Kidd Madonny is no stranger to the entertainment industry. As the driving force behind RKM - the Miami-based design & production company known for its unique, visually enticing creativity - Kidd has spent over a decade immersed in almost every aspect of nightclub production: decor, costume design, performance. His talent has taken him across the globe - from Tokyo to Montreal to Acapulco - landed him in the world's hottest nightclubs & given him the opportunity to work alongside the most sought after DJs in the industry. It also set the stage for what has become one of his greatest passions.Born with an immense love for music, Kidd was naturally drawn to each DJ's talent. Fascinated by their modern day Pied Piper capabilities, he easily recalls the first time a DJ floored him. "I was dancing (a la RKM) at Arena & Junior Vasquez was spinning. He had a song sitting on a loop for five minutes." The crowd's reaction mirrored his own, an enthusiastic momentum that continued throughout the party. By the end of the night the light bulb had turned on. "I was like, Wow! This is what you can do with mixing!"Intrigued, Kidd became the proverbial sideline student, learning all he could from those willing to teach. Naming Junior as his most influential inspiration & "the mentor since the beginning", he credits Abel & Eddie X as the next to open his eyes. From them, Kidd gained an appreciation for different sounds, methods & techniques. The latter he also gained while observing from his behind-the-scenes seating. It's a perch he's been able to take a considerable amount of times watching a considerable amount of talent. Ultimately, he's taken something from each DJ who's been gracious enough to give of themselves, whether it was their sound, style, or method of mixing, looping, or even tweaking the music. They are lessons Kidd is truly grateful for. "Working with all of them, I've taken pieces of each of them."Pieces in hand, lessons in mind, & his own musical style waiting to be unwrapped, Kidd was ready to put it all together. Stationed behind a set of mixers & turntables that he admits were not quite up to industry standards - ("Eddie X told me, 'Child, if you can learn to mix on those, you'll be able to mix on anything!'" he laughs) - Kidd began to practice ... & practice ... & practice. Mixing, looping, layering, vinyl, cds - the entire auditory arsenal was covered & drilled away at until Kidd felt, in a word, "comfortable." Two years ago, what began as a juxtaposition of skills, techniques & style came full circle, & Kidd added two letters to his entertainer repertoire. DJ Kidd Madonny was born.And off to an impressive start. His first gig, in February 2005, was an opening set for Victor Calderone at the Coliseum in Ft. Lauderdale. Shortly after his debut, Kidd graduated to headlining DJ. Today, he has a weekly residency at Click, the Sunday night party at Dek 23 on Miami Beach.Describing his musical style as a blend of vocals, a little bit of "disco house remixes", progressive house, electro & the all-important tribal, says Kidd of his music on any given night: "It always has the drum beats behind it. You're always going to hear something new," he continues. "I think as a DJ you should always educate the crowd." That philosophy, coupled with what Kidd declares the best piece of advice he ever got from a DJ - ("Guido told me, 'Have fun with it. Don't be afraid to experiment.'") - is the foundation upon which he builds each & every time he sets foot in a booth & slides on his headphones. His favorite part of being a DJ is the buildup: getting the crowd on the dance floor, getting them excited, & keeping them there dancing. He includes himself in that grouping as the main person you should always see moving for the simple reason that, "If you don't see me dancing, why would you be?"As for the upcoming items on his professional "To Do" list? Not surprisingly, the "Creation" category ranks high. Kidd plans on mastering more ways to invent a la audio, for it's the new music that keeps him excited about DJing. He foresees his career as a journey, an on-going musical search with the hopes of "finding something new that's going to change & evolve the sound. I think that's so important," he states with utmost certainty. Remixing, producing, perhaps even a collaboration or two are in the (not-so-distant) future for DJ Kidd Madonny. A creative soul such as his can't help but contribute. In fact, some of his musical blueprints have already been drawn up. Where does he keep them? "It's in here," he laughs, tapping his head. "I have sounds in here. I hear it." Given his multitude of talents & endless imagination, seems safe to say that soon the rest of the world will be hearing it, too.
..
..
