Kudeta doesn’t have a sound as such. Being the genre defining place that it is, a steady flow of international djs keeps things varied throughout the year, taking the wheels of steel on diverse musical excursions. Be it sunset or midnight, you can expect to hear anything from classic Funk & Soul to New York House, Balearic beats to 80’s New Wave.
Steering this far-reaching musical voyage is a DJ/Producer/Club Promoter by the name of Donni 1. Originally from Melbourne, Donni has been active in the dance music industry for more than 17 years over which time he’s built himself an impressive catalogue of achievements. Of these, possibly the most pivotal at the time was the Freakazoid night which Donni and dj partner Arlen De Silva started up in 1998. Over the course of three years, Freakazoid acquired legendary status, partly thanks to the stream of dj maestros that passed through its doors, from Frankie Knuckles and Kenny Dope to Bob Sinclair and Miguel Migs, partly for the unique vibe the place had at a time when house music in Australia was still consigned to back rooms.
Having played his part in bringing the hedonistic joy of house music to the forefront of night time entertainment, the next logical step was to get into the studio, which Donni did, co-writing his first track Latin Love Affair with none other than Chicago DJ/Producer E-Smoove and following up with 6 more tracks on Lemongroove and 4th Floor recordings.
The chance to take up the entertainment reins at Hu’u brought with it its own set of challenges and opportunities. With its international reputation, its possible to bring in some really big names – when Pete Tong dropped into Bali back in May, Kudeta was the only place he was willing to spin. Claude Challe, the eccentric musical continent hopper and one of the pioneers of the world music/electronica crossover with his Buddha Bar series, is a regular visitor to Kudeta in the summer months – even Australian acress/pop star Christine Anu made an appearance. But as with Freakazoid, its not all about the names. A Kudeta party has cache simply because it’s a Kudeta party. Meeting this weight of expectation is where the challenge comes in and last summer Donni and the rest of the crew did this and more with a series of innovative parties marked by brilliant décor, bubble blowing, way out there fashion and of course quality music. It was without a doubt Kudeta’s best party series to date.
With Christmas coming up, the prestigious beach front venue is again pushing the envelope with everything from live music (Dirty Laundry) to fine dining to DJ led dance parties. Rumour has it there will be some super special guests dropping in as well…but then we’re not so surprised about that. This is Kudeta after all. JD