Mike Kelly

Mike Kelly born in Sydney exists for over 2 decades as a global DJ, Producer, Mixed Media artist across film/radio/print/design formats – creative both front of house & behind the scenes.

His fascination with 70s/80s indie legends (The Cure, The Pixies, The Stone Roses, Joy Division, Primal Scream, Ride, Portishead, Basement Jaxx) awoke an early awareness of music & art as an existential necessity. Melody, meaningful content, innovation, individuality, emotional diversity, technicality became fascinating. Mike’s tastes gestated amongst warehouse & club movements of the 90s & its massive diversity (Hybrid, John Digweed & Sasha, Underworld, The Chemical Brothers). The resultant divine audio traverses house – funky, tech, deep, real progressive – techno, electronica, & breaks.

As a DJ, Mike Kelly toured Australia’s East Coast extensively 1997-2005 & graduated in Music, Media & Cultural studies at Macquarie University, also managing events from chic boutique to clubs & festivals. In 2005 Mike journeyed to Germany, diving into the unknown to evolve heuristically & experience empirically. He rapidly built an artistic reputation within Europe’s electronic world. Several years in Berlin led to sprouting roots in Cologne.

The unique modes & moods, taste palettes & production techniques influenced his focus, technique, & conception of artistic sensibility. The presence of spatiality & rhythm in Madrid, emotive, elegant melodies in Cologne, power construction in Rome, irrefutable energy in Paris & seriousness & playfulness in Berlin fine-tuned his sound.

Mike’s spun several hands full of main-room Sydney Mardi Gras sets; Tropical Fruits coming up for the 3 rd set; held top resident role for 10 years at Germany’s answer to Renaissance (Greenkomm); was a regular at Europe’s top club – Space Of Sound Madrid – with a 3-year residency at their Infinita Festival to over 20,000-strong floors. He’s been the sound-print of the Australian Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, made compilations for the boutique Hotel Renaissance Makassar on Champs Elysees Paris, played in southern Italian heaven Salento for annually since 2009, Atlantis Cruises, David Guetta’s Scream party (Paris), Gay Village festival (Rome), GMF & Hustlaball (Berlin), Naughty & Revelation & Love Ball Festival (Brussels), Circuit Festival (Barcelona), as well as Sydney’s most illustrious venues, Home, Arq, La Boheme, Candy’s Apartment, The Barracks, Stonewall, Midnight Shift, Trough, The Phoenix, Cafe Del Mar, plus Melbourne’s The Laird & Brisbane’s Family.

Mike constantly tours Western Europe, Australia, Israel, & Mexico. His mixing is fresh & energetic. His sound is layered, hypnotic, warm & meaningful. His aim is to remind you to look up and be aware, to hear the roses.

He’s performed alongside Chicane, Boy George, Guy J, Armin Van Buuren, Ivan Pica, Danny Verde & Steven Redant, Ben Manson & Rebekka Brown. He plays live percussion himself, as well as loves live collabs with Köln Philharmonie’s lead violinist Dylan Naylor, Australian vocalists Natalie Gauci, Shauna Jensen, Jeremy Brennan, Rome’s Kevin Delite & his production partners Voltaxx, Jean Philips, Daniele D’Alessandro, Ivan Gomez & Eastnwest.

Mike’s remixed Gallo & Alaia, Paulini, Sua Amoa, Nacho Chapado, Giese, Ben Manson, Gallo & Alaia, Rebekka Brown, Miguel Picasso, & Emrock, on EMI, Ministry Of Sound, Baroque, Whore House, S2G, Sorry Shoes, Guareber, Bedroom Muzik, Twisted, Tactical, & Vamos. The biggest hits reaching Australian & German dance charts plus many a Beatport Top 100/ Top 10.

Supporters include Fatboy Slim, Groove Armada, Roger Sanchez, Tiesto, Erick Morillo, Jody Wisternoff, The Scumfrog, Paul Oakenfold, Hybrid, Markus Schulz, Hoxton Whores, Paolo Mojo, Sister Bliss (Faithless), Vanilla Ace & Joseph Capriati. His works consistently hit the pivotal Beatport Top 100 Charts across genres of house, tech house, techno, minimal & accapellas & place in Australian & German Dance Charts.

In 2009, Mike created “Sorry Shoes” label, a well-respected label amongst lovers of house, tech, progressive & techno after over 170 releases featuring artists from 5 continents. More info at www.sorryshoes.com

He’s hosted & guested radio shows on Triple J 2SER FM, Beat FM, Out FM, Bondi FM, in Sydney since 1995, & currently Sorry Shoes Radio on Radio FG Club, www.gone1.fm, My959.FM Hawaii, & a guest on Ibiza Global Radio & Australia’s Triple J.

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