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Just being a Kid

Australia's top breaks DJ Kid Kenobi joins MC Shureshock for chunky, funky set at Tommy's
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Who: Kid Kenobi

When: Thursday, April 6

Where: Tommy Africa’s

Tickets: $15

Truly a kid at heart.

Like any other kid, Kid Kenobi is a nap fan. Before every show, he squeezes in a quick sleep to ensure he is well rested for his evening sets.

However, instead of waking up in a familiar room never too far from mom and dad, the Aussie lad always wakes dazed and confused, never knowing what city, sometimes country, he is in. Last week Brazil, today the United States.

Pass on the cocoa and instead a vodka Red Bull gets the Ministry of Sound recording artist rolling out of bed for a show.

Today he wakes in a Best Western Hotel room in Miami, getting ready to perform with turntable luminaries including the likes of DJ Kraze, Krafty Kuts, Freak Nasty and the Stanton Warriors.

"Tonight we are the smallest act in the room," said Kid, a.k.a. Jesse Desenberg, an hour before the show.

"It’s quite a big night. We get to go on first, so we can sit back and enjoy it (after our set)."

Don’t let Kid’s modesty fool you. The Down Under talent is the central driving force behind the international success of the Australian breaks scene. Voted Australian DJ of the Year too many times to count, Kid is so well loved, at Australian festivals drawing more than 20,000 people, Aussies will pass up international guests to make their way over to Kid’s stage. Maybe out of loyalty; more likely out of dance necessity – punters know a sure beat when they hear it.

The diversity the Sydney DJ brings to his breaks sets keeps his fans coming back for more.

"I don’t stick to the same level: I have movement and change," he explained. "There is also a funk element which is important. It doesn’t need to be the waa-waa-waa of the guitar, but a kind of groove."

No stranger to the pages of Rolling Stone, FHM, Ralph and Urb, Kid’s booming breaks are legendary around the globe. Two of his most well known Ministry of Sound Recordings are Clubbers Guide to Breaks and Kid Kenobi Sessions. This year, Kid extended the break scene outside of his usual tour of Europe, Australia and North America to Brazil, where breaks and electro sets are rare.

"The whole electronic music scene is still growing: it’s not as big as it is in other places," Kid said of Brazil. "People didn’t know the tracks we were playing. They were really grateful to have us come down to play. This guy came up to me, 45 or so, and he told me he has been looking for new music since the ’70s, since Peter Gabriel. It really reflects where the music is at in Brazil. People are just discovering it. Their naiveté to it created an amazing energy in the room. I don’t think we play enough in North America so I can’t comment on that. I am still getting my head around the scene. In Australia, it’s pretty massive at the moment."

Kid is enjoying jet setting the far reaches of the globe these days to explore different cultures. He’s never shy at trying new foods and drinks.

An Amazon fruit sorbet-like treat is a memorable foodie favourite from his Brazil trip, along with a sugarcane drink.

"It’s one of the cheapest alcoholic drinks you can get in Brazil," Kid said.

"It often has men conquering beautiful women in Tarzan fashion on the cover. I don’t know what that means," he laughs. "We ask for it at (high-end) clubs and they look at us funny. We get it at the grocery store."

MC Shureshock, a.k.a. Cameron James Brown, joins Kid Kenobi on the duo’s tour. From drum ’n’ bass to breaks and back again, the fellow Aussie has spoken with the best, including Fat Boy Slim, Krafty Kuts, The Stanton Warriors and Crystal Method, to name a few.

Local turntablist Jamie Vale warms up the crowds at 9 p.m.

Advanced $15 tickets available at HotBox Internet, The Hub Creekside and Tommy’s.