This long weekend belongs to one man and one man only. MK’s outright dominance in the last two years, both on the decks and in the studio, has helped build a reputation that very much precedes his arrival on the Irish shores. With the original plan for two shows proving not enough for Irish house enthusiasts, Dublin-based promoters JACK added a third date to the bank holiday schedule to the delight of those who missed out on tickets. This, alongside a fourth date (Saturday) in Belfast on behalf of Stereo Sessions, completes a ridiculous and completely unprecedented bill for the weekend.
Representing one of the 90s most well-known and well-respected names in house, MK soon shied away from public eyes and devoted himself to extensive behind-the-scenes producing, and to great success. Lending his skills to more commercial ventures such as TV and film (and extensive collaboration with Will Smith and Pitbull) meant that Kinchen’s house productions were put aside for the best part of the 00s. However in the last eighteen months, he has made an emphatic return to the public eye, with his flawless production proficiencies once more propelling him to the forefront of the scene.
The sheer volume of material churned out by MK since his return has been simply staggering. Remixes for Lana del Rey, Chris Malinchak and Wankelmut, in particular, have all garnered significant praise across the board. In them, MK has infused the same golden spark that ignited his anthemic 90s tracks such as “Burning” and “Push the Feeling On”. Their extraordinary success has underpinned an incredible surge in demand for his name on all the top billings. His summer headlining appearances at Toolroom Knights and Ministry of Sound events in Ibiza and his presence at the Warehouse Project opening party in Manchester reflect the esteem in which this man is held in the eyes of promoters everywhere. His distinctive sound pours out from each track, particularly through his masterful use of spliced vocals and catchy, bouncy keyboard lines. His sets too, are carved stylishly and fluently from beginning to end, bearing the mark of Kinchen’s experience and confidence on the decks. Four shows in four days is a true DJing marathon, but if one man is capable of delivering the goods, it’s MK.
The first of the four events takes place Thursday in the Pavilion, Cork, followed by Friday in Dublin’s Button Factory. Then it’s Thompson’s in Belfast on Saturday night and finally it’s The Village, Dublin on Sunday.
Those with a ticket are in for a serious treat.