No Kidding Around

17 April 2014 | 1:05 pm | Kane Sutton

“It’s one of those things where dance music is so fast-paced and changes so quickly."

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Countless accolades, awards, records and firsts have been the hallmark of Kid Kenobi's illustrious DJing career. And yet perhaps the Kid's greatest triumph is his ability to keep on evolving and growing as an artist. Music trends come and go – clubbers retire, scenes change and awards gather dust – but Kid Kenobi, it seems, is here to stay. Desenberg just launches into his next projects. “I've been working pretty hard in the studio just doing a bit of production for some TV on the side at the moment, actually. It's basically for a station who every now and then need some music done for one of their promos – maybe they've got some new shows coming up or whatever – so they'll need a track to go with the program. So it's something a bit different and it's nice to get a guaranteed payment at the end of it,” he laughs, “It's like a normal job.”

The man runs a huge variety of projects. Aside from television tunes, Desenberg also runs two music labels, is putting together an EP, writes and produces his own music and is always collaborating with other artists on new material. While the hectic workload might seem crazy to some, Desenberg is adamant that he's doing what he loves and wouldn't change it for a thing. He enjoys being a 'veteran' of the dance music scene and loves being caught up in a constantly shifting genre of music. “I reckon it's harder now than it was [15 years ago],” he reflects. “It's one of those things where dance music is so fast-paced and changes so quickly. When I go to play a classics gig these days it's like, 'Yeah, I'll play that classic' but then I have to think to myself, 'Wait a minute, what I might think is a classic isn't necessarily what the people booking me think is a classic', so I find myself constantly needing to update my lists. When you've been doing it for so long it's easy to over-think things and become misguided as to which direction you're heading. It's like trying to find a balance between staying true to who you are and keeping up with what's going on around you.”

Desenberg is currently gearing himself up for a show in Perth in April, and claims the state is one of his favourite places in the world. “WA reminds me of why I started DJing in the first place and why I love music. Ambar is a phenomenon in itself – the thing I love about it is that it is basically what dance music is all about. People are there to hear stuff that's new and exciting rather than be just entertained by stuff that they're familiar with. WA just seems to have less pretention; it's a very real dance world. I'm really looking forward to it.”