Taking a closer look at Brisbane’s bubbling talent pool leads the way to nu-disco, nu-soul, nu-funk and old skool sensation Kieron C. As a DJ, events organiser, up-and-coming producer and a familiar face behind the counter of RockingHorse Records, Kieron has remained quite submerged in the shadows of Brisbane’s electronic vista. Celebrated as a stalwart of the local industry, Kieron is an active participant in Queensland’s electronic scene as a solo DJ and one of six member crew Vinyl Slingers, not to mention the impetus behind many events organised around Brisbane’s clubbing arena.

Originally from the UK, Kieron’s initial venture into the world of music comes from being surrounded by music all his life. “Messing around” with a variety of instruments including drums and bass guitar, Kieron was bred on a diet of Musical Youth, Adam & the Ants, The Jam, The Police and Wham. “My mum always had music playing around the house,” Kieron notes, “and on Sundays she’d throw the windows open and let the whole street know what we were listening to. It would range from *Elvis, The Beatles, Johnny Cash, lots of 50s rock ‘n’ roll like The Everly Brothers, right up to 70’s prog rock like Deep Purple, with a smattering of funk courtesy of Isaac Hayes. As a kid I had a record player in my room and forged an early passion bordering on addiction to buying vinyl, with some of my early acquisitions wide ranging in style.”

It was hip hop however, that first caught Kieron’s ears, changing his perception of music forever. “ Public Enemy and Beastie Boys were fresh on the scene,” Kieron remarks, “and revolutionized the way I viewed and heard music.” Getting behind the decks at thirteen thanks to a family friend who moonlighted as a mobile DJ, Kieron was taught the basics, “including programming and technical aspects – and not a mix in sight! Slip cueing was as close to mixing as I got in those days. It wasn’t until I switched from being exclusively into hip hop to getting into more rave stuff that I really started mixing. Buying my own decks helped too!” Kieron asserts. His regime for funk, soul, disco, hip hop and breaks progressed to a love for the acid house sound, leaving his B-Boy garments in the dust. When this love for acid house progressed to happy hard house, Kieron had traversed the massive spectrum of music.

Professing to “have a deep love for all things funk and disco” Kieron notes that music means different things to him. “When I was younger I used to lose myself in music really easily. I’d just put something on and really get into it, and experience it as opposed to just listening to it. I think my early clubbing experiences reflected that and it’s probably similar for lots of other people too. Music means common ground for me and most of my friends; gives me different worlds to explore depending on what I’m listening to and who I’m listening with.” Kieron also acknowledges that he enjoys listening to “mostly dance based stuff, but I’m really digging the nu-disco sound right now – guys like Lindstrom and Prins Thomas, Todd Terje, Aeroplane , and LSB. It’s fusing the style and sounds of classic underground USA and Eurodisco, with modern production and attitude. I’m also liking a lot of dub lately, and don’t mind some of the dubstep stuff that’s around.”

Though an English import since 1997, Kieron has remained an avid follower and participant of Brisbane’s dance scene. “The Brisbane scene is going from strength to strength lately,” Kieron reflects. “With the new generation of promoters getting up and doing their own thing, I applaud them. I don’t necessarily like too much of the current style that’s doing it for the new generation of clubbers but I can connect to it through its heavy disco content, and appreciate it when it’s done well with thoughtfulness and experience. A good example of one of the best guys in the electro scene is Boys Noize – an outstanding DJ with a nod to classic techno fitting in superbly with current stuff. But let’s get rid of the fucking 3am lockout – it solves nothing and just draws people away from the smaller clubs. And let’s also have people in charge who understand music – not just numbers.”

Having also worked prodigiously in the scene as an events coordinator and noted DJ, I asked Kieron where his preference lay: the booth or the office? “DJing is quite instant,” Kieron discloses. “You get one shot at what’s coming next, so if your brain is working correctly then it’ll all flow nicely, and you’ll have a great night. I think being eclectic with the music I love has definitely helped me find a creative style, and not relying on beat mixing is definitely an asset.” Kieron also remaks that ‘a flow’ is important to his overall sound. “It’s seems simplistic but I’m just trying to have a start point, a finish point, and some direction and substance in between – with no trainwrecks! Organizing events is probably my least favourite aspect, because of the administration. You usually have to rely on others to fulfill their responsibilities, and I’m a bit of a control freak,” Kieron states, “so if someone falls short it’s very annoying.”

However, with a recent foray into production, Kieron has found his musical mind expanding with the new challenges and obstacles producing offers. Having begun collaborating with Timeoff Dance Editor and My Ninja Lover’s Porl Deville, Kieron states that they initially “met and connected through music”, having been friends for quite a few years. We had been talking about doing something together for years, but it’s only just recently we have managed to get organized and do it.” And his thoughts on producing, even though its still a new avenue for him? “Producing is deliberate for me: you are not restricted by a time frame the same way as DJing. You can run the same track over and over until you get it sounding exactly the way you want. As I haven’t done a great deal yet, it’s still exciting for me.” With the tune still in the process of construction, Kieron assures me it’s a collaboration “somewhere between disco and dub.”

With several residencies at Empire’s Moonbar, Middle Bar and Press Club, his involvement in Vinyl Slingers, a whole heap of festival performances under his belt like Adventj#h, Good Vibrations, Summerfieldayze and more, and the various clubs of the Valley alongside his dayjob, Kieron manages to keep a ready smile at hand alongside a practical head. That ready smile will be in force as he leads the Australia Day celebrations on Saturday Janaury 26 at local breaks and house festival Sound Boutique at The Tivoli. When asked what his audiences can expect on the day, Kieron asserts “since I come from a Funk and disco background and as I am playing before local uber-funk band The Outfit, it will be classic funk, a touch of disco and some nu-jazz. Since I am also playing outside probably some lush dub too – fine weather sounds!”

Catch Kieron C at Sound Boutique this weekend!