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Kenny Ken Interview
Drum and Bass | Thursday 15th December 2011 | Annalisa
Kenny Ken is an absolute legend, if you know about drum and bass, jungle and hard core music then you must know about the legend Kenny Ken.
Hey how have you been, have you had a busy summer?
I'm good, summer's been busy, lots of driving up and down motorways and a lot of flying miles.
What has been your all time favourite party or rave?
My all time favourite party has to be AWOL at the Paradise club in north London.
What is your favourite place to play at these days?
My favourite venue nowadays is Fabric in London.
Tell us about your first break because you have been a super star as long as i have known you!
My first big break came when Carl and Dave from the Crazy Club gave a residency at Astoria back in 89 or 90, also Sue and Joe from Labrynth and Wayne from Genesis, in fact Genesis was the first time I played in front of a big crowd and I was nervous but done my job well!
You started djing in 1988, what are the good changes that you have seen in the jungle and drum and bass scene?
Yeah Ive been around a long time and seen a lot of changes in the dance scene, the best change I've seen is when BBC radio 1 started playing jungle and took it main stream and also the dance scene broke down a lot of racial barriers.
From the decks to the studio to your label Mix and Blen, you keep yourself busy what advice would you give someone else trying to get into this business?
My advice to anyone looking to get into the music scene is to work very hard and believe in what you do. Its not easy because everyone wants to be a DJ nowadays so you really have to put in the hours! Even I have to to this day!
You were one of the first DJ’s to play dnb on Kiss FM how was this experience?
I was the first DJ to play D&B on Kiss FM and also Radio 1 which was a real buzz because there is no better way to promote yourself and your music so I'm pleased to have done this.
What are your main musical influences?
I like all types of music but my main influence is reggae, a lot of the music I make has a reggae vibe to it...
What artists are you feeling at the moment?
There are a lot of good artists in the scene today, I like Savage Rehab, Sensa, NC-17, Crissy Criss, Youngman, Benny Page, Shy Fx, Serum and Vapour to name a few.
We are celebrating the legend Stevie Hyper this month and you gave us your thoughts apart from Stevie who would be your dnb legend?
My D&B Legends has to be Grooverider and Fabio because they was there when I first started djing and they have pushed this music hard!!Stevie Hyper is also a Legend and me personally thinks he had so much more to offer the scene but sadly we never got to see this. I took him to Australia and Canada just before he died and one of the best shows the Canadians still talk about to this day is Stevie and myself at Mach One in Toronto. R.I.P Stevie.
What has been your funniest/ biggest or most embarrassing moment of your career so far?
My most embarrassing moment is when I drove all the way to Leeds without my records. what happened was i picked up my daughter and we decided to go in her car so we swapped cars and forgot the records, lol
You have worked with many artists, however is there anyone that you would still like to collaborate with?
I've worked with a lot of people over the years but there is one I'd like to collaborate with and that's Shy Fx. the music he makes is right up my street!
Who would be your favourite DJ to play back to back with on your birthday at your favourite club?!
My favourite DJ to go back to back on my birthday would be Randal
What are you looking forward to?
I'm not looking forward to anything, I just take everyday as it comes because life is full of surprises and I like surprises especially if they're good!
If you could have a swimming pool filled with anything what would it be?!
My swimming pool would be filled up with 50 pound notes!
If you could take one person out for dinner right now who would it be and why?
The only person I would like to take out to dinner right now is my daughter Sam because she is what keeps me going and keeps me strong x
