Dee Montero

Dee Montero knows more about Ibiza than you. He has been resident at the island’s world famous Cafe Mambo for eight years and in that time has seen just about everything come and go. It means he has lots of great stories about the place to share – and does so here – and knows exactly what music makes the crowds go wild on the White Isle. This summer he will return and he also has a new EP coming on Stereo, as well as more besides. Here we talk to the UK artist about all this and more.

Words by Rob Chadwick

How are you, what good, what bad right now?

I’m good. I just got back from a busy start to the Ibiza season with the opening parties, IMS and gigs at Cafe Mambo and Ibiza Rocks. My track ‘Halcyon’ went to number 1 on the Beatport Deep House Chart about 3 weeks ago and it’s still there so it’s been a great month. I’m back home for a few weeks to focus in the studio as I find it impossible to make music on the island with all the distractions.

You have been resident at Cafe Mambo for eight years – what have you learnt in that time?  How have you evolved?

Cafe Mambo for me was like doing a Masters Degree in DJing. Before starting my residency there in 2003 I was mainly a club DJ playing house and techno in Belfast. Mambo opened me up to many different styles such as acid jazz, funk, soul, disco, ambient and movie soundtracks which I wouldn’t have incorporated into my sets before. I learn’t that playing 8 hours of the same style gets boring so weaving in between genres and playing an eclectic mix was far more satisfying not only for me but for the listeners. I also prefer not to be pigeon holed for one style, there’s so much seriousness and snobbery about techno and tech-house these days but at the end of the day it’s about dancing and having a good time.

And how has the club/Ibiza scene evolved in that time? What has come and gone, what has changed for better or worse?

When I first started going to Ibiza in 1998 the main nights were Manumission at Privilege, Home at Space, Renaissance and MOS at Pacha and Cream at Amnesia so you could easily choose which one to go to as they didn’t clash on the same night. It was very much UK promoters doing the big parties and now it’s a strong European mix of promoters with the likes of Cocoon, Music On, El Row, Circo Loco etc. 
DJ branded parties which is the norm these days was unheard of back then. I think one of the first DJ branded nights was Roger Sanchez at El Divino in 2001 (now Lio) where he’d play all night long. Now Solomon is the main man doing his +1 night at Pacha The terraces have now been replaced with pool parties and VIP tables. Like many others who went to Space during the first half of 2000’s we had so many great memories of that Terrace. I remember my first tracks being played by Deep Dish, James Zabiela, Steve Lawler and Sasha while the arrival planes flew overhead. Special times! Inevitably everything changes and although the island is geared more towards VIP with prices getting higher every year there’s still nowhere on earth like it. You can always find what you’re looking for in Ibiza, just gotta look harder these days.
What are some of the records that define that club/residency for you?

Oh my, not easy to narrow down but the 3 records that I’ve played the most during my time at Mambo are Vangelis – ‘Rachels Song’ (sunset), Loose Ends – ‘Hanging On A String’ (daytime), Salif Keita – ‘Madan’ (night time).
Any crazy or funny stories from the years playing there?

Most of the crazy stories involved Brandon Block and Alex P when they used to literally roll in and out of Mambo. I won’t go into much detail of their antics on here though. It was much more loose and random back then, DJs and celebs would show up unannounced and be part of the party without all the fuss which was the beauty of Ibiza back then. A funny story from 2005 was when DJ Fergie and his mates swam from Coastline all the way to Mambo and climbed over the rocks, stumbled across the sand into the DJ box and played a set for the next hour drenched in sea water. There was a real sense of freedom then

Tell us about promoting in Hong Kong – what was that like?

I arrived in Hong Kong in 2008 and was surprised to find a lack of good nightlife in terms of house music in a city of 6 million people. There’s a massive ex-pat community there who were crying out for underground music events at the time so I started doing Renaissance parties at small venues booking the likes of Satoshi Tomiie, Dave Seaman and Sander Klienenberg in 2009. It did take a while to build up but things started falling into place when I got the job as music director at Kee Club in Central. I brought over artists such as Joris Voorn, Nic Fancuilli, Nina Kraviz, Greg Wilson, Crazy P, Dimitri From Paris and Maxxi Soundsystem between 2011-12 which were some of the best times of my life. I learnt a lot over those 5 years and it opened up many opportunities which I wouldn’t have found in the UK. Hong Kong is still a 2nd home for me and I love Asia where I still spend a few months in the winter.

You play Ibiza this summer – what makes the island special for you?

Ibiza is a magnet. It brings like minded people and music lovers from all over the world back to the island every summer. One minute you can relax watching amazing sunsets and next you’re partying with a cosmopolitan crowd at some of the best clubs in the world. I still get butterflies each time I step of the plane.

Can you remember the first time you payed there, what was it like?

I first played Ibiza in 1999 when Pete Gooding invited me to play an hour at Mambo while I was on holiday. I can remember starting with Danny Tenaglia – ‘Loft In Paradise’ and kept it deep throughout but I was totally bricking it beforehand. Once you’re in the groove the nerves disappear fairly quickly. I still get nervous playing from time to time though, it’s probably one of the most photographed DJ booths in the world so we get lots of attention now compared to before.

And do you play differently when its sunny than it if is dark? Does it bring out a different side of you?

I’ll play slower and groovier in the day with more warmth, soul and melody. I tend to play deeper, techier and faster when it’s dark so yeah there’s definitely a contrast but all depends on the environment. Classic tracks work no matter what time of the day it is.

What are you working on next?

My next release ‘Aeon’ will be out on Stereo July 28th which has been getting great feedback. I’ll be back in Ibiza end of June to play In The Dark @ Hi with Joris Voorn, Nic Fancuilli and wAFF which looking forward to. I’ll be playing there a few times over the summer so will be nice to play the new club room and sound-system.
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