What’s in the DJs box: Kiki

What’s in the DJs box: Kiki

23 May, 2008 | 12.52PM

• Written by: Ben Raven
• Filed under: Music News: bpitch, finnish, kiki

Each week we take a sneak peek inside the record box of one of our favourite DJs and this week Bpitch Control star Kiki takes centre stage.

Even as a school kid playing hip hop in his native Finland, Berlin resident and star of BPitch Control, Kiki has been pushing the idea of what makes a DJ talented.

After moving to the city study in 1994, he began DJing at legendary clubs Tresor, WMF and E-Werk from an early age.

In 1998 he produced a mix CD for a party called Sonnehaus which was noted for its three-deck mixing by Germany’s De-BUG magazine.

His productions for labels like B-Pitch or Crosstown Rebels helped define a new style of electronic dance music emanating from Berlin in the early 2000s.

Now he’s working hard on his second album. 

“It’s a lot of work,” he says. “It involves lots of musicians this time so I’m only playing the very special gigs to make time for it like Benacassim or my birthday party at Watergate.”

He’s also working on his live set, venturing away from turntables to play his productions live on a laptop.

For now, though, he’s happy to flag up the key tracks perking up his DJ sets.

Favourite set opener?

To be honest, it’s always different, as I never plan my sets, but try to soak up the atmosphere and energy from the venue I’m performing at.

Having said that, I’ve started my last couple of gigs with Livio & Roby’s ‘Flori on the Hill’ as it has a good groove to start building up like I usually do, and it also has a nice breakdown with a signal, that draws the attention of the crowd.

Secret weapon that only you have a copy of?

A few years ago it definitely was the JS16 remix of Rinneradio‘s ‘Kuvala’, which apparently only exists on three, one-sided test pressings.

Rinneradio is a Finnish fusion jazz rock band and they probably didn’t like the idea of a house remix, which is pretty amazing though, and it never got an official release!

I got it from a friend from Finland and played it a lot between 99 – 04 (and still might) and always got asked about it.

Trippiest record?

At the moment it’s surely Namlook’s ‘Subharmonic Atoms’ on Macro, which is the only track I play regularly that has absolutely no beat on it, but still creates that amazing and very twisted atmosphere for some four minutes!

Drop a kick drum after that tune and everything will surely go pretty mental! Sometimes I use it as an intro, sometimes in the middle to take the crowd on the next level.

Killer vocal track?

I’m playing the Quarion remix of Andre Garcia’s ‘No More Tears’ forthcoming on Connaisseur in every set right now!

It’s not really your average vocal track, because the vocal is sung in an Asian language, maybe Chinese.

It sounds very mantra-like, and it’s a great record for the summer.

Another one I have to mention is the Charles Webster remix of Nu Frequency feat. Shara Nelson ‘Go That Deep’.

Although I only play it in very rare and special situations, it’s definitely one of the songs of the year so far and there aren’t much real songs around nowadays!

Bassline weapon?

I’ve had Paperclip People’s ‘Throw’ in my bag since it was released on Open in 1993, but sadly I had to remove it lately due to the record being very scratched and in bad condition in the meanwhile.

But it’s a groove I can always use due to THAT bassline!

The record you also get asked to play but don’t?

On very rare occasions it’s more a question like, “Can you please pitch it faster?” or “ Do you have any R&B?”, but lately, there’s been few situations I got asked to play ‘3 Tage Wach’… Sorry!

Oldie that everyone else has probably forgotten?

I’ve been playing ‘Activator (You Need Some)’ on Vicious records from 1994 (remixes of which were later re-released on Yoshitoshi) and it always sounds great.

I also just dug out Mike Dunn’s ‘Welcome To The Club’ though he seems to have quite a revival coming up right now with ‘Pressure Cooker.’

Get out of jail card?

Lately it’s probably been Itamari Sagi’s ‘Black Gold’.

It works anywhere, anytime and is again based on a pure groove from where you can start building layers to every possible direction.

Your “one more tune” end of night finisher?

Throughout this year (and end of last year) it’s been very often the Superpitcher remix of Rufus Wainwright´s ‘Tiergarten.’

The original is a great song and when stretched out over 14 minutes with a lovely thunderstorm break with rain and that vocal—“It is raining”—it’s amazing!

Whenever I play this I just see happy faces ‘til the hairs on the back of my neck stand up!

Sadly, it never got a proper release, so I see it as my mission to keep playing it!

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• Check out Kiki's back catalogue on Beatport