Originally published at AXS.com on Oct 20, 2017. Archived here as part of portfolio.
Sitting across a simple table in an empty cruise ship restaurant, DJ, producer and label-owner Billy Kenny is all smiles and energy before his first ever Groove Cruise. Whet Travel, the company behind Groove Cruise, invited him and his record label (This Ain’t Bristol) out for the weekend to play numerous sets for the party cruise. Before the orchestrated frenzy that is Groove Cruise got underway, he took a moment to talk about his process, his music and his journey thus far.
As he sits, he is a bundle of energy with a cigarette carefully tucked behind one ear. He’s happy to be in California, a place that has shown not only his music but his label’s music (This Ain’t Bristol), quite a bit of love lately. This was readily apparent to anyone who attended this year’s Nocturnal Wonderland, where This Ain’t Bristol took over one of the stages for a performance that was described by many as the performance of the weekend (check out This Ain’t Bristol’s blog about the experience here).
Today’s discussion is peppered with laughs, excitement and an exuberance from Kenny that shows anyone just how much he loves what he’s doing these days. Things are looking good; much better than three years ago when Kenny, having just settled in Germany to be with his then-girlfriend, had to consider other career paths to make a living.
“A few years ago I was going to be working in a coffee manufacturer in Germany. My ex-girlfriend lived in Germany and I moved there. I wasn’t sure if this thing [music] was going to work out. So, three years ago that was what I was doing. I remember the day I moved to Germany, I was walking from the train station to our apartment. There was this guy flipping this sign around trying to get someone to go in there; and we joked saying, ‘You might have to do that kind of thing.'”
One would never guess this was the case for this young virtuoso, who is very much in demand these days on both sides of the pond.
“This Ain’t Bristol is doing well. I feel really loved here [in California]. It’s the right place, the right time and everything seems to be working like clockwork.”
This one statement before the frenzy of Groove Cruise seems to be almost prophetic. Throughout the course of three days, Kenny would throw down by the poolside stage, This Ain’t Bristol would take over one of the decks the next day and play through a rotation that was simply on fire, and Kenny would bring it all to a head at the mansion party in Ensenada.
Things would go like clockwork.
From working the DJ deck by himself for his headliner performance to the seamless transitions made between him and his crew the next day during the This Ain’t Bristol takeover, Kenny worked magic behind the table and in front of an eager crowd. The way he maneuvered with his fellow DJs was nothing less than jaw-dropping. As one watched the collaborative effort going on during the This Ain’t Bristol set, no one would ever guess that Kenny, in fact, prefers to work alone.
“Working alone for me…I do prefer to work alone. I’m very ADD, so I get distracted very easily if I work with someone.”
Kenny enjoys the solitude of his drum kit, the clothes closet where he does a lot of his vocals because “it’s nice and dry in there” and the lack of distraction that comes from working with others.
“Let me start from the beginning. I’ll get two packs of cigarettes, a big jug of water, a lighter, maybe some munchies and I’ll just sit there and try to stay there as long as I possibly can; until I can get most of a track done. Once I have a basic idea (maybe about four hours to get the main idea down) that I know is ready and I can make a track out of—and I’m happy where it’s going—then I’ll just develop it from there. I’ll work outwards.”
This organic nature of Kenny’s music is also reflected in his live sets. Just as he works outward from that main idea for a track, likewise he does the same in front of a crowd.
Whereas many DJs today are known for their meticulous sets and taking the audience on a journey of their making, Kenny approaches things from a different angle. The music is a part of him just as it is a part of the crowd before him. Though Kenny would have you think that he’s a bit ADD, the reality is that when he’s behind his deck, he is anything but that. He is focused and moving to the beat of hearts gathered before him.
This is where the magic begins to take shape—when DJ and crowd vibe with one another and feed off of each other’s energy.
“I don’t plan sets. I’ll plan an opener and sometimes I’ll put together five tracks for a certain set for a closer, you know…ideas depending on the vibe and stuff. But everything in between is just like whatever I’m feeling at the time. And I love that. It’s the spontaneity; if I’m following a set rule I feel like I’m not really into it as much. Whereas [if I’m going with the flow] it’s like, ‘Ah, I’m going to do that right now’ and it’s more exciting.”
That excitement was clearly in the air at his first performance on the poolside deck. Kenny, now standing behind his deck, is loose, comfortable — he’s home. He goes to work. But unlike what he would have you believe, this time he’s not working alone. He spins in concert with the frenzy of fans, old and new, who are dancing before him. He watches, he analyzes, he listens, he feels — and then he executes. Subtle changes on the deck before him. A beat dropped here, a vocal thrown in there, all in rhythm to the crowd moving before him. As they move he moves with them; as he moves they move with him. A concert of souls is going on before this deck and DJ.
It is here, at the intersection between DJ and crowd, fluidity and excitement, that Kenny begins to collaborate. It’s a different type of collaboration than we first discussed hours earlier. This collaboration is not with another producer or vocalist. Rather, it is with the crowd assembled before him. He watches and is moved by them, and they watch and are moved by him. This is where the true collaborative work begins for Kenny. It’s behind his deck when he has a crowd before him. This is where his passion and zest for life come from.
As the packed Captains (as party-goers are affectionately known as on Groove Cruise) groove and vibe to the maestro behind the deck, Kenny vibes back. He listens, feels and then takes the crowd with him on a musical journey not of his own making, but of their making together.
“I never have an idea of where I’m going musically, I just don’t. It just sort of comes as it comes. When I write something I say, ‘Okay, that’s cool’ and now I’ll write something that might fit with that thing.”
In a similar, magical manner, he does the same thing for his fans on GCLA as he works the DJ deck.
For many who were introduced to Kenny for the first time, that introduction left an indelible mark not just upon ears, but more so upon hearts and even souls. But you see, this is what Kenny does. He and his This Ain’t Bristol crew always bring music that is less of a set and more of an experience.
Billy Kenny thrives in this experience, for this is where his journey takes shape, and he is more than happy to tackle it head-on.
“Right now, I’m just really excited for everything; the way that things have been projecting recently has been kind of insane for me. I’m just really, really thankful for everything and it’s really — in the most positive way — overwhelming(!) and awesome(!) and I’m really happy!”
If you love Billy Kenny and This Ain’t Bristol just as much as the rest of Groove Cruise did, and you want to keep up with their journey, give them a follow on Instagram here: Billy Kenny, This Ain’t Bristol.
Also, check out Billy’s Soundcloud embedded below. Give him a follow on Soundcloud and keep up with where he goes next in his musical journey.