DJ Paulette speaks to Ibiza’s most in demand DJ and head honcho at Seamless Recordings
Interview : DJ Paulette
Hi Graham, as current resident for Pacha (from Ibiza Rocks House to Aoki’s Playhouse to Solomun + 1, Pure Pacha and Bob Sinclar’s ‘Paris By Night’), resident at KM5 and Savannah and head honcho for Seamless Recordings – and ranking as one of the busiest residents on this fair island, DMC salutes you and says a huge thanks for stopping the Sahara work sandstorm for just long enough to do this Q&A! So first things first…
If you were stranded in the Sahara desert and a genie popped up what would your three wishes be ?
“Can I have a an endless supply of water, my family and some music. Three things I couldn’t be without.”
As exotic as your surname sounds I believe you’re a brummy…is this correct ?
Arr our kid, I am indeed!”
I remember having an amazing conversation with you at Pacha not so long ago (I was a bit the worst you maybe not so much) where you regaled me with a story about djs who come from the same neck of the woods as you. The story involved Steve Lawler, Andy Baxter and Danny Howells is that correct?
“Yes Andy Baxter, Steve Lawler and Pete Gooding and I are all from the same small part of Birmingham called Solihull. There is also Jim Breese from Hed Kandi as well. Then from Birmingham you could also add Funkagenda, Phil Gifford, Patrick Smoove, Ken Fan and Reza and quite a few more after that.”
Is there something special in the Solihull water or gene pool that creates top international DJs?
“It would appear so, maybe we have an unusual amount of Fluoride or something in there!”
Do all the A list DJs go to Birmingham City FC matches together when you’re at home or is this a messed up DJ fantasy of mine ?
“Well if we did as we all live here in Ibiza for a lot of the year there would probably be no supporters left at the ground! lol But I know Andy is a Villa fan so he wouldn’t come with us. Although saying that I have been with quite a few other DJs over the years.”
Every time I am in the booth with you I find it impossible to take a picture of you. You’re always moving and you are a photographer’s nightmare. Do you ever stand still for a second ?
“Not really, I’m rather hyperactive so to speak and I love music and so I just have to dance, if I’m not dancing when I’m playing there must be something seriously wrong!”
How did you make the progression from dancing DJ to heads down label owner.
“Well getting older priorities change and I’ve just looked to progress in the industry so jsut slowly made a progression into more of the music business rather than just DJ’ing and Production. It also help when you know more about the music business when it comes to signing tracks to labels. you know a decent deal when you see it!”
When you started Seamless did you think it would grow to be the independent compilation and releases monster that it has become ?
“Well there’s myself and Ben Sowton at Seamless, and Ben started Bargrooves many years ago which he then licensed to Defected and we began together really pushing Seamless together. He knew a lot about the back end of the music business deals etc etc and has been teaching me a lot about that and me being on the front line DJ’ing all the time, I’d like to think I am up to date on current sounds and trends and it seems to work well for us together as a team.”
What’s the trick to making a seamless, Seamless compilation ?
“Spending a lot of time listening to music both released and unreleased and also listening to other DJ’s playing, whilst i am not looking for their exact set list you can see what others are doing and how it works with the crowd. Then when selecting tracks for a compilation it’s a bit easier to make something that you know will appeal to people to actually buy it. Then concept, name and the branding of a compilation is very important. Then add that to knowing how people actually search and buy their music. The digital and physical music business is a very difficult thing to be successful at….but it’s possible.”
Is it important to champion new music in a compilation or should it be familiar, hands in the air artillery?
“It is important to champion new tracks and artists, but like any DJ set, people also want to know a quite a few of the tunes, as that will draw them into buy the compilation and then they hear other music and get into the tracks and those artists. It’s all about getting the blend right.”
I’ve seen compilations for Savannah, Es Vive on your roster amongst many others, how many compilations has Seamless been behind this season and is there a difference between the track listing curated for a hotel, a beach bar and a club night ?
“This year we’re doing about 16 different compilations which range from underground such as Flying Circus with Audiofly and Blond:ish and Creche with Alexis Raphael and Cozzy D to more Boutique Hotels such as Boutique Hostal Salina, with David Phillips & PBR Streetgang Hotel Es Vive, with Iban Mendoza and Giuliano A.L. and Gecko Beach in Formentera with Chris Coco and Danny O. Then we’re doing other albums like Savannah (myself and Jason Bye), Ocean Beach (Kenny Dope and Tom Crane), We Love After Dark (Mr Doris and A Skillz) Purobeach (Ben Sowton and Sebas Ramis), We have 2 in house brands – Crowd Pleasers – centred around the main music events – Ibiza Opening and Closing, Miami, Amsterdam and another in-house brand called Best Nights Ever…this current release is titled Ibiza Boat Party (which we have John Moss and Ben mixing) I’ve probably forgotten some along the way there. Really the difference is the sound of any given venue, club brand, and artist who is compiling it. We normally get artists who are residents or regularly play at the venue or club night to mix the comps as they should know better than anyone the sound of the venue and so the CD will represent that brand perfectly.”
How long does it take to license all the tracks for a compilation ? Is it difficult ?
“Anyone who has ever done licensing knows it’s a right ball ache! The you have to do anything up to like 30 different deals for a CD and if you are doing 10 CD’s that’s up to 300 deals. It takes up a lot of time and effort, emails and deal breaking. Then in the end you’ll probably end up waiting on one label to come back to you which is key to the mix. Still I normally find the comps that take the longest and are the hardest to do, actually turn out the best.”
Do you have any time to make your own productions with your crazy dj / label schedule ?
“I do but maybe not as much time as i would like. I’ve just had a release come out on Lapsus Music the label from Supernova, which Roger Sanchez has been dropping a lot. Then I have quite a few other ones on Seamless. I’m not so fussed about trying to release like 10 a year. There’s stacks of great music about i would rather put out 3 or 4 quality tracks a year that 10 or 12 mediocre ones.”
You are now a resident at one of the finest clubs in the world, Pacha, did you ever think that this would be where your journey would take you when you started out ?
“I don’t think so really, I came in the 90’s just looking to find work as a DJ and see where it took me. Over the years I’ve played guest spots or had residencies in most of the venues here but I just appear to find my niche spot at Pacha, where I first played in 98 and have been a resident at since 2002.”
Can you remember your first night as a resident in the main room at Pacha ? How did you feel and do you have any funny stories to relate about that night ?
“I think I was playing with Sarah Main in the winter time, and she warmed up for me which seemed kind of crazy to me, but she was great, she knew my vibe and made the effort to play the kind of music that would be easy for me to follow. It went really really well and everyone was happy, as for funny stories well there wasn’t really any on that night I was quite nervous and so well behaved, but there’s been a lot of water under that bridge and the nerves have long since gone!”
Does your set change dramatically depending on which DJ or party you are warming up for ?
“Yes for sure. From when I opened for Tiesto and SHM well obviously the crowd come expecting a certain sound and likewise for Defected and Solomun. You have to cater for the crowd and the DJ you’re warming up for. At the end of the day it’s about being professional and not trying to make yourself the star of the night as that’s a sure fire way to make sure you don’t get rebooked to open for them again.”
I believe you are also married – where does Graham Sahara the dj stop and Graham Sahara the family man begin ?
“With the label and DJ’ing most nights I find in the summer it’s a very busy time and so try and keep the label like a normal 9 to 5 thing DJ’ing at night and then have the weekends and a bit of family time in the evenings. but it’s very hard to do that as you have to prepare for sets before going to work, so it’s very hard work to squeeze everything in and do all that needs to be done and have quality family time. Good job my wife and kids are very understanding. Then in the winter I get to spend more time with them which is great.”
How easy is it to strike a work / life / party balance on this island ?
“It ain’t easy I’ll tell you that. If you are a resident you do long hours for not quite the same pay as the superstars 😉 so you need to work extra and as many days as possible to make some cash to live in the winter. After a few years of living here whilst everyone still likes a party, it’s not like your first Summer, where you will probably have been to every party and club possible during the summer. Once you get that out of your system it becomes a little easier to pick and choose, and so strike up a good balance of party work and life.”
What do you do and where do you go to wind down when you are not working ? And where do you recommend to party?
“For me, you’ll probably find me down at Father Jacks in Figueretas, It’s my local pub where all my friends go so I find it easy to relax down there, plus they have the football on! After that I suppose just chilling with my family at home or say in the Plaza del Parque at Madagascar. I like the chilled vibes. and nothing too hectic these days. But party recommendations, well I would say Pacha’s Funky Room is always a winner and DC10 on Mondays, then I really like the opening and closings of the smaller venues on the island like KM5, Amante, El Ayoun. Then Underground is another top spot to check out. There’s so many places you can go to nowadays I am pretty sure everyone has heard of the major ones, but there’s some great spots to go to that you might not have heard about and you just need to be open and give them a try. You’d be surprised!
Before you pick up your headphones, do you mind telling us where the Graham Sahara dates and compilations juggernaut is due to pull in next ?
“Well the Savannah Ibiza CD that i did with Jason Bye came out on the 30th June, then i am just starting to compile for the Seamless Sessions Crowd Pleasers Ibiza Closing Party CD which will be out in September. That’s obviously going to include some of the tracks of the summer of which there are some crackers this year. Then DJ wise you can find me every Tuesday doing the sunset at Savannah where I play a more personal from the heart choice of music from my collection rather than house aimed and rocking the dance floor. Then you can find me in Pacha in the different rooms 5 times a week! I’ll be heading to Sweden on the 26th July, Mallorca 4 time in 5 weeks and France after that.”
You’ve been in Ibiza for 20 years, have become a family man and a resident and now are deeply entrenched in the Spanish way of life here. You’ve seen massive change already but how do you see the island evolving in the next 20 and do you , think you will still be living here ?
“I don’t think I’ll be returning to the UK to be honest. I’ve changed a lot personally from the person I was when living in the UK, I love the Spanish way of life and I love this island. I would find it heart breaking to leave here. The island has changed massively over the last 20 years but like all things in life change is needed, otherwise it goes stagnant. I think there will be lots more changes over the years and I think more and more people from further a field will come here. I’ve seen a rise in the people from the US, Australia and places like India and China coming over, which adds to the cosmopolitan aspect of the Europeans that have been coming for years. It’s been massively popular with Europeans for ages now and Ibiza has become a huge global brand in its own right and that will just attract more and more people from further away. I think the future is very bright for this island. There’s been a lot of investment on the island and whilst some people don’t approve, they will come around eventually and realize that gradual changes are always needed.”
How far would you go to win a bet?
“Well I’ll go as far as to learn another language! Whilst I was “on top form” in France at my last gig there, as I’ve been there many times before, I bet the owner of the club a large sum of money that I would speak French fluently the next time I come over. So I suppose I’m going to have to learn French now. Has anyone got a teach yourself French books I can borrow? lol.”
You’re asking the right person there as I have the complete set of Michel Thomas CDs and countless phrase books here for you to library lend whenever you’re ready you nutcase! Well, that’s it, the sands on my egg timer have stopped flowing so it’s time to let you go. Thank you so much for your time, now go and whip up a storm at your next gigs. All the best from me and DMC!
“Thanks to all of you for having me on DMC. It’s been a pleasure!”
