July 23, 2026
Kiefer has announced the Sept. 25 release of Memory Bomb, the pianist’s solo debut for Blue Note Records which he produced with his longtime collaborators Shibo and CARRTOONS. The album—which is introduced today with the lead single “NewLevels NewDevils” featuring Tony Stone, Erick The Architect, and CARRTOONS—also features special guests including Nate Smith, Walter Smith III, Cisco Swank, Relyae, Rae Khalil, Amber Navran of Moonchild, Planet Giza, and more. Memory Bomb is available for pre-order now on Blue Note Store exclusive color vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and digital download.
One of LA’s best kept musical secrets, Kiefer has been described as a musician who doesn’t play keys with his fingers, but with his soul, which sums up in as simple terms as possible the artistry of this truly gifted individual who has re-defined that happy place between jazz improvisation and hip-hop beat-making. His distinctive musical style, which he calls ‘Over The Breaks,’ reaches new heights of creativity on Memory Bomb.
Kiefer is a great believer in embracing new influences and new styles by way of collaboration with others and that’s where the journey to his first Blue Note leader album started. His first priority was to get his two best friends—CARRTOONS and Shibo—to co-produce the album with him as they completely understood his sound, his harmony and were both extremely adept at drum programming. This mindset of innovation through collaboration extended to the inclusion of a whole host of vocalists, rappers and stellar musicians to produce interesting combinations leading to something new and exciting that still sounded like a Kiefer thing.
The album title ‘Memory Bomb’ is the poetic way of saying ‘A Dream.’ For Kiefer, there are three types, the sort you experience when you sleep, the wishful longing type, and the ambitious type – and those themes populate the direction of some, if not all, of the songs on this album. There’s a real lyrical feel to Memory Bomb as it tells a story, and thanks to its improvisational moments, one that changes every time you listen to it. It’s wistful, poetic, and groove driven all connected by that central feeling of being in a dreamscape of Kiefer’s making.
