Biography
DJ Keanu, formerly known as DJ Kevin, started his career in 1991 like most DJs by
playing at school parties. He quickly gained the reputation of a creative and talented
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young DJ with his own sound and local clubs started booking him on a regular basis.
After having finish high-school DJ Keanu decided it was time to broaden his horizon and
left for New Zealand in 1997 on a quest for new and inspiring sounds. Soon after his
arrival he was asked to play in renowned Auckland clubs such as The Kase,
Sinners and U4ria. The result of this tour was an original sound that reflected his
passion for dance music.
In the summer of 2000 DJ Keanu visited the party scene on Ibiza and Gran Canaria
where he got the idea to record his first record “Few Steps Away”. Although the record
did not get into the charts it was a huge success within the inner circle of the regional
dance scene. In this record you can feel the heartbeat of his travels intertwined with his
Dutch roots.
In February 2002 he was inspired by the dark and sensual tones of the “Adios Nonino”
while watching the royal wedding of Prince Willem Alexander and Maxima on television.
He decided to remix this Argentinean Tango creating the one and only official dance
version of Adios Nonino. Argentina however asked him not to release the single and out
of respect DJ Keanu made a new version of the tango called “Dango” which was
released as his second single in 2002. It hit the charts within no time and reached the
47th position.
Meanwhile DJ Keanu started playing at more and larger venues and festivals such as
Impulz, Dancevoort and Sundance. In the fall of 2002 he release a new record called
“The Gladiator”. The cd-single was released in 2003. Until then DJ Keanu had always
worked together with others. “The Gladiator” is his first solo project. It is more mature
and is a clear demarcation point between the first two youth-inspired records and his
more mature and progressive approach to dance music.
DJ Keanu’s real break-through came in April 2003 when he recorded a remake of
Crowded House’s “Don’t dream it’s over”. The b-side of this single features the hit “Party
Dreamz that was played in clubs at home and abroad. Party Dreamz is exciting and
creative music that met with a large and enthusiastic audience.
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.