He is a bit of an enigma, really - a sonic cipher whose identity is slowly being delineated by each successful club release as it slides under his locked studio door like a jailhouse dinner into the eager hands of his booking agent. His personal anonymity is contrasted by the success of his alter ego and he is definitely the JUAN KIDD that is destined for bigger things.
Now You're Gone has been one of winter's biggest club hits, reaching the adamantine heights of the Australian club charts for back to back weeks and proving that Juan is more than a one trick pony. The rising house star has followed it up with front of box favourites like Burning, Off the Hook and Bang the Drum.
"[I've been] hitting an in between market of sounds, it's what I was looking for and I think many others," he states. "[I've] spent loads of time in the studio this year, I have tracks forthcoming on Size, Defected, Toolroom and an artist album on CR2 which will be coming out by the end of the summer. I did a bootleg of Faithless' We Come 1 with Bobby Tee that is due for release 17th July. It got three plays at Space opening so we are hoping for big things."
Juan personifies what it is to be in demand as he has already released monsters for Steve Angello, Erick Morillo and Mark Brown on their labels Size, Subliminal and CR2, along with tracks on Mark Knight's Toolroom and David Piccioni's Azuli Records. If that isn't a dream roster of dance label bosses then my name isn't Denny Crane. But it hasn't all been beachfront villas and cocaine badgers for the star producer as experience catechised his judgement.
"I have done a couple [of mixes] just for the money and realised it was the wrong way to go," Juan reveals. "I only remix something if I know I can play it in one of my sets, otherwise I pass on it." The aforementioned bootleg of Faithless' We Come 1 is about to detonate over club land this party season, getting the personal thumbs up from Faithless frontman Maxi Jazz himself.
Juan's unique style has earnt him a disc alongside The Bloody Beetroots and Andy Murphy on the latest Smash Your Stereo One Love compilation CD, adding his patented raw tech edged sound to the club cauldron which he promises to emulate with Australian audiences.
"I was hanging with Frank from One Love in Miami and he asked me to do it," Juan recalls. "There was no hesitation in saying yes. Australia is very open-minded when it comes to music. Europe seems to be very genre-led and purist where as I like to cross boundaries. It's all house music to me - I'll be playing anything from tribal tech and underground tones to uplifting hands in the air, depending on where they let me take them."
Juan Kidd will be paying a visit to Academy on Friday July 10.
