About DJ Kikko

Since I was a kid, I had a fascination with music. I liked the musical instruments, I wanted to learn to play some kind of instrument and all of that, but soon realized that what impressed me the most, was MUSIC itself. My fascination grew stronger and stronger for the new releases and the hit singles, the TOP20, the TOP100 and the Billboard charts, the music mags the pin-ups and everything about music! I was so anxious to hear the new No1, the new entries, the new single of this singer, buy the new album of that band and read about their lives and habits and…and…and… Coming from an island in the Mediterranean, my choices of information sources, were quite limited but… I was fortunate enough to be able to tune in to three wonderful (for me being a kid) Radio Stations. The BBC, BFBS Cyprus and Voice of America!! And ALL the music I needed was there. ALL music in English that is. Everything else was inferior for me.

 

My parents watched me and they saw my interest in these modern English songs and the English radio stations and the English language, so they sent me to an “English School”. THAT was a luxury at the time! Of course I had the Blessing of growing up in a very safe neighbourhood and had a descent upbringing too. I was away from the rough and dangerous situations happening in ghettos and poor countries  around the world. But I was soon to get to know THAT too.

 

Growing up, my music “knowledge” was increasing, my record collection was being formed and my HI FI/Console/Equipment training was constantly growing. Everybody around me knew that. So everywhere I went they’d ask me to play and they’d get me behind the decks. I was called to play at parties and events constantly. Soon I was called a DJ… before I even was one. The rest came in naturally. I was soon a resident DJ in the best club of the town. Then another, then another. Proposals to work in the next, new, bigger, better Club or Disco came all the time. Then Clubs from the tourist destinations on my island would ask me to perform. Special nights, were organised and advertised and so on. I was called in, to help radio or TV producers/performers with their shows. Even reporters would ask me to help them with their music columns in newspapers and magazines. Soon I was considered to be the best DJ in Cyprus. Young DJ wannabes would approach me and ask me to teach them. Or they’d watch me from a distance and try to learn or pick up any tip, info,  knowledge that would help them learn. Of course as my experience grew, my popularity expanded and my salaries puffed up. To the point that I was the highest paid DJ around.

 

My nights were endless. Sometimes finishing at 8 in the morning!! I’d play continuously for 10-11 hours sometimes. And I’d enjoy every minute of it too. Just coz I loved music SO much. I’d start with one style, then go to another, then another, then back again and so on. If it was music, I’d play it! Every kind. If it had a beat… and a rhythm… and a melody… I’d find a way and prepare the style accordingly and get the tempo to where I wanted it… and throw in the weirdest, the strangest or the most inappropriate song sometimes! Inappropriate for the crowd I had before me that is.  What if it was NEW WAVE or GOTH or ROCK or METAL or PROGRESSIVE or ELECTRO or REGGAE or LATIN or AFRO or what! I’d find a way to introduce NEW STYLES all the time! And blend them in with the Dance music! What if the crowd was all into Hip Hop or R n’B or Soul or Funk or Disco or House or Rave or Trance or Techno or whatever! I’d get 'em dancin' n’ movin’ n’ groovin’ n’ jumpin’ all nite long! And in between... I’d get ‘em headbangin' n' rockin' their brains out! And everybody was happy. And satisfied and thankful.

 

My reputation grew so much that I’d even have bands wanting me to manage them. And I did it for a while. Actually managed three Rock/Metal bands, quite successfully too. Even won a Best Band’s competition getting the first prize with a band called “AXE”. Learned to be a roadie too! Learned to set up stages, carry out sound checks, do the sound engineering and all of that. And I was so thrilled and excited about it all!! Of course all these things, were the “supposedly” good things about this kind of life.

 

Now come the truths! The… behind the scenes reality! And the truth is… when you live a life like this…certain things grow up on you, certain habits are attached to you, certain dangers are one with you.

 

What if you’re popular in school? Danger is… you might think too much of yourself. What if you’re popular in your neighbourhood or your hangabouts?  You’re in danger of becoming so selfish… you despise and dislike and diminish everyone around you. And what happens when you become a star? And make it to the top? You’re in danger of becoming so arrogant… you repeatedly hurt people. Even the closest to you, the very people who love you! Those who really care about you!

 

I remember talking with an old friend of mine one day, who mentioned how sad he was to see me changing over the years. He even said he could not come and talk to me about things and be as close with me. And I said “Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you shake me and wake me up?” And he said “Tell you? How could I tell you? You were SO inapproachable, I wouldn’t dare! I’d probably get a punch in the face if I told you!”… … …

 

Took me a while to find my speech. Took me a while, as I thought… how far down I’d gone. And how many friends I must have hurt. Coz my life was going upwards in fame and fortune… BUT… was going downwards, concerning behaviour and ethics.

 

And talking of ethics… that’s where we really lose it. No ethics in this lifestyle. Of course you all know it. You see it in the hype. On TV, on the screen, anywhere. The downfall of ethics and respect all around the music and fame and stardom arena! I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. No ethics, no morals, no nothing! Everybody changing partner every now and then. You do not know who’s gonna be with whom the next day. You do not know who will be married with whom the next morning. And you’ve lost account of who’s still married with who coz you thought she’s with him while they’ve been divorced and now she’s with the other guy. And you’re not sure if he divorced her now, or if he’s divorced with his ex yet, coz you thought he’s already married to the other one while he’s planning to get married to his accountant. Let alone the more “evolved” relationships of unidentified and surely unGodly kind.  C’mon! How far down can humanity fall? Mentioning all of these, doesn’t mean I was there. Thank God, I kept my standards and preferences… BUT…  I was down enough myself. Being in the spotlight, allows you to have your… choices. You know… girls, get close to you. And you lose it. And you live an immoral life. Unacceptable to God and way away from His laws! And even worse… you loose your respect toward the ladies. And you use and misuse and abuse. Sometimes even psychologically. And you do NOT understand, coz you’re blinded and carried away by this continuous downfall entangling your whole being!

 

And the falling never stops. Once you’re in, you’ll dip your finger in every flavour.  I remember how easy it was to come across alcohol. Being a kid and growing up I’d see all kinds of drinks from beer to whiskey, from wine to brandy every day. In the kitchen or the dining room, during dinner or barbeques or family gatherings. In the weddings and social events, the wine festival or beer festival etc, etc. And when I was offered a glass… it came so naturally. And soon it was more and more. And more frequent and more kinds… and then came the drunk nights… and I remember the headaches and the vomiting and the hangover… and the silly stuff… and the crazy behaviour… and those things not needed to mention. Most of you know exactly what I’m talking about, I’m sure. Greatest problem here is… the quantities of alcohol being consumed. Coz you start with a few drinks and then you end up with the bottles. The more time you drink, the more you need to get you going. And the behaviour changes… and the brain cells keep dying… and your perception diminishes. 

 

And next to the bottle is the… first joint… and the first pot… and the first “line”… and the first needle. Sadly enough, most of the time… the drugs come your way one day. First you try this “thing” out of curiosity. Or even just for fun. Or maybe, wanting to show off to your friends. You’re the cool guy. And you do not care. And you’re not afraid of anything or anybody. Or maybe the pressure’s too much. The peer pressure from everyone around you. And you cannot stand it. You won’t fight it anymore coz, you wanna be in. You wanna fit in. And be with the crowd. And in order to fit in… you have to comply with the rules… and follow the madness! And once you start… you can never get out. They won’t allow you to. They won’t let you. Coz it starts with the friends… goes on with the pushers… and ends up with the drug lords. Pretty soon things  get out of hand. And you loose control. Coz you may start with a smoke now and then… then try this… and try that… And soon you want more… and you need more… and then it consumes you. And it takes over. And you’ve lost the battle. And you end up either an addict in bondage or a little pusher in the streets.

 

Most of the time, all cases are pretty much the same. And my case was not too far away. It was a little bit different as time went by, BUT, still bad! Being where I was, I had access to a lot of things. Including drugs. And tried everything that came my way. Coz the lust and the crave never stops. Nothing is much. And nothing is enough. And satisfaction is never complete. It always needs more... and more…! With me the danger factor was not applicable. It just didn’t seem like I was in any sort of danger coz of my “connections”. But believe me. No one is safe in this arena. No one is immune and no one is unvulnerable.

 

Of course once you’re involved in this kind of lifestyle some things are unavoidable. The people you come across are not too easy to deal with. Sometimes, not too easy to communicate with. Some are stoned, some are drunk, some are upset, some get irritated easily… and you end up getting involved into fights. Fights of all kinds! Fights of every magnitude! Some starting with a little misunderstanding, some triggered by a simple dispute and some incorporating greater interests. Just think of any reason, any argument or any act that could trigger a fight. You’ll find it here! You might just belong to the wrong football club. Or have the wrong colour. Or like the wrong music style (your clothing will betray you). You might just have the wrong attitude. You may look too confident. Not scared of us. And who are you? Not to respect our territory, our neighbourhood, our gang, our club? Then someone might walk up to you and say “why did you stare at my girl?” While you haven’t even looked at her. And when you open your mouth… a bunch of  ‘em jumps on you. You know the rest. Let alone if you HAVE looked at the girl. You ain’ t got a chance mate!

 

And then, there’s the gang fights, the gang wars, the territory claiming, the night life control, the bullying, the protection, etc, etc… and in here you got all the tools! The knives and the blades, the pistols and the hardware… and you’re lucky to come out clean. Or even make it out someday… still alive. You never know who’s gonna cut you open just like that. Never know who’s gonna shoot you coz of the wrong move, the wrong look, the wrong info.

 

And just when you thought you’ve heard it all… there’s a whole lot more things you’re associated with. Some illegal as far as the law is concerned, some inappropriate as far as your fellow man is concerned, and some just filthy n’ unclean n’ dirty as far as God is concerned. But you’re in so deep… no one can help you out! You’re convinced you’re enjoying it all… so you won’t even try getting out! Even if you decide to get out, you know how hard it is, you won’t even bother trying!

But I got news for you! What happened in MY life will change your way of thinking!

 

It was a September day and the phone rings. I pick it up and hear my good friend “Tod” on the other end saying: “Hey man, what are you doin’? Need to see you coz something came up and I need your advice” and I said: “No pro “Tod”, come around tonight. I’ll be at home.” And Tod goes: “Home? What you doin’ home? What about the club?”

 

To cut a long story short… I told him I’d stopped working for this club just a couple of days ago, so I was free tonight. So he came around with his wife “Dee”. What bothered them was this. They’d gone to a church the other day, after a friend invited them and they were a bit confused coz they saw these people, worshipping and praying and all… and it was somehow different to what they’d seen so far. Different from their beliefs and religion. Different from the traditional church as they knew it… BUT… they felt there was something there. They could feel something around they just didn’t know what it was. And now they wanted me, the “expert” to go with them and check this thing out. See for myself and tell them what it’s all about.

 

Mmm… clever thinking on their part. Coming to the “expert” for advice. But the truth is… I was NO expert here. In fact, I had NO idea what they were talking about. No idea! But of course I could not show it. I just couldn’t let them down. So I agreed to join them the next day, as they were going there again. Check it out and tell my friends whether this was good or bad for them. Tell’ em what to do with this new thing they’d seen.

 

And next day came too soon. And all of a sudden we were there! It was a normal building, just had a sign saying it was a church. Nothing like the Greek Orthodox churches we were used to. We walked inside, we were greeted at the door and sat as soon as we entered. Right next to the door. Way at the back.

 

And I started… looking around. Staring at the people. Observing everything around. The walls, the floor, the seats, the curtains, the pulpit, the speaker, you name it, I was checking it out. I even remember myself, looking so serious, standing so upright, so pumped up as if I was ready for a fight, so stiff necked and arrogant. Truly it’s like I was outside of my body, looking back at myself. And this is exactly what I saw. And I really don’t know why. I don’t know what I expected to see. What I expected to see happening! And I didn’t have a clue as to what was going on around me! All I was doing was pretending I was checking it all out. Showing off to my friends, as if I was observing and investigating everything. So selfish and arrogant, I could not just say I didn’t know. Just couldn’t let my friends down. How would they look up to me, after this? 

 

And I saw these people singing and worshipping and raising up their hands. Some of them praying silently, some out loud. Others were just enjoying the “presence”. With a wide grin on their faces. And there WAS a “ presence” in there! Something I’d never ever come across before! Something I’d never felt before. Weird… strange to me… but… NOT scary… not at all frightening! On the contrary. Although it was a new, unique encounter… it seemed to overtake me… and made feel easy… and calm… and welcome.

 

Next thing I know, this speaker comes on. This preacher actually. He prayed a short prayer and started preaching. I can still hear his voice. A high pitched voice coming from a low quality sound system, reaching us through some tiny speakers fixed on the roof. They actually looked like car stereo speakers. And they looked so small to me. And his voice… a bit annoying. No bass, no equalization, no depth, no one to fix it. BUT… the message was coming thru all right. And it was a message cutting thru too! He was preaching on Hell and the reality of it. And I caught myself listening so cautiously. Listening to every word. And wanting to hear more. Strange thing is… I could understand it all. I could comprehend every phrase, every illustration, every example, every single word! Although this was the very first message I’d ever heard. This was the very first time I heard the Bible being preached. Coz in the Orthodox church where I came from… you’d never hear the Word of God being preached. Just the religious ceremonies, the religious readings, the hummings and the mumblings, the oratorio Byzantine singing they call “doxology”. And you were never allowed to sing along. Or worship God yourself. Somebody’s appointed to do that. A few of ‘em actually. The only connection to Christianity was the tiny Bible reading every week. Just a parable or some Gospel passage. Taking just a few minutes to read. EVEN THAT, was lost in the long long hours of ceremonies and chants and Idol worship. That was the environment where I grew up and that was the only thing I knew. Till now. Now I was in a totally different environment. And I was seeing people so focused  on the preacher. So absorbed by the message. So serious about what they were doing… where they were… who they were… what they believed in!!

 

And I… was dazzled! I was in awe! And the message was piercing my heart! And I knew right there and then… that I was hearing the truth! I knew that everything being said from that pulpit was so true… so real… so undeniable.

 

And my friends… didn’t matter anymore. I wasn’t thinking about them anymore. In fact… they weren’t even there. I’d forgotten all about them. Forgot why I’d even gone there. Now… there was only me and the message. Only me and the preacher. Just me and Jesus I guess.

 

And when the message was over, the preacher gave a call for prayer. Called people to come up front and pray. Don’t know what I thought at the time. Coz this was something I’d never seen before either. Call for payer? What is that? No call for prayer where I came from. Don’t know if I wanted to pray like they did. Can’t really remember what was going through my mind. I just remember standing there and watching and thinking…

 

And this guy walks up to me. And he was a friend. Hadn’t seen him for a while, coz he just vanished from the nightlife one day. He was actually a friend who’d spoken to me about Jesus, four years ago. And that was the first time anybody shared his so called “Jesus experience” with me. In my country NOBODY talks about Jesus. Even the mention of His name creates a turbulance. It creates a confusion. It creates a great big disturbance. Anyway he walks up to me, greets me, welcomes me, hugs me and then he says “So what do you say? Wanna pray with me?” Wowa! What an offer! First time I had that too! Don’t know why… don’t know what went through my mind… but I said “O.K.” And… I’m sure I didn’t even know what that meant. Didn’t know what it meant to pray with someone else. Didn’t know… how was I supposed to do that? Didn’t know where we were going… what was about to happen… who would see us… … But I just followed him through the alley. I was just functioning like a robot. Or a dazzled person. For the first time in my life… I was so easy… so “obedient”… so naive I would have thought. But I didn’t get a chance to think. It all happened so naturally… and so willingfully from my part.

 

Next thing I know… we were down on our knees, somewhere between the seats halfway down the alley. And he says to me: “Don’t you think it’s about time to leave this life you’re leading? And accept Jesus in your heart?” I definitely never ever ever heard this before. Never knew what accepting Jesus meant. I shouldn’t even understand what this leaving my life behind meant… BUT… for some unspecified reason… I KNEW! I could fully understand the phrase, the offer, the call. All of a sudden,  I KNEW what was offered… and what I was supposed to do! And I simply replied: “Yes I should”

 

And “Nicky” put his hand around me and started saying: “Please repeat the words I’m going to pray.” And he says: “Dear Jesus I come before you…” and I said: “Dear Jesus I come before you…” and all of a sudden I knew I was before the Lord God Almighty!! And he goes: “…please accept me as I bow before you…” and I repeated it… and… I don’t know how… but… he was praying and I was following… but… it seemed like I was praying on my own! And It seemed like I really knew what I was praying and why and how and and and! And I said “God if there is a hell…” and my mind opened up… and I suddenly knew there WAS a hell and I knew what it was like and I hated it... and I said: “I don’t wanna go there.” “And if there is a Heaven…” and the skies opened up and I suddenly knew there was a Heaven and it was so… so… so… so beautiful… so inviting… so peaceful… and said: “…That’s where I wanna be.” And I said: “My God if I am a sinner…” and instantly realized what a great sinner I was. And I went back and saw my life and… woe… it seemed so bad, so filthy, so unworthy. “… and if this life I’m living is taking me to hell…” and clear revelation came to me… that I was indeed heading for hell at full speed! So I said: “… I don’t wanna go there.”

 

It was like I was talking and instant data was being projected in my mind.  It was like a fast MATRIX like film was being shown to me, with flashes and pictures and deeds. Plus knowledge of all I lived and interpretation of every single thing whether it was good or bad. Pure revelation from God telling me this was it. This is where I had to stop. This is where it all ended!

 

And I said “Oh Jesus please forgive me of every single sin I’ve done, every bad thing I thought, every terrible deed I committed. If you died for me on the cross…” and this is where I had a full understanding of His crucifixion. A Vast Revelation of His sacrifice. Continued saying “… coz I know you died for me. In my place. To save me from hell and eternal damnation. Thank you for dying for me, for paying the price for my redemption. Thank you for accepting me. For granting  to me Eternal life. Please help me to live according to your will from now on. Thank you my Lord.”