Oh god, this was a beautiful evening. 

Live from E1 on Pride weekend, playing in the Dark Room for Little Gay Brother. An hour of sweaty, celebratory fun on a night featuring Sherelle, Sippin' T, Roi Perez, CC: Disco and more.

Live from E1

A mix for Le Cool London - www.lecoollondonblog.com/oliver-keens-don%E2%80%99t-call-him-mr-safety/

The Flying Pickets - Psycho Killer
The Glimmers - Physical
Starfucker - Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
Fast Radio - Under My Thumb
Giorgio Moroder - Palm Springs Drive
Kongas - Gimme Some Lovin'
Mr Oizo - Two Takes It
Drop Out Orchestra - Never Gonna Give You Up vs Alphabeat - Digital Love
D-Train - Walk On By
Lipps Inc - How Long
Bis - Shack Up
Purple Crush - Running Up That Hill (Boody B remix)
J Dilla - Trucks
Tiga - Hot In Herre
Diplo - Must Be A Devil
Speak Low - Thriller
Shocking Blue - Beggin'
Sandie Shaw - Sympathy For The Devil
The Raveonettes - I Wanna Be Adored
The xx - Teardrops
Tame Impala - Remember Me
WhoMadeWho - Satisfaction (drums only)
The Futureheads - Acapella
Jeppe - Johnny Come Home
Charlie Ash - I Wanna Sex You Up
LCD Soundsystem - Jump Into The Fire
The Roots - A Milli (excerpt)
Screaming Tea Party - Material World
CCS - I Want You Back
Patti Drew - Hard To Handle
Fats Domino - Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey
Solomon Burke - Maggie's Farm
Geno Washington - Que Sera Sera
Dark Side Of The Moon A Cappella - Us And Them


Covers From Another Mother

Let's make wahey while the sun shines. 

'Bo Diddley' – New York City Band with Luther Vandross
'Don't Hold Back' – Chanson
'I Know You, I Live You' – Chaka Khan
'City Living' – Linda Williams
'Got To Have Your Love' – Fantastic Four
'I Can Give You More' – Suzy Q
'Peg' – Damiano Digglerelli & Philippo Ransullo
'Aquarius/Let The Sunshine In' – Disco Spectacular
'Chelsea Rodgers' – Prince
'Contact' – Edwin Starr
'Long Train Running' – Traks
'925' – Musk
'Feel Reel' – Illvester
'Only You' – Teddy Pendergrass


A Disco Mix For Soggy Pits

Recorded for Steppin Out Zine's mix series. www.instagram.com/steppin.out.zine

A mix all about dating life, the apps, sex-positivity and heat.

Featuring the voices and thoughts of people (mostly) living the dating dream.

OUTMIXXX 002

Making this was the most fun. 

These are two hours of your life you will not get back, though. I hope that's okay with you. 

The title comes from this this tune by The Associates: www.soundcloud.com/oliver-keens/waiting-for-the-love-boat

There's also a new Kate Bush thing in the wind-down at the end:
www.soundcloud.com/oliver-keens/sexual-healing-oli-keens-edit

Knowing What You Want And Taking Full Advantage

Annual Heaven

Robbie... 
We need to talk. 
Robbie...
You can't do stuff like that.

Robbie

Ahead of playing at their Pride party at Omeara on Saturday July 7th, here's some of my set from the sainted mothership that was Little Gay Brother's tent at Secret Garden Party. 

2017 was the last year of SGP. Sob. It will forever be known as the year of the Ikea lewks. Söb. 

That Ikea-bag-cum-lederhosen thing I'm wearing in the picture was actually supposed to be full of ballpit balls, like I was DJing in a luxurious personal Ikea ballpit. But in a staggeringly sad and lonely act of proper DJ weirdness, I actually jettisoned my sack of balls, on my own, just outside the tight booth. It was tiny in there. 

FACT: Carl Cox has NEVER jettisoned a personal ballpit costume, seconds before a festival set.

Now, let's see you at Little Gay Brother's Pride party yes? I can't promise I won't empty my ball sack again. 

www.littlegaybrother.com

Set for Little Gay Brother at Secret Garden Party 2017

I really loved Dr John.

Like most music I discovered in my late teens, I got into him because a music magazine expertly and authoritatively told me that his music was fucking brilliant.

‘Gris-Gris’ led to ‘Gumbo’ led to ‘In the Right Place’ led to ‘Desitively Bonnaroo’. I even bought a modern, super clean-cut live album from a petrol station’s bargain bin once and even THAT banged.

In 2011, one of my first ever pieces for Time Out was an interview with Mac. Awkwardly, I was given the wrong interview date. So precisely 24 hours earlier than he was expecting to do press, I started bombarding a frequently-befeathered seventy year old man with calls.

After getting his answerphone about 12 times, the poor guy picked up. He definitely wasn’t pleased, but, he 100% wasn’t a ball buster either.

The chat a day later was sublime. He was a gentleman. Wise, calm and reflective about music, yet viscerally angry about the damage the BP oil spill was doing to Louisiana and, of course, his beloved New Orleans.

Because I ended up hearing it 12 times, Dr John’s answerphone became etched on my mind forever. Here it is.

It is as slick, fly, unique, thoughtful and as truly fucking cool as the man himself. 

RIP Mac Rebennack.

Dr John's Answerphone Message

My name's Oliver Keens. I'm the former Music and Nightlife editor of Time Out and author of the book, 'Festivals'. 

I've DJ'd since my late teens. I've gigged and gigged and gigged for years and loved every minute of it. It's meant playing in hundreds of places all over the city, in great venues like E1, XOYO, Egg, Omeara, Koko, Hangar, Royal Academy, Spiritland, Bethnal Green Working Men's Club, Magazine, Colour Factory, Oslo, Dalston Superstore, Scala, Heaven and Metropolis. 

I've played alongside Honey Dijon, Sherelle, Nick The Record, DJ Paulette, Groove Armada, Roi Perez and more. I've done shows for Rinse FM and Red Bull Radio, as well as playing at festivals like Body Movements, Elrow, Bestival, Lovebox, Meadows in the Mountains, Secret Garden Party, Maiden Voyage, Queens Yard Summer Party, Mighty Hoopla, Standon Calling and Wilderness. 

Once when I was DJing, I literally, physically, tore the roof. 

Here's my Bandcamp: 
https://olikeens.bandcamp.com/

Here's a playlist of 500 favourite songs: http://open.spotify.com/user/518v54aqzk4rizfxs16uo7mqo/playlist/4Ste2SoRJFYrDC4JZpCcRY

Here's two sessions from Spiritland: https://www.mixcloud.com/Spiritland/oliver-keens-at-spiritland-kings-cross-28th-february-2019/

https://www.mixcloud.com/Spiritland/oliver-keens-at-spiritland-kings-cross-10th-june-2021/

Oli Keens

Pinned to spotlight

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