Interview with Judge Jules
You left Radio 1 at the end of March this year, how much of an impact has your departure made on you personally?
It means I can get Friday night gigs in a further range of places; it enables me to do a bit more international stuff than I could. Doing at least 3 out of 4 weeks live in the studio was a bit of a ball and chain really – that’s not saying I didn’t have a great time at Radio 1! But it’s given me a lot of international opportunities I didn’t have before.
You studied law at university, how come now after all this time you feel it’s time to make it a career choice? Was it something that was on the cards for a while?
Yeah, I mean, the law I studied at university is out of date. I’ve had to retake my degree and retake the professional qualifications, which I’ve been doing over the last five years.
How have you managed to fit all that in in your busy schedule?
I do an awful lot of travelling really which gives you a lot of downtime. I’m on planes all the time which is a relatively quiet, sedate and unbothered placed to do studying.
Have you had to scale back the amount of time you spend in Ibiza this year due to your new career?
No, not at all. I’m still only DJing, I haven’t started being a lawyer and I don’t start until 2013, so I’ve got quite a bit of time before I start! But no, I’ll be able to split time between the two. One’s very much a weekend thing, and the other a mid-week thing.
How much involvement do you have in the organisation and production of Judgement Sundays?
Lots, really. The two key elements that are front of house, the DJs and the entertainment, both of those I’ve got a big hand in. I’m very friendly with the people who own the club, that aspect of it I’m pretty involved in as well.
There are some new names about on your line up this year, including Danny Howard, Tristan D and Jordan Suckley. How do you decide which up-and-coming artists are worth giving regular sets to?
Just keeping your ear to the ground. For a lot of DJs it’s a case of them making music, because music making and DJing go hand-in-hand. So, listening out for productions from new DJs which suggests that those people behind the productions are gonna go somewhere. It’s a case of running with your heart, with the people you believe in. We’ve been the first Ibiza port-of-call for lots of the world’s biggest DJs.
Do you feel confident in Judgement Sundays’ relevancy in Ibiza with it being a predominantly trance night, when many other nights are deep house and techno?
It’s good for us, if we were doing the same thing as everybody else it would be more difficult for us to stand out. DJs we use pull good crowds anyway. We’re doing something that nobody else is doing.
How do you feel Ibiza today compares to Ibiza 5, 10, 15 years ago? Some people are worried about the ‘urban’ invasion of music, and yet others claim last season was the best in ages, and that Ibiza is back to how it used to be. What are your feelings on the shift in music and the ‘feel’ of Ibiza?
Ibiza represents all music across the board and that’s what it should do. The big change, in some locations, has been the increase in the VIP culture – trying to shift as many VIP tables as possible, and that’s not what we’re about at all. We’re about the DJs we believe in, all about the clubbers, all about the great vibes. We’re not about trying to make money out of selling €500 bottles of champagne to people. I don’t like it but I don’t think it’s a danger to Ibiza. Personally, I find it a bit distasteful because I don’t think Ibiza is going to be different to anywhere else if it sells tables to so-called VIPs.
This year Judgement Sundays have teamed up with Ferry Corsten for 6 Full On Ferry events, which were previously held at Sankeys. How did this collaboration begin and can you let us in on any of the “Special Guests”?
The special guests haven’t been announced yet and I can’t really because Ferry wants to do that simultaneously. The history is that Ferry played for us two or three times last summer and he has a great connection with Judgement Sundays, it goes back a very long way. He’s been resident for a number of years, and over the last couple he’s come back again. In our thirteen-year history, Ferry’s been playing for about eight or nine of those.
Like your time on Radio One, do you feel Judgement Sundays’ time is coming to an end in Ibiza, or are you confident in it’s ability to appeal to the next generation of clubbers?
Very confident because we’ve shifted with the times with music, we believe wholeheartedly in the musical area that we support and the last couple of years we’ve been up on numbers on previous years because we found a niche that no other club night is doing. It makes us feel very secure but at the same time you have to work very hard at these things. Trance is basically big club and festival music, main stage dance festival genre in most festivals in the world but it’s not very well represented in the UK in clubs except a couple of the really big clubs, so a lot of people inevitably wouldn’t have necessarily experienced it outside of those environments.
Finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Be what you want to be rather than what you think others think you should be...does that make sense?
Originally published 23rd May 2012
http://www.loveibiza.net/blog/isabellesalter/an-interview-with-judge-jules
It means I can get Friday night gigs in a further range of places; it enables me to do a bit more international stuff than I could. Doing at least 3 out of 4 weeks live in the studio was a bit of a ball and chain really – that’s not saying I didn’t have a great time at Radio 1! But it’s given me a lot of international opportunities I didn’t have before.
You studied law at university, how come now after all this time you feel it’s time to make it a career choice? Was it something that was on the cards for a while?
Yeah, I mean, the law I studied at university is out of date. I’ve had to retake my degree and retake the professional qualifications, which I’ve been doing over the last five years.
How have you managed to fit all that in in your busy schedule?
I do an awful lot of travelling really which gives you a lot of downtime. I’m on planes all the time which is a relatively quiet, sedate and unbothered placed to do studying.
Have you had to scale back the amount of time you spend in Ibiza this year due to your new career?
No, not at all. I’m still only DJing, I haven’t started being a lawyer and I don’t start until 2013, so I’ve got quite a bit of time before I start! But no, I’ll be able to split time between the two. One’s very much a weekend thing, and the other a mid-week thing.
How much involvement do you have in the organisation and production of Judgement Sundays?
Lots, really. The two key elements that are front of house, the DJs and the entertainment, both of those I’ve got a big hand in. I’m very friendly with the people who own the club, that aspect of it I’m pretty involved in as well.
There are some new names about on your line up this year, including Danny Howard, Tristan D and Jordan Suckley. How do you decide which up-and-coming artists are worth giving regular sets to?
Just keeping your ear to the ground. For a lot of DJs it’s a case of them making music, because music making and DJing go hand-in-hand. So, listening out for productions from new DJs which suggests that those people behind the productions are gonna go somewhere. It’s a case of running with your heart, with the people you believe in. We’ve been the first Ibiza port-of-call for lots of the world’s biggest DJs.
Do you feel confident in Judgement Sundays’ relevancy in Ibiza with it being a predominantly trance night, when many other nights are deep house and techno?
It’s good for us, if we were doing the same thing as everybody else it would be more difficult for us to stand out. DJs we use pull good crowds anyway. We’re doing something that nobody else is doing.
How do you feel Ibiza today compares to Ibiza 5, 10, 15 years ago? Some people are worried about the ‘urban’ invasion of music, and yet others claim last season was the best in ages, and that Ibiza is back to how it used to be. What are your feelings on the shift in music and the ‘feel’ of Ibiza?
Ibiza represents all music across the board and that’s what it should do. The big change, in some locations, has been the increase in the VIP culture – trying to shift as many VIP tables as possible, and that’s not what we’re about at all. We’re about the DJs we believe in, all about the clubbers, all about the great vibes. We’re not about trying to make money out of selling €500 bottles of champagne to people. I don’t like it but I don’t think it’s a danger to Ibiza. Personally, I find it a bit distasteful because I don’t think Ibiza is going to be different to anywhere else if it sells tables to so-called VIPs.
This year Judgement Sundays have teamed up with Ferry Corsten for 6 Full On Ferry events, which were previously held at Sankeys. How did this collaboration begin and can you let us in on any of the “Special Guests”?
The special guests haven’t been announced yet and I can’t really because Ferry wants to do that simultaneously. The history is that Ferry played for us two or three times last summer and he has a great connection with Judgement Sundays, it goes back a very long way. He’s been resident for a number of years, and over the last couple he’s come back again. In our thirteen-year history, Ferry’s been playing for about eight or nine of those.
Like your time on Radio One, do you feel Judgement Sundays’ time is coming to an end in Ibiza, or are you confident in it’s ability to appeal to the next generation of clubbers?
Very confident because we’ve shifted with the times with music, we believe wholeheartedly in the musical area that we support and the last couple of years we’ve been up on numbers on previous years because we found a niche that no other club night is doing. It makes us feel very secure but at the same time you have to work very hard at these things. Trance is basically big club and festival music, main stage dance festival genre in most festivals in the world but it’s not very well represented in the UK in clubs except a couple of the really big clubs, so a lot of people inevitably wouldn’t have necessarily experienced it outside of those environments.
Finally, what’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
Be what you want to be rather than what you think others think you should be...does that make sense?
Originally published 23rd May 2012
http://www.loveibiza.net/blog/isabellesalter/an-interview-with-judge-jules
Interview with Sankey's owner David Vincent
On deciding to venture to Ibiza, when was it that the dream of opening a club there turned into a solid business plan?
We put the wheels in motion in October 2010 which was about 5 months after we won the [DJ Mag’s] Top 100 Clubs. We came to the whole Seven Sankeys of the World concept, and we had already done a deal with New York, and Ibiza was the next type of territory to go and deal with. I basically spent a lot of time in Ibiza that summer, trying to do a deal and work out a way. We came to the conclusion that, the only way to open a club in Ibiza, is to get an existing club that’s already got a licence, because of the licencing laws which prohibit new licences in nightclubs, so I had to go look for a site where there was a club that I could rebrand. I never considered San Antonio. It was more about the other side of the island. We looked at a site opposite Pacha, which is the old Heaven nightclub, but we were told that it would never get its licence again, and the venue just wasn’t right. You can’t really change things in Ibiza, there’s a whole legal process that goes into it. The only other site that I thought was worth exploring was Kiss nightclub.
I worked with a guy called Jose many years ago and I always thought it was a great little club. Even when I was in Manchester I always watched what it did, and I always saw these club owners, who obviously didn’t have a clue how to run a nightclub in Ibiza, would go in there, spend a season and not trade anymore. I think it opened up under three different guises, and it’s funny because when I spent my time in Ibiza, I speak to people and be like, “what do you think of that venue?” and everyone was going, “Don’t touch it! It’s cursed!” but maybe it isn’t cursed. Maybe it’s just the people, who just don’t know how to run it. When looking for venues, the dimensions and the height levels, it very much like Sankeys already. Then February last year, [the owner] said, ok let’s do it. We literally turned it around in a few months, and we opened at the end of May. That’s how it all came together.
You had a few teething problems last year with regards to the general production, do you feel more prepared this year for the season ahead? How have you learnt from your mistakes?
We made every mistake possible I think last year. But you know, as long as you learn from your mistakes then you become stronger. The problem was that, I so wanted to get the club open for IMS, for all the industry to see it, but my lights were delayed in transit, they didn’t arrive until half way through the season. The sound system got installed really quickly, and you know, it wasn’t right on the opening weekend, it didn’t sound 100% like it should have. But the club’s built now. The funny thing was the sound system was still being installed when there was a queue outside, I think we were opening in an hour, the whole club stunk of paint. I’d say, every nightclub in the world has the same thing; it’s always crammed to the last minute. Loads of nightclubs, all around the world, same thing, there’s always teething problems. You always review that first week, you’re always changing things. We still will be tweaking the club but the major things have been sorted. There were constant operational problems last year, problems with the site we didn’t account for. A lot of the creases have been ironed and are ready for this year.
Your opening fiestas this year have hugely impressive line-ups, how long have you been working on securing this solid list of acts?
DV: Probably since, February time… there were some artists that I definitely wanted on the bill straight away, for example the first artist that came to mind was Solomun, to me, I think he’s amazing. I wanted a real Diynamic room, I really like the sound, like what they’re doing and obviously they have a relation to the club. That would be a really good statement to have on the opening night. Then it was about finding other things, talking to friends on the island and see what else was available, because the problem with that weekend as well is it’s the opening of the IMS. Not only that, there’s certain artists that we will never get in a million years because they’re tied up already with other venues. Also there’s the Detroit Music Festival [Movement] that weekend and near enough, all the major artists are in Detroit that weekend. So the Solomun thing was amazing, that was secured, and then it was seeing what other stuff was available. Last year the line up was kind of what we were given, this year we really did get a line up of what we wanted. There are some people we wanted that we couldn’t get but we’re really happy with the line up in the end. We wanted a classic Ibiza-style line up as well, that’s why you see people like Tobi Neumann and Tiefschwarz, and at the same time add a more future side of it so that’s why you see people like Joy Orbison, Mosca, Jackmaster. Basement Jaxx’s management approached us, six weeks ago, saying they really wanted to play at the club, that was the last act that fell into place. We really wanted to show Sankey’s intent this year. We finished last year on a real high, and I think people saw that, so I wanted to start as we finished off last year.
What else have you got planned this year which will make Sankeys stand out from the other well-established clubs on the island?
Obviously our Dynamic night on Tuesdays, Viva with Steve Lawer on Wednesdays – Lawler’s now a resident at Sankeys Ibiza and doing his own night. Some amazing artists booked for that. Saturdays we have Carnival – which moved from Wednesdays to Saturdays. Massive line-ups, we’ve got people like Cajmere [Green Velvet], DJ Sneak, Amirali, Miguel Campbell, Butch… Then we’ve got Joe T Vannelli who’s doing his own Friday night, which will probably appeal to the Milan Glitterati, Sundays we do Propaganda which is an indie night.
The music policy at Sankeys has always been underground and yet still really cutting edge, how do you predict what or who’s going to be the next big thing before it blows up?
I don’t know! Maybe it’s more…it’s not me! I’ve always got good music people around me who are better than me at that side. I’m more the promoter, pushing it all together. I remember watching an interview with Bill Gates, and he said part of his success is that he’s always surrounded with young geeks around him. A bit like me! I surround myself with young geeks who are really into their music. They’ll present certain artists, certain people who they like, and I’ll sift it out, and say ok, we’ll go with these artists. It’s never been me, it’s been certain people around me, whether it’s resident DJs or some promoters, talking about people and I’ll listen to them, but it’s then about sifting it and then taking the gamble.
Ushuaïa this year have announced David Guetta and Avicii as residents. Would you up your game and pick slightly more commercial acts if it meant further success in Ibiza?
That’s the thing though with Sankeys Manchester, there has always been a more commercial element of music. Yeah the club is like this dark, basement, underground club but the music side of it, there was always a commercial end. If you look at Sankeys Manchester, look at our Saturdays, we’ve got cool, underground artists playing for us, but the fact of the matter is, we still have trance events, we still put more commercial electro acts on the Fridays. I think it’s just a balance at the end of the day. I think most type of artists, yeah they played for us years ago (David Guetta made his UK debut at Sankeys in 2002), when they weren’t such big artists, but when they outgrow a venue like us, they won’t play for us anymore. It depends. If there’s an opportunity of a certain artist that we think could really grow, and give a good residency, why not? When running a club, especially in Ibiza, you need to be eclectic, you can’t have seven of exactly the same nights.
Going on to the Seven Sankeys of The World project, obviously Manchester is where it all began, Ibiza is the clubbing capital of the world, São Paulo is the home of the carnival and New York is where the roots of house music are. You mentioned wanting to place the others in London and Lima as they were special to Sankeys. How have those places in particular shaped what Sankeys is today?
Peru, I just had an amazing time with a friend of mine. We went to Machu Picchu, we probably went to one of the greatest places I’ve ever been in the world called Cuzco, just had a real amazing spiritual experience. We went to a couple of parties which were amazing as well, but just more on a spiritual level, I really felt Peru and I think it developed me as an individual. Inevitably, as I’m the owner of Sankeys, the way my personality changes, reflects on my nightclub. You see things in a different light. London, I was born in London, obviously I’ve worked in places like Ministry of Sound. That developed me as a young person. London was the city I would like to do something at one day. São Paulo, Greg Vickers lives there now and always wanted to open a club there. I’m sure one day we will open up a Sankeys in São Paulo.
Where do you see the next Sankeys opening up? Are the wheels already in motion?
Well it’s gonna be New York. New York’s opening in October. From then I don’t know when the next one is. That’s the zany thing about Sankeys, it’s always organic. It’ll happen when it’s meant to happen. There’s no Sankeys blueprints, there’s ideas that get born out of stupid after parties, there’s no scientific blueprint of how we should do things. The Seven Sankeys of the World, maybe one of the territories will change. To be honest, recently I was thinking of another territory instead. I don’t know when the next one is. I’d like to be in a position where we open a nightclub every year. Last year we opened Ibiza, this year we’re opening New York, I don’t know where it’s going to be taking me next, you just have to follow the ride!
Wednesday saw Danny Tenaglia sadly resigning. After describing his first 12-hour marathon set as one of the best moments of Sankeys for you, what are your feelings on his departure, albeit temporary, from the scene?
If you read what he’s saying, it’s just a break. My prediction will be that he’ll take twelve months off and we’ll see him again. I’m sure we’ll see him reappear at next year’s Miami Music Conference. That’ll be my bet. I might be wrong, who knows. At the end of the day, only Danny Tenaglia knows. When I first heard, I was thinking bloody hell, if this is his last gig maybe I should fly to New York to see it! But then I saw that he’s resigned, he hasn’t retired, he’s made that absolutely clear, and now he’s making it even more clear on what his resignation means. Good luck to him. He’s been doing it for probably thirty years, I’m sure he needs a break. Tenaglia’s played for me in Sankeys three times, and he’s my favourite DJ when he’s on form. We actually tried to get him for Sankeys Ibiza this summer. I’d like to think that one day he would play at a Sankeys, somewhere around the world. I wouldn’t like to think that he’d never play for me again. He’s an amazing artist. He’s one of a kind. He’s Danny Tenaglia.
Originally published 22nd April 2012
http://www.loveibiza.net/blog/isabellesalter/interview-with-sankeys-owner-david-vincent
We put the wheels in motion in October 2010 which was about 5 months after we won the [DJ Mag’s] Top 100 Clubs. We came to the whole Seven Sankeys of the World concept, and we had already done a deal with New York, and Ibiza was the next type of territory to go and deal with. I basically spent a lot of time in Ibiza that summer, trying to do a deal and work out a way. We came to the conclusion that, the only way to open a club in Ibiza, is to get an existing club that’s already got a licence, because of the licencing laws which prohibit new licences in nightclubs, so I had to go look for a site where there was a club that I could rebrand. I never considered San Antonio. It was more about the other side of the island. We looked at a site opposite Pacha, which is the old Heaven nightclub, but we were told that it would never get its licence again, and the venue just wasn’t right. You can’t really change things in Ibiza, there’s a whole legal process that goes into it. The only other site that I thought was worth exploring was Kiss nightclub.
I worked with a guy called Jose many years ago and I always thought it was a great little club. Even when I was in Manchester I always watched what it did, and I always saw these club owners, who obviously didn’t have a clue how to run a nightclub in Ibiza, would go in there, spend a season and not trade anymore. I think it opened up under three different guises, and it’s funny because when I spent my time in Ibiza, I speak to people and be like, “what do you think of that venue?” and everyone was going, “Don’t touch it! It’s cursed!” but maybe it isn’t cursed. Maybe it’s just the people, who just don’t know how to run it. When looking for venues, the dimensions and the height levels, it very much like Sankeys already. Then February last year, [the owner] said, ok let’s do it. We literally turned it around in a few months, and we opened at the end of May. That’s how it all came together.
You had a few teething problems last year with regards to the general production, do you feel more prepared this year for the season ahead? How have you learnt from your mistakes?
We made every mistake possible I think last year. But you know, as long as you learn from your mistakes then you become stronger. The problem was that, I so wanted to get the club open for IMS, for all the industry to see it, but my lights were delayed in transit, they didn’t arrive until half way through the season. The sound system got installed really quickly, and you know, it wasn’t right on the opening weekend, it didn’t sound 100% like it should have. But the club’s built now. The funny thing was the sound system was still being installed when there was a queue outside, I think we were opening in an hour, the whole club stunk of paint. I’d say, every nightclub in the world has the same thing; it’s always crammed to the last minute. Loads of nightclubs, all around the world, same thing, there’s always teething problems. You always review that first week, you’re always changing things. We still will be tweaking the club but the major things have been sorted. There were constant operational problems last year, problems with the site we didn’t account for. A lot of the creases have been ironed and are ready for this year.
Your opening fiestas this year have hugely impressive line-ups, how long have you been working on securing this solid list of acts?
DV: Probably since, February time… there were some artists that I definitely wanted on the bill straight away, for example the first artist that came to mind was Solomun, to me, I think he’s amazing. I wanted a real Diynamic room, I really like the sound, like what they’re doing and obviously they have a relation to the club. That would be a really good statement to have on the opening night. Then it was about finding other things, talking to friends on the island and see what else was available, because the problem with that weekend as well is it’s the opening of the IMS. Not only that, there’s certain artists that we will never get in a million years because they’re tied up already with other venues. Also there’s the Detroit Music Festival [Movement] that weekend and near enough, all the major artists are in Detroit that weekend. So the Solomun thing was amazing, that was secured, and then it was seeing what other stuff was available. Last year the line up was kind of what we were given, this year we really did get a line up of what we wanted. There are some people we wanted that we couldn’t get but we’re really happy with the line up in the end. We wanted a classic Ibiza-style line up as well, that’s why you see people like Tobi Neumann and Tiefschwarz, and at the same time add a more future side of it so that’s why you see people like Joy Orbison, Mosca, Jackmaster. Basement Jaxx’s management approached us, six weeks ago, saying they really wanted to play at the club, that was the last act that fell into place. We really wanted to show Sankey’s intent this year. We finished last year on a real high, and I think people saw that, so I wanted to start as we finished off last year.
What else have you got planned this year which will make Sankeys stand out from the other well-established clubs on the island?
Obviously our Dynamic night on Tuesdays, Viva with Steve Lawer on Wednesdays – Lawler’s now a resident at Sankeys Ibiza and doing his own night. Some amazing artists booked for that. Saturdays we have Carnival – which moved from Wednesdays to Saturdays. Massive line-ups, we’ve got people like Cajmere [Green Velvet], DJ Sneak, Amirali, Miguel Campbell, Butch… Then we’ve got Joe T Vannelli who’s doing his own Friday night, which will probably appeal to the Milan Glitterati, Sundays we do Propaganda which is an indie night.
The music policy at Sankeys has always been underground and yet still really cutting edge, how do you predict what or who’s going to be the next big thing before it blows up?
I don’t know! Maybe it’s more…it’s not me! I’ve always got good music people around me who are better than me at that side. I’m more the promoter, pushing it all together. I remember watching an interview with Bill Gates, and he said part of his success is that he’s always surrounded with young geeks around him. A bit like me! I surround myself with young geeks who are really into their music. They’ll present certain artists, certain people who they like, and I’ll sift it out, and say ok, we’ll go with these artists. It’s never been me, it’s been certain people around me, whether it’s resident DJs or some promoters, talking about people and I’ll listen to them, but it’s then about sifting it and then taking the gamble.
Ushuaïa this year have announced David Guetta and Avicii as residents. Would you up your game and pick slightly more commercial acts if it meant further success in Ibiza?
That’s the thing though with Sankeys Manchester, there has always been a more commercial element of music. Yeah the club is like this dark, basement, underground club but the music side of it, there was always a commercial end. If you look at Sankeys Manchester, look at our Saturdays, we’ve got cool, underground artists playing for us, but the fact of the matter is, we still have trance events, we still put more commercial electro acts on the Fridays. I think it’s just a balance at the end of the day. I think most type of artists, yeah they played for us years ago (David Guetta made his UK debut at Sankeys in 2002), when they weren’t such big artists, but when they outgrow a venue like us, they won’t play for us anymore. It depends. If there’s an opportunity of a certain artist that we think could really grow, and give a good residency, why not? When running a club, especially in Ibiza, you need to be eclectic, you can’t have seven of exactly the same nights.
Going on to the Seven Sankeys of The World project, obviously Manchester is where it all began, Ibiza is the clubbing capital of the world, São Paulo is the home of the carnival and New York is where the roots of house music are. You mentioned wanting to place the others in London and Lima as they were special to Sankeys. How have those places in particular shaped what Sankeys is today?
Peru, I just had an amazing time with a friend of mine. We went to Machu Picchu, we probably went to one of the greatest places I’ve ever been in the world called Cuzco, just had a real amazing spiritual experience. We went to a couple of parties which were amazing as well, but just more on a spiritual level, I really felt Peru and I think it developed me as an individual. Inevitably, as I’m the owner of Sankeys, the way my personality changes, reflects on my nightclub. You see things in a different light. London, I was born in London, obviously I’ve worked in places like Ministry of Sound. That developed me as a young person. London was the city I would like to do something at one day. São Paulo, Greg Vickers lives there now and always wanted to open a club there. I’m sure one day we will open up a Sankeys in São Paulo.
Where do you see the next Sankeys opening up? Are the wheels already in motion?
Well it’s gonna be New York. New York’s opening in October. From then I don’t know when the next one is. That’s the zany thing about Sankeys, it’s always organic. It’ll happen when it’s meant to happen. There’s no Sankeys blueprints, there’s ideas that get born out of stupid after parties, there’s no scientific blueprint of how we should do things. The Seven Sankeys of the World, maybe one of the territories will change. To be honest, recently I was thinking of another territory instead. I don’t know when the next one is. I’d like to be in a position where we open a nightclub every year. Last year we opened Ibiza, this year we’re opening New York, I don’t know where it’s going to be taking me next, you just have to follow the ride!
Wednesday saw Danny Tenaglia sadly resigning. After describing his first 12-hour marathon set as one of the best moments of Sankeys for you, what are your feelings on his departure, albeit temporary, from the scene?
If you read what he’s saying, it’s just a break. My prediction will be that he’ll take twelve months off and we’ll see him again. I’m sure we’ll see him reappear at next year’s Miami Music Conference. That’ll be my bet. I might be wrong, who knows. At the end of the day, only Danny Tenaglia knows. When I first heard, I was thinking bloody hell, if this is his last gig maybe I should fly to New York to see it! But then I saw that he’s resigned, he hasn’t retired, he’s made that absolutely clear, and now he’s making it even more clear on what his resignation means. Good luck to him. He’s been doing it for probably thirty years, I’m sure he needs a break. Tenaglia’s played for me in Sankeys three times, and he’s my favourite DJ when he’s on form. We actually tried to get him for Sankeys Ibiza this summer. I’d like to think that one day he would play at a Sankeys, somewhere around the world. I wouldn’t like to think that he’d never play for me again. He’s an amazing artist. He’s one of a kind. He’s Danny Tenaglia.
Originally published 22nd April 2012
http://www.loveibiza.net/blog/isabellesalter/interview-with-sankeys-owner-david-vincent
Interview with Gareth Emery
Hey Gareth, you first entered the DJ Mag Top 100 in 2006, and within four years, have shot up twenty-seven places to number 7 this year. Are you surprised at how quickly things are progressing or do you feel that all your hard work is simply being recognised?
Gareth Emery: I think it’s a bit of both. In some ways I try not to take it too seriously, I think it’s important to remember it’s based on votes rather than talent. I’ve been in the Top 150 since about 2003, but 2006 - 2008 things really started happening; I started my Podcast, released more records, became more established as a DJ, and yeah I guess the numbers followed with that.
Do you have any big plans for the next few years in order to get to first place?
It’s not even something I’ve been thinking about! Being at number 7 now, look at the 6 people above me [Armin Van Buuren, David Guetta, Tiesto, Deadmau5, Above & Beyond and Paul Van Dyk]; they’re music giants! I’m happy doing what I’m doing; trying to keep stuff interesting and doing something new every year.
David Guetta and Deadmau5 are both in the top 5, and yet they are both much more well-known for their productions rather than their DJ abilities. With the poll being based on the public’s votes rather than industry experts’, how accurate do you feel it is, and would you prefer it if it was taken out of the public’s hands, and in to those of critics’?
No probably not, being a public vote is far from ideal, but it’s probably the best way of doing it. Often critics have opinions which are not aligned to public views; they tend to be involved in much more obscure music. Personally, I don’t really think we need [the Top 100 DJs], I think it would be better for people to be judged on what their DJ sets are like, what their productions are like, how many people come to see you in the club... We don’t have Top 100 Actors polls or Top 100 Comedians, but if we are going to have a poll, the only way you can do it is by public vote.
Earlier this year you released your debut album, Northern Lights. Having been on the trance scene and releasing tunes since 2002, what’s taken you so long? How long had you been planning on releasing an album of your own?
Since about 2002, it was always something I wanted to do, but in the early years I wasn’t in the right place to do that. I think I promised it in 2006, and then it took another 4 years to produce it. It’s easier to release singles and there’s always a pressure to have music out. To sit down and write an album takes a big chunk out of your year, I was relatively quick but it still took seven months from beginning to end.
2009 has seen a continuing recession and increasing illegal music downloads, has setting up your own label in the same year caused problems for you, or do you feel relatively unscathed?
The label’s gone really well, as well as a label can go. We’ve smashed it in all the download charts. It’s definitely the case though, the only reason it’s not an issue for me is that my income comes from my sets; the label is almost just a promotional tool. Making money out of underground dance music is incredibly difficult, not because people don’t listen to this music, because they do, just a lot of people don’t buy it. I remember a mix album I had towards the end of last year, within 3 hours of it being released illegally, it has been downloaded something like 1200 times.
Is there any good to come from illegal downloads, such as people hearing your music who might not have heard it otherwise, or it is simply killing the music industry?
There’s definitely good that’s come from it as well, although the good mostly benefits DJs. What it’s meant is the dance seen has been able to grow in developing countries that probably wouldn’t have otherwise. I’ve played in Columbia, Ukraine, Moldova – pretty obscure countries. These aren’t countries that have record shops, prior to illegal downloads there would be no way for them to share underground dance music. Now they can form an underground dance scene and you can go there and play, but again that only benefits DJs. The main plus point of illegal downloads is that it’s helped spread dance music to the corners of the world that probably wouldn’t have got their otherwise.
How do you feel the Trance scene is currently doing in the UK? Do you feel there is enough emerging talent to keep the scene progressing?
I don’t really like thinking of things in terms of “the Trance scene” or “the House scene”, I know I’m primarily thought of as a Trance DJ, which is cool because that’s the genre that I’ve come from but on my podcasts I play a big variety of stuff. Obviously I play Trance but I also play House, Progressive, Dubstep, Drum and Bass. The kids who are getting into the scene now, couldn’t care less whether they’re listening to House or Trance or whatever, if they hear a tune and like it, they’ll go check that artist out. That’s how I see things going really, breaking down the boundaries of genres, and taking things on a song-by-song, artist-by-artist basis.
I read that you have a degree in politics, what made you pursue a musical career rather than a political one?
Politics is difficult to get into and the more I learnt about it, the less it was something I wanted to do. I think it’s a pretty dirty world, there are massive sacrifices to be made, in terms of what you actually believe in if you want to achieve success in politics. You have to sell out in a far bigger degree that you have to in music.
How do you feel about the student protests going on around the UK at the minute? Would you have gotten involved in the protests had the tuition fee rises been introduced when you were a student?
I don’t know if I would have got involved with the protests, I don’t particularly agree with the tuition fees. I remember when Labour first introduced them, it was just before I went to university, I thought they were a disgrace, especially the fact it came from a Labour government, as that’s not what they were elected to do. You’ve got a generation of politicians all of whom enjoyed free university education, now that they’ve done it, they’re pulling up the ladder for everyone else. In this case, I don’t see protesting making any difference, I think there’s times you should protest, there’s times when you should take to the street, there’s times when workers are quite right to go on strike, but in this situation, the country’s in a pretty bad way financially and realistically, we’re not going to see them roll back.
Finally, what do you want for Christmas this year?
(Laughs) Some time off! It’s been a ridiculous year. For the first seven months I was writing the album, but also touring, I had three days at home each week in between gigs, which I spent locked up in the studio, absolutely no social life! Once I’d finished, the schedule was still hectic as I was promoting the record. By the end of the year I’ll have done 130 shows! It’s been an amazing year but I’m kind of glad it’s going to end! I’ve got three weeks off in January, just really looking forward to not working and chilling out, basically!
Published 6th December 2010
http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/reviews/2010/interview_gareth_emery_i.htm
Interview with Crookers
Buongiorno Bot! In a recent interview you describe yourself as "hip-hop in a house style", with your routes so firmly placed in hip hop, how come you decided to start producing primarily house music?
Bot (Crookers): From years ago we were both getting into electronic music, but we came from a hiphop background and we didn’t think that hiphop and house could be mixed together, but then we heard artists like Basement Jaxx mix styles together, and we gained confidence because we knew it could be done. Hiphop is where we came from, and electronic music was what we were listening to, so putting the two together was kind of natural.
On your debut album, Tons of Friends, you have collaborated with such artists as Will.i.am, Pitbull and Kelis, exactly how much influence did they have in the productions? Was it a case of purely using their vocals?
Every track was different, sometimes when we got the vocal, we changed the track, like with the kelis track, and some tracks were made together in the studio so they told us what they think and how they feel, Will.i.am’s was like that.
You reached number 2. In the uk charts with your remix of Kid Cudi's Day'n'nite back in January 2009, how do you feel about your massive commercial success? Would you prefer to be more underground?
No! I don’t really care, it’s great when you can do what you like! We made that track in 2007, so it took such a long time to go commercial. We made that remix with the same attitude all the other tracks, so when it gets to number two and goes really big, it’s great. We don’t compromise by trying to reach that level of success, so we’re just really lucky. We were both really happy.
Last month, crookers.net celebrated it's 1st birthday, what have you achieved with the website in this time?
Well it’s really cool, we didn’t expect so many visits and it’s really nice because we can put up tracks on the blog that we don’t wanna release commercially, and it’s also a good way to speak about everything you find interesting in music and everything you discover. It’s not just about promoting yourself, but also promoting what you like. You can reach so many people this way, and otherwise people wouldn’t know your name.
Which artists are doing it for you at the moment?
I listen to a lot of different styles of music; I really liked the last album of Starkey’s [Ear drums and Black holes]. I like different approaches to dubstep; when a sound goes big and everybody does it, it becomes exploited. I like people who go to the next level.
Finally, what are your plans for the future? What have you got lined up for the coming 6 months?
Right now we’re working on 2 EPs which are mainly dance oriented, one under another name, as we are doing collaborations, and another Crookers EP. We’re also finishing two new singles for the us version of the album, as the album in the us hasn’t been released yet and we wanted to add something different, because it has been out for months in other countries.
Published 8th August 2010
http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/reviews/2010/interview_crookers_i.htm
Interview with Simian Mobile Disco
You’ve been relatively quiet the past year, what have you been up to?
We've been DJing all over the world, setting up our own Delicatessen parties, producing for various artists, and working on tracks for our Delicacies label. Hasn't seemed that quiet to us!
You’ve previously worked with massive names including Florence and the Machine, Klaxons and Arctic Monkeys, are there any more collaborations in the pipeline?
We haven't actually collaborated with any of those artists for SMD material. James has produced for them, but that's quite different to SMD stuff. We'll have some collaborations on our next album, I'm sure.
Is there anybody you’d love to work with but just haven’t had the chance yet?
Lots of people... you'll have to wait and see what we end up doing.
On your latest 12” release, all the tracks are named after delicacies from around the world including Casu Marzu, a Sicilian delicacy involving maggots; what made you chose to use this topic as a theme?
Delicacies are things that are enjoyed by only a handful of enthusiasts, usually. That's the idea behind these singles, they're a bit unusual and weird and not everyone will like them.
What’s the most disgusting delicacy you’ve ever eaten?
Jas ate brains and knee ligaments for breakfast in Indonesia. It was... interesting.
Delicacies is much more techno-based than Temporary Pleasure, what made you go for a less commercial sound?
I think that we just wanted a bit of change of pace, and to produce longer club tracks. Most of the stuff on Temporary Pleasure started of as long club tracks but contracted to go with the vocals.
You’re playing loads of dates for We Love Space in Ibiza, what can we expect from your sets?
Techno, mostly.
Where else are you playing in Ibiza, and the rest of the world, this summer?
We've done most of our festival dates now, we have more European and UK DJ dates, and a couple more Ibiza shows too.
Many other DJs and producers have got a radio show or a podcast, is this something which you’ve looked at doing, or would consider doing in the future?
Maybe. if we had time. With our individual production commitments and working on SMD stuff we're pretty busy...
You said in an interview with online magazine Dummy, that had you known how big Simian Mobile Disco was to become, you’d have changed your name. Any ideas on what you would have called yourselves?
Hah... well we've never had to think about it. Probably something minimal and austere. Doepfer maybe.
Have you always wanted to be musicians, or were there any other bizarre career paths you nearly went down?
Jas thought about being a competitive hot dog eater at one point.
Published 2nd September 2010
http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/reviews/2010/interview_simian_mobile_disco_i.htm
Interview With Above & Beyond
Above and Beyond have got the label, Anjunabeats, the radio show, Trance All Around The World, and you’re touring all over the world. How do you do it all?! Is there a specific way you split the workload?
Tony (Above & Beyond): It’s an enormous amount of work! In terms of DJing, we always send 2 people to do the dates, apart from special cases like Ibiza, where we’re all doing it. It enables us to keep the production going, which is very important. We’re producers first and foremost, and DJing is a way of expressing that music to the public. In terms of the label, we do A&R for the label, which is a time consuming thing, but there’s a lot of people in our office, doing a lot of work on our behalf, helping us collect all the promos for the radio show, etc. as it’s got bigger we’ve got more and more people helping us, at the moment we’ve got about 12 staff!
You’re currently on radio show number 325, when is the next landmark show? Have you got anything special planned?
This week we’re doing an Ibiza Special, we’ve been asking our fans to nominate an Ibiza-esque track, so I’ll be splitting the radio show in between new stuff and requested Ibiza classics. We’re maybe thinking of doing something around 350, although we did have a daft idea to just pick a random number, why should all the even numbers get all the attention? What’s so special about Trance All Around The World 350, what about Trance All Around The World 377? It’s become an incredibly important part of what we do, and in some respects, it’s the main way that most of the people around the world hear us.
How do you keep on top of Above and Beyond’s web presence?
We’ve got 4 people helping with I.T related stuff. So much of our communication goes through Facebook, email, viral campaigns, Twitter...it’s important to keep on top of that and keep one step ahead of it. We’ve got all sorts of funnelling gadgets on our website so that if you post something on one, it will automatically show on others, to try and build a sense of community, which has always been really important to us.
Only 10% of downloads are legal, how has music piracy affected Anjunabeats?
Like every record label, it’s severely effected the amount of money that we make from record sales. It seems odd to me that the world’s musicians and producers are expected to work for free. Unless you’ve got some sort of live out-put, your career as a musician is hugely effected by piracy. I hope it doesn’t happen to film and books in the same way. As we move increasingly into an ideas-based economy, it doesn’t really work if there’s no economy for the ideas.
DJs such as Judge Jules and Eddie Halliwell have a massive presence in Ibiza, how come your presence hasn’t been as significant?
We were residents at Judgement Sundays 5 years ago, and then at Cream for 3 years, but this year we’re taking a year off to really concentrate on recording our album. Although this year, we’ve got 2 big nights in Ibiza, we’re doing our own night at Cream on July 1st, and we’re coming back again to do the Radio 1 night at Amnesia. Hopefully we’ll be back to do more dates next year.
Do you see Ibiza as important to your career?
Ibiza’s important for people who like club music because a lot of them go there on holiday, there are other locations that people go, and we play at some of those, for instance Ayia Napa, Malta, etc. but Ibiza has a kind of perennial strength, it goes up and down every year, but I still think it’s the most important summer location to play, and more importantly I just love it there, as a party location it’s second to none.
Can you let us into any hot gossip about the secret beach party?
Because we’re only doing one Anjunabeach date, we wanted to make it extra special for those who booked their holiday in that week, so we decided to do a little beach party at a secret location. There’s going to be 100 competition winners, plus probably a few stragglers, and we just wanted to give something back. I’ve seen the beach, it looks like a lovely little place and it’s just going to be a bit more relaxed, I think I might play a hastily prepared tech-house set, just something different from the night before at Amnesia.
What’s your favourite track on your new album, Anjunabeats Volume 8?
I have to say, our new single which is called A Thing Called Love! We’ve been incorporating a lot of the tracks off the album into our sets over the last few weeks, it’s great when we get a great crop of tracks; it really reminds us why we spend all that time and effort on the label. The artists we have on the label have really come up trumps this time, I think this album is one of the best we’ve ever done.
Who are your ones to watch for the year ahead?
Mat Zo is an incredibly talented new producer/DJ from the UK, he also does drum and bass, he’s amazing. We’ve also just signed a young guy from Russia called Arty, he’s really on fire at the minute. Both those guys I mentioned, pretty much every track they do is fantastic.
Finally, on your website, you have flags next to where you’re playing, how come Glastonbury has an American flag, and Ibiza, an Italian one?
That’s, er, that’s a fuck up! I will sort that out!
Published 2nd July 2010
http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/reviews/2010/interview_above_beyond_i.htm
Interview With Eddie Halliwell
You have 4 dates for Cream Ibiza, how are you feeling about representing them this year?
It’s absolutely fantastic to be playing for Cream at Amnesia, it’s one of my favourite place in Ibiza to play, been doing it now for about 6 years now.
Where else are you playing?
We’re doing four Fire It Up parties at Judgement at Eden as well.
You've got your competition running at the moment for 6 fans to come spend a week in Ibiza and meet you, how important are fans to you?
They’re the most important thing, if the fans didn’t come to listen, you wouldn’t be doing what you do. It’s one thing I really enjoy; interacting with people, it gives me such a buzz. It gives me more energy in what I’m doing, when I see reactions in the crowd. Clubland and DJs wouldn’t be around if it wasn’t for the fans.
Where has the best fans?
The most responsive fans are always the Scottish and the Irish, they’re the most, vocal.
The Guardian recently did an article on how ‘Superstar DJs’ were killing off the once underground dance scene, do you feel this is the case, do you think that dance music needs to go back to it’s roots or do you feel that this is a natural progression and is forming a new wave of clubbing?
I certainly don’t think the superstar DJ status is killing clubland, if anything there are some names in the industry who, through their name alone, are promoting the scene in territories around the world that otherwise wouldn’t have a scene.
For example, some of the gigs you get in Brazil, they’re the biggest gigs I’ve ever done. I did New Years Eve with Paul Van Dyk on the beach, to one-and-a-half million people. If the scene wasn’t as well known, you wouldn’t be exposing it to such large audiences; if the scene was underground, it wouldn’t be developing as quick. Because obviously these promoters and DJs can hook up together, they can put on these big gigs and make the scene better, bigger and stronger.
Many budding djs are finding that to become nationally recognised they need to go into the studio, as prouction is an easier way to get their name heard, why wasn’t the case for you? Would you ever release tunes or do you feel it’s not necessary now?
I certainly think it’s a great way to get into the industry, but I think some people overlook what actually you need to do to make things work. Production is one way to get your name out there, but if you’ve not got anything to back that up, you might not continue progressing. One of the most important factors I’ve learnt is to have a team behind you to push what you’re doing.
When people talk about production for me, I’d love to have big tracks, but that’s coming with me in time so I can do that myself rather than going into a studio and using an engineer who’s doing what they want. I’ve been very fortunate over the past few years to continue DJing; doing what I love no. 1 and learning the ropes along the way. I can certainly see now for me in the future to be doing production because I’ve built up a knowledge base to be able to do things myself. I got into this industry as a DJ, not a producer, and I think many people see producers and DJs as the same thing but for me DJing and production are two totally separate worlds, and DJing is no.1.
With Technology rapidly changing in the DJ booth, were you keen to stay with vinyl or did you happily make the shift you digital media?
I’ve always been into technology, from being a kid, but I suppose when you’ve developed your skills using vinyl, change was always a concern. I’ve learnt from moving with technology that it’s very important to progress. When I embraced new technology you can see how much more enjoyment it gives you and how much it benefits you. Working with the technology I’m using now, it gives me more of a buzz when I go out to perform, because I can be so much more creative. It has been a massive, massive transition, from vinyl to CD, and I can only see the positives of it.
Can you just explain what ED-IT is, and what was the thought process behind this concept?
We road-tested it in April last year, but it’s been in my head for quite some time, ever since the transition from vinyl to CD. If I’d had the choice I would’ve liked to introduce it a lot sooner but I was getting things clear in my head about which direction to go in. As you’re probably well aware when CDs came out, people were like ‘that’s not DJing anymore’, when Ableton came out they were saying ‘that’s cheating’, that to me is a narrow-minded view from people not accepting change, and for me I realised people think that way so I’ve been a bit weary of introducing the technology.
I wanted to do it but didn’t know the right way, so what we decided to do was launch a platform that’s an exclusive set up where I can work my new bits and pieces but also do other things that are not in my normal DJ sets like working with visuals and pyrotechnics, which brings more of a show to clubbers, more of an experience. I’ve learn by working with visuals and special effects, it creates more of an impact than a DJ on his own can. Ultimately, ED-IT is an exclusive platform which has it’s origins in me working with technology but has developed into something bigger.
Do you think you'll get to a stage soon where you can use ED-IT at every gig?
There will always be things you can’t do at a normal gig. Some gigs you do, you can’t actually install special effects, for reasons like health and safety, some venues are perhaps not equipped for stuff like that, but regarding technology, it’s definitely going to help my normal set-up progress for the future.
What are 2010's priorities?
Just keeping out of mischief! I don’t know... I suppose the Fire It Up Radio show, which is being syndicated around the world, priorities are to keep developing that. I have a company who sells that around the world and they’re doing an amazing job, so yeah, keeping that going and just keeping on the road.
What tracks are doing it for you at the minute?
Top one for me is Joris Voorn “The Secret”, on Cocoon, it’s a phenomenal record.
Who is your one to watch in 2010?
There’s a few. Jerome Isma-Ae, I’m doing Global Gathering with him in Ukraine in a few weeks time, he’s getting more exposure which is good. Joris Voorn, he’s obviously a very big artist but he’s got his residency at Space this year where I don’t think he’s been doing stuff like that before.
For me I’ve always been into him from when he was doing his techno productions, but he’s sort of crossing over with tracks, like I just mentioned “The Secret”, you’re going to get all sorts of DJs playing that. When producers start doing that, they start getting more recognition. So, a couple of names that have been floating about for some time but I think they’re going to get bigger this year, definitely.
Published 22nd June 2010
http://www.ibiza-spotlight.com/night/reviews/2010/interview_eddie_halliwell_i.htm