By popular demand ;)

From Public Enemy and Silver Bullet through to Royal House and A Guy Called Gerald...

1989   The summer of rave

De La Soul's 3 Feet High And Rising album changed my life. It opened up worlds upon worlds of music to me.
Around the time of the albums 25th anniversary I sought to make my commute more interesting by experimenting with Garageband and some digital scissors and cut the album tracks and their sample material into an hour long mix. It sat on an old hard drive unheard for years before I stuck it on Mixcloud, however they're now made it restricted.

For me this is unique in the sense that as a DJ I took perverse pride in only ever playing vinyl but to do this I had to record the records and then edit digitally - the first and only time I've done it. And the last... it took ages!

More than 30 years on and it's still the first album i'd rescue if my home was on fire. It's a joy to listen to and a joy to return to. And those samples... well, they turned me onto more artists than anyone else ever. Thanks De La.  

RIP TRUGOY.

KIW: The podcast!

3 Feet High and Rising (re-imagined by Steve KIW)

A walk through the alternative mixes of the 80s.  So many great records, so many great bands: here, to celebrate a year of our Facebook group where like minded folk share their love of 80s b-sides, instrumentals, dubs, lp tracks and remixes, is part one of a selection of some of those great tracks - but you might not believe whose these tracks were performed by.

BAOL present an alternative look at the 80s.

From the forthcoming long-player 15 Minutes Of Fame.  Recorded live in one take at Somerset House.

The KIW Orchestra is a new concept in just going with what feels good; or what band member Ed Meme refers to as "Steve's maverick or moron" approach to music.  

For this recording the KIW Orchestra consisted of Ed Meme, Ed Breaker and Steve KIW.  Therefore not only were we able to record this fine interpretation of J-Walk's bump and grind classic 'Soul Vibration' (with apologies to Martin Brew, but thanks for the lovely feedback!) but we also proved, conclusively I'm sure you'll agree, that two Eds is better than one.

All feedback welcome.  Personally I'd prefer it a little more if it sounded as it did in the recording studio with the percussion higher in the mix, especially in the second half of the track (not only because that was my contribution!) but, that said, I can't be too choosy!  For the record (boom boom, tschk) I've never learned to play an instrument and this was my one chance to try!

Soul Vibration (Balearic Interpretation)

Woo – Hopi – Emotional Rescue LP ‘Into the heart of love’
2814 – side 2 track 1  Dream LP ‘…’
Joe Jackson – Steppin’ out – A&M LP ‘Live 1980/86’
Nils Frahm – Four hands – Erased Tapes LP ‘Solo’
Vangelis O Papathanassiou– A Song – Vertigo LP ‘Earth’
Henryk Gorecki and Dawn Upshaw - Symphony no 3: Il Lento E Largo - Tranquillissino (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) - Nonesuch LP 'Gorecki: Symphony no 3'
Khruangbin – Transville  - LateNightTales LP ‘The universe smiles upon you’
Ptaki – Jelitkowo – Transatlantic LP ‘
Ljudbilden & Piloten – Domedelija Masse – Neosordo EP ‘Sao Paolo’
Paul Horn – Guinnevere – Epic LP ‘Visions’
Sergio Mendes and Brasil 66 – Righteous life – A&M LP ‘Stillness’
The Anita Kerr Singers – Moses in the morning – Philips LP ‘Grow to know me’

Another Mix For Balearic Ultras

The KIW Family Band (formally known as The KIW Orchestra) returned to Secret 7s to record another direct-to-disc cover version with no rehearsals and no bongos.  

Having hired a drummer and then un-hired a drummer and having spent ages on a demo which involved a lot of pedal effects only to get to the studio and not be able to use the pedal we set out on a path of improvisation and recorded this one-off (demo) version of Underworld's 'Blueski'.

The Family Band are now locked in a bunker re-recording this and their earlier work (the wonderful Soul Vibration) and working their way through The Greatest Hits of Balearic Music Volume Three to find two more songs to strip back for their debut EP which may or may not see the light of day in 2016.

Blueski(es)

Mix For Strange Days

Pulled this together in 2009/10 using three turntables and a CD I pulled together of film dialogue...  Enjoy :)

The KIW 80s megamix

I used to work this on two turntables 10 years (or more?) ago... Have revisited it once or twice this year after requests for 'sumfing by Whitney'

Thought it might be of interest for anyone looking for a quick win this summer....

Nothing technical about it, took one take, using two decks and a mixer.  It's that easy ;)

Whitney meets The Wiseguys 2012

Steve KIW has been DJing since the late 1980s and has amassed a collection of some 30,000 records and is the host of LMNOP-KIW (geddit?) every Thursday, 5pm-8pm UK time.  For the past 10 years or more he has been one half, third and quarter of BAOL.

Steve cut his DJing teeth playing in the clubs and bars of north London in the early 90s before settling in at the legendary Enigma parties, playing for them at the weekly sessions at Babushka, and their parties at Hanover Grand, The Cross and Ministry of Sound. Towards the end of the 90s Steve diversified and started to include disco, soul and funk in his sets and soon specialised in playing a wide mix of music at each gig. His refusing to be pigeon holed into one style or tempo led to his 'Keeping It Wheel' nights, hence the KIW name. Steve joined PushFM in 2005 before moving to Brighton where he spins most weekends; he has a residency at The Fishbowl pub playing six hour sets joining the dots from the 50s to the present day. Recent gigs have seen Steve play alongside Greg Wilson, Norman Jay, Danny Rampling, Gilles Peterson, Jason Boardman and any number of folk from the resurgent Balearic axis; Steve played for London's legendary promoters GOOD TIMES on New Years Eve and at the long-running Da Doo Ron Ron 60s pop night, the GO BANG parties in Brighton, Nottingham's Soul Buggin and Norwich's Beatfix.

Facebook group: "KIW: Keeping It Wheel"

Popular tracks by Steve KIW // BAOL