Giant Claw
{{Short description|American electronic musician}}
{{Other uses|Land of Giants / The Giant Claw|The Giant Claw}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Giant Claw
| image =
| image_size =
| caption =
| birth_name = Keith Rankin
| alias =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = United States
| origin = Columbus, Ohio
| instrument =
| genre = Electronic, vaporwave, footwork, psychedelia
| occupation = Musician, record producer, visual artist
| years_active = 2010–present
| label = {{plainlist|
- Orange Milk Records
- Ghost Diamond
}}
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|http://www.keithrankinart.com}}
}}
Keith Rankin is an American electronic musician and visual artist who records under the alias Giant Claw, a largely vaporwave and psychedelic music project.{{cite web |last1=Bowe |first1=Miles |title=Giant Claw announces new album Soft Channel on Orange Milk |url=https://www.factmag.com/2017/06/29/orange-milk-giant-claw-album-soft-channel/ |website=Fact |accessdate=9 February 2019 |date=29 June 2017}}{{cite web |last1=Miller |first1=Patrick |title="Did You Hear That?" – Giant Claw Interview |url=https://soulfeederweb.com/blog/giant-claw-interview/ |website=soulfeederweb |date=9 November 2021 |access-date=18 October 2022}} He is known for the vaporwave project Death's Dynamic Shroud, which he joined in 2014.{{cite web | title= death's dynamic shroud biography | url=https://www.100percentelectronica.com/pages/deathsdynamicshroud | website=100% Electronica | accessdate= 14 January 2022 | date= 2020}}
AllMusic biographer Paul Simpson describes Rankin's music as Giant Claw as ranging "from dense sound collages and synth freak-outs to mutated prog rock and psychedelia to footwork and vaporwave".{{cite web |last1=Simpson |first1=Paul |title=Artist Biography by Paul Simpson |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/giant-claw-mn0002886617/biography |website=AllMusic |accessdate=9 February 2019}}
Rankin has also made several album artworks, such as Kenny Beats and Rico Nasty's Anger Management and Kerwin Frost's Apple Music radio show.
History
In 2010, the year Giant Claw debuted, Rankin launched the label Orange Milk with his friend Seth Graham, aiming to release records by underground American musicians. The artwork for all the label's releases have been designed by Rankin himself.{{cite web |title=The Art of Noise: Keith Rankin |url=https://www.dummymag.com/features/the-art-of-noise-keith-rankin-giant-claw-orange-milk-records-interview/ |website=Dummymag |accessdate=9 February 2019 |date=2014}} Fact Magazine have ranked the label as one of the 10 best of both 2013 and 2016.{{cite web |last1=Hussey |first1=Allison |title=6 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: J. Cole, Sons of Kemet, Jorja Smith, and More |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/6-new-albums-you-should-listen-to-now-j-cole-sons-of-kemet-jorja-smith-and-more/ |website=pitchfork |date=14 May 2021 |access-date=18 October 2022}}
Reception
The 2014 album Dark Web was praised by Stereogum for its deconstructed sound collage style, combining dub music and beat-driven styles.{{cite web |title=Steam Giant Claw Dark Web |url=https://www.stereogum.com/1707198/stream-giant-claw-dark-web-stereogum-premiere/music/album-stream/ |website=Stereogum |accessdate=9 February 2019 |date=24 September 2014}} Other works have similarly been praised.{{cite web |last1=Scott |first1=Jazz |title=Giant Claw Soft Channel |url=https://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-review/giant-claw-soft-channel |website=Tiny Mix Tapes |accessdate=9 February 2019 |date=2017}}{{cite web |last1=Brennan |first1=Mark Anthony |title=Giant Claw Deep Thoughts |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/giant_claw-deep_thoughts |website=Exclaim! |accessdate=9 February 2019 |date=6 November 2016}}
In 2021, Rankin released his first solo mixtape for 'Death's Dynamic Shroud' called, 'Faith In Persona
Selected discography
- Midnight Murder (2011)
- Tunnel Mind (2011)
- Clash of Moons (2012)
- Mutant Glamour (2012)
- Music for Film (2013)
- Dark Web (2014)
- Deep Thoughts (2015)
- I'll Try Living Like This (with Death's Dynamic Shroud's member, James Webster) (2015)
- Soft Channel (2017)
- Heavy Black Heart (with Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2017)
- Mirror Guide (2021)
- Faith In Persona (under Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2021)
- Reality 2 : Archive of Fading Mist (part ii) (under Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2022)
- Darklife (with Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2022)
- Together, Our Thing (under Death's Dynamic Shroud, with Holly Waxwing) (2023)
- GenoMods (under Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2023)
- No Tomorrow (under Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2023)
- Transcendence Bot (under Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2023)
- Reality 2 : Archive of Fading Mist (part i) (under Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2023)
- You Like Music (under Death's Dynamic Shroud, with Galen Tipton) (2024)
- Never Really Over (under Death's Dynamic Shroud) (2024)