Kid Kenobi
Subscribe
X

Get the latest from Beat

All

Kid Kenobi

kidkenobi.jpg

“Dance music started for me a very long time ago, going to illegal raves in the early ‘90s, so I got introduced to it at a very young age when it was still extremely underground and nobody knew anything about it,” he says. “Before that I was into hip hop. I fought rave music for a very long time; I just wanted to be hip hop forever kind of thing until I finally caved in and just loved it. I’d listen to music during the week and then be a part of the culture on the weekend, and it sort of grew from that.”

He knew he was beginning to make as a DJ when he could pay the rent with the earnings from his early gigs, but he says he didn’t have a plan as a university student without a clear idea of what he wanted his future to hold.

“I loved music. I never really thought of it as a career at that point,” he says. “I was going from playing the backroom to being on the main stage, then winning awards which were little steps along the way to success I guess.”

He recalls the awards being an important part of his development, as well as doing mixes for Ministry of Sound, things that collectively snowballed until he found himself living the life of a professional DJ and producer.   

“With the first awards I won (including People’s Choice NSW DJ of the Year 2001), I was like, ‘Cool, now Mum and Dad will look at what I’m doing and not think I was wasting my time,” he says.

Gaining inspiration simply from checking out what other DJs and producers are up to, Desenberg is amazed by how much music is currently out there, especially considering how underground the scene used to be.

“It’s about seeing what other people are doing, and trying to find a way of making that your own,” he says. “I think I’ve got a certain style, and it’s not genre-specific, it’s like party and bouncy kind of vibes really. I’ll just take current music and put it in line with what I like.”

The leader of Sydney dance label Klub Kids Records, Desenberg stresses the importance of staying fresh, defined by the motto ‘forward-thinking party music.’ The label’s current roster features a growing number of Aussie artists working away in various genres through house, breaks, hip hop and other areas.

As the father of a two-year-old daughter, Desenberg has plenty of perspective to go with his love of club music, keeping himself grounded and juggling the different roles in his life.

“It’s always on the go, she takes a lot energy you know,” he says. “With all the work I’m doing you just don’t stop, but it’s all worthwhile stuff.”

BY TOM KITSON

Recommended