly built one of the most prolific and thematically fearless discographies in independent music, trading in saxophone solos from his jazz past for sharp-edged pop minimalism. His latest release, Word Gets Around, doesn’t just expand on the formula—it rewires it completely. With a biting take on digital fatigue, economic unrest, and the cultural white noise of the modern age, the Seattle-based composer and producer invites listeners into a space where music isn’t just personal—it’s political, social, and uncomfortably current. We caught up with Longboat to talk about the new record, the future of human songwriting, and what it means to be an un-break-up-able one-man band in 2025.

How has being a jazz saxophonist in Seattle shaped your music?

Although I haven’t played saxophone in a while, jazz is always there in the background in terms of form and structure. I know a lot of the time, people aren’t aware that pop songs have an actual framework that they adhere to in order to make some kind of musical statement. It’s always been interesting to me to experiment with form while maintaining a pop music vibe. Jazz structure, feel and harmony are never far off.

As a musician, it becomes apparent that there is a huge difference between the art and the business. Is there anything about the music scene that you would personally change?

Besides having to endure wretched and inane love songs, one of the biggest challenges I see on the horizon is the use of AI in songwriting. My greatest fear is not that AI songs will be bad. They certainly will be terrible. But I’m really wary that human-powered songwriting has gotten so dire that AI will actually sound good in comparison. Kids will dance to AI-generated songs at proms, people will get married to AI songs and years from now, they will provide a soundtrack to people’s lives. If that happens, human songwriting will become a quaint object of the past

In your creative process, who do you find yourself writing for—yourself or your fans?

Myself, my lovely wife, and my friends. 

What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve ever received from another musician, and how has it influenced your musical journey?

I studied music composition in college, and my favorite professor would always advise his students to make music with their friends. It’s much more satisfying that way. 

Your new album, WORD GETS AROUND, is a journey through media chaos, economic anxiety, and societal burnout. How do you manage to encompass so many feelings in one body of work?

You know, after 32 albums, I’m still not sure where my song ideas come from. Sometimes a phrase sticks in my head, and it becomes a song title. Other times, it’s something that bothers me or makes me laugh. I really enjoy the mystery of this stage of songwriting. Right now, I’m planning on recording 11 albums this year. This is the first. I love it like a child. Ten more will follow, and I’ll love them for what they are as well. 

Is there a song on the album that represents you? 

Yes, it’s the track “Yelltown.” I live in a neighborhood called Belltown. It used to be hip and funky, but now it’s just downright dystopian. It’s pretty tragic all around. One of the things about this place is how much yelling people do. It seems like everybody’s bellowing at everybody all the time. There are lots and lots of crazy people wandering around, and they’re about the loudest. I just wanted to write a little tune about this neighborhood and have it be a little bit sad. I don’t see Belltown as improving anytime in the future, so this is our reality for the next few years at the least.

What’s the experience of being a one-man band like, and what unique challenges and rewards does it bring?

Well, funny you should mention that. I’m actually recording three albums this week with a live band, so Longboat has a population of more than one! But when I’m making all-electro albums, I’m just one guy (along with my super-capable engineer, Ryan Leyva). The great thing about that is that the band can never break up. No matter what size Longboat is, it will always be un-break-up-able.