Rising London DJ and producer Kiimi selects us 10Trax from some of the unmissable live acts they've seen over the past few years.

‘Supermassive Black Hole’ by Muse

Seeing Muse headline at my first ever Glastonbury is an experience I’ll never forget. Sitting on someone’s shoulders, turning round and just seeing an ocean of people, illuminated in red light from the stage, clouds of dust rising into the air and making the ground completely invisible.  

‘Changes’ by Mala

A dubstep classic. Simultaneously weighty and bassy, but chill and spacious. I saw Mala live a few years back at We Out Here, and then I saw him DJ at Glastonbury this year as part of Digital Mystikz, and it was perfect. I love the breadth of Mala’s musical landscape. 

‘Timeless’ by James Blake

I’m a bit of a James Blake mega fan and have seen him live a few times over the years, most recently at Ally Pally. ‘Timeless’ is my favourite track of his. It’s minimal, but a masterpiece of tension and release. It features this pulsing Berlin-esque chord for the first half and rides that 140/70 bpm golden tempo.  

‘Hey Girl Hey Boy’ by The Chemical Brothers

The Chemical Brothers’ Arcadia set at Glastonbury this summer was insane. ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl’ is one of their biggest hits. It’s an indisputable banger. I love the lead synth.

‘Angel’ by Massive Attack

I think ‘Angel’ is the sexiest song ever made. it’s trip-hop at its finest. Growing up in the South West, and having a music tech teacher who loved Massive Attack, they are one of the acts that inspired me to start a career in music production. I finally saw them live at Glastonbury in 2014. 

‘Darwin’ by Bicep

Bicep are such an inspiration for me. They have paved their own way in electronic music and their live act is not to be missed. I saw them at Wide Awake Festival 2022; my first festival after lockdown. ‘Darwin’ is an older track, but it’s still my favourite. It’s four to the floor, chuggy, dark and evolving. 

‘You Got The Love’ by The xx, Jamie xx, Florence and the Machine 

God sorry but I’m about to mention Glastonbury again. I saw The xx, Jamie xx and Florence perform ‘You Got The Love’ during The xx’s set at my first ever Glastonbury. It’s a perfect marriage of indie, electronic, pop and rave nostalgia. Music from this period of time has had a massive influence on me. 

‘I Just Want To Love You’ by Elkka

Elkka gave me one of my first DJ opportunities as Kiimi, when I supported her at Corsica. Her live show is incredible; it’s so awe-inspiring watching how she gets lost in the music and totally lets that flow-state take over. ‘I Just Want To Love You’ is a beautiful track: warm and uplifting, like a sonic embrace. 

‘Spike’ by Max Cooper 

Max Cooper’s live holographic AV show is next level. It’s innovative, immersive, mesmerising, surreal and disorienting, in the best way. It plays beautifully with the intersection between tech and art. 

‘Serotonin’ by Kiimi

I think this is the most exposed my vocals have been on a track, so it feels pretty vulnerable and raw. ‘Serotonin’ was about finding my voice again after a pretty hefty breakup.

Tickets to Kiimi’s debut live show at The Social on Wednesday, November 1 can be found here.