Kid Kenobi & MC Shureshock with Local supports, Friday March 20th

There’s no disputing the transient nature of the DJ: many hopefuls come and go, but few actually remain. You could attribute this to one of many vague criticisms of the dance scene, but the truth is DJs who quickly and quietly sink into obscurity just don’t have what it takes. When the lights go on, the job isn’t all guestlists and groupies and not many people love the job that much to persevere. Jesse Desenberg does. It’s been a decade now since he began DJing as Kid Kenobi and during this time his contributions to the Australian dance scene can be matched by few of his peers. A quick look at his rap sheet shows he was voted Number 1 DJ in the Technics InTheMix Top 50 three years in a row; he’s chalked up so many mix CDs for Ministry of Sound Australia they made a special sessions series for him; he’s even got a Dance Music Award under his belt for his remix of Green Velvet’s “La La Land”. Most people don’t achieve so much in a lifetime, but for Kid Kenobi this is still the beginning. He’s also been growing out of the DJ tag with long hours in the production seat. In the last six months alone: a remix with Rogue Element of Krafty Kuts. “Tell Me How You Feel”, a remix with Hook n Sling of Danish rockers Who Made Who, his first original release also with Hook n Sling “The Bump” signed to Hussle and Cr2. Plus a few more originals in the works with Metric, Meat Katie & Dylan Rhymes and Sydney studio mate Hook n Sling. Exciting times for the Sydney writing graduate. While Kid Kenobi the artist is adored by fans and respected by fellow DJs, Jesse himself is loved by everyone. Despite his high profile and commercial success, he’s the last person to buy into his own hype and the first person to hang out after the gig for a beer and a chat. It’s not false modesty – like most great DJs, he really does do it for the love. You could even liken him to the Freestylers, the Plump DJ’s, Krafty Kuts, Fat Boy Slim and Danny Macmillan , who are incidentally some of his biggest fans. 2006 literally took Jesse around the world. His itinerary read like a Lonely Planet guidebook, only with better nightlife recommendations. From Brazil to Canada to London to Cologne to Shanghai to Paris to San Fran Cisco, the more he travels, the better he gets, the more he gets booked, the more he travels and so on.