6 Dec 2004

jake kilby

Fridae gets up close with Aussie DJ Jake Kilby who is coming back to Singapore for the third time for the Meltdown party at China Black on December 26.

Jake Kilby, a 3-time winner of the Sydney Most Popular DJ Award and Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras party veteran tells all about what turns him on, his addiction to fresh bread and creamy butter, and what he thinks is important in a relationship.

Aussie DJ Jake Kilby
æ: What's in store (in terms of music) for partygoers at Snowball?
Jake: I'm playing a fairly long set (from 11pm until 5 am), so I will probably mix it up a little. I hope to play a mixture of funky house, chunky choons, tribal and pop. As I've played in Singapore a few times before, I have a fairly good idea of what has worked with the crowds in the past. I plan to do more of that!

æ: ASOL (Age, Sex, Occupation, Location)
Jake: 29, male, DJ/Executive Assistant, Sydney

æ: What's your "look"?
Jake: My look? I don't really think about it really. I just like to feel comfortable. Give me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and I'm happy. Of course, like any self respecting gay man, I have a penchant for labels, so preferably the jeans will be Diesel and the T will be Abercrombie & Fitch, Polo or something equally as ridiculously expensive...

æ: What are you currently occupied with?
Jake: Work. I have lots of work on at the moment, both in my full time day job and with my DJ work. I've been travelling a lot lately with trips to Los Angeles and San Francisco and multiple trips interstate here in Australia. I've also just landed some new and exciting resident gigs here at home.

æ: What inspires you?
Jake: Motivation. I like to see people who are driven and motivated. Who set goals for themselves and strive to achieve them. When I set out to do something I do my best to achieve it and put 100% effort into it. I admire this quality in others, and laziness and complacency aggravate me.

æ: What is your earliest childhood memory?
Jake: Playing in a park with my Mum and her best friend. They were pretending to be crocodiles and I had to get away from the. I think I was about 2. It's so embarrassing, but that's my earliest childhood memory!

æ: What is the achievement you are most proud of?
Jake: My DJ career. It was something I always wanted to do, but didn't know if I would be successful at it. There is a lot of competition out there and yet I have still managed to be successful. I am very thankful for the success I have achieved and to all the people who helped me along the way.

æ: If you could do it all over again, what would you change?
Jake: Nothing. Why live in the past?

æ: How are you misunderstood?
Jake: I think many DJ's get pigeonholed, musically. I find it really frustrating when people make their own assumptions about you and the style of music that you play, and then they think that is all you can do. I love so many different types of music and I like to play them all, but there are some people out there who think that I just play commercial pop music. For a while most of the gigs I had required that style of music, but that isn't all there is to me. That isn't who I am, it is a small part of who I am.

æ: How do you spend your Sundays?
Jake: Sleeping in after a hard night at work, walking the dog, hanging out with my partner, then getting ready to go to work again that night. Working full time and having most of my weekends taken up with DJ work means I have very little time to just chill out and relax. I try to do that as much as I can with my partner and my pooch on both Saturdays and Sundays in between my DJ gigs.

æ: Tell us one of your fantasies.
Jake: Sexual or non sexual???? I guess I'd like to rule the world, but that's probably unrealistic. Sexually, I guess the fantasy of screwing the entire football team in the locker room is an old favourite.
æ: What about yourself would you like to change the most?
Jake: My inability to say no to bread. Give me fresh bread and creamy butter and I am a goner. I can't understand why I have such an addiction to bread. It will be my downfall, particularly in this carb-conscious age.

æ: What was the most important thing that happened to you in the last 12 months?
Jake: Seeing Madonna's 'Re-Invention Tour' in LA and Vegas. And three times, no less! I have been such a big fan for so long, and she never comes to Australia with her shows. My partner and I flew to the US for a holiday in 2001 to see the 'Drowned World Tour,' which was great, but seeing her greatest hits tour was something I will never, ever forget. It may sound shallow, as so many important things happen to everybody every year, but seeing that concert was my highlight of the year. I feel like I would have shrivelled up and died if I had missed it!

æ: What do you think is important in a relationship?
Jake: Honesty. Monogamy, respect, and good sex - all of those things come after honesty. If you cannot be honest with your partner, how can you expect to gain the other things? If you can be honest about what you want, within your relationship and outside it, then everything else becomes easy.

æ: What turns you on?
Jake: All sorts of things. Nothing out of the ordinary - it's all rather boring really. A good body, handsome face and a nice cock. Attractive personality, good sense of humour. I guess attractive men turn me - and not necessarily your classic definition of handsome. Some people just have certain features that turn me on, even though they may not be classically good looking.

æ: What's your biggest guilty pleasure?
Jake: Again, bread. How sad is that? With all the things that could be my guilty pleasure, it is boring old bread that does it for me.

æ: What is your vision for the gay community?
Jake: For it to be accepted by all. There are still so many homophobes in the world and I hope that one day the gay community can just be itself and be given the respect that it deserves. It is sad that in so many cultures gay men and women have to hide who they really are. There are still eight countries in the world who execute people for being gay. This is a horrific thing and I yearn for the day when we can all be who we are without the fear of being prosecuted for it.

æ: Tell us about a cause that you support?
Jake: I'm not much of a human rights activist. I feel more empathy for the animal world. Some animals are so helpless and rely so heavily on the human race for survival. How people can be cruel to animals is beyond me and I support any cause that strives to protect the welfare of animals. I am a member of WIRES, which is an organisation that helps remove wild animals who get caught up in sticky situations, then rehabilitates them and releases them back into a safe habitat, or provides good homes and loving care for those who can no longer fend for themselves.

æ: Who would your dream date be if you were straight (if you are gay), or gay (if you are straight) for a day?
Jake: Well Madonna of course! I grew up with her, idolising her through my teens. Like so many others in my generation, I feel like I have watched her life before my eyes. I think she is a formidable woman with great talent, but most importantly, with great motivation and a dedication to succeeding. I think she would be spellbinding conversation.

æ: Tell us something even your mother doesn't know.
Jake: Hey! My mother will probably read this, so you ain't getting anything out of me that she doesn't already know!

Event Schedule

SnowBall 04
Dec 25, Saturday
The Warehouse, 320 Havelock Road
Tickets: $55 presale/$60 at door ($30 concession)

Meltdown
Dec 26, Sunday
China Black, 9 Scotts Road, Pacific Plaza
Tickets: $25 presale/$30 at door ($20 concession)

Combo tickets are available at $75 ($40 concession) online till Dec 23. Individual event tickets are on sale from 1 December till 23 December 2004 at: RE- The Heeren Shops 260 Orchard Road, #04-03 Tel: 67343948 and Towel Club 6 Loke Yew Street Tel: 63366328.