Back on the white isle to kick the shit out of Ocean’s Soul Heaven paradise
Interview : Nicky Trax
We catch up with Grant Nelson ahead of his Soul Heaven Pool Party set at Ocean Beach in Ibiza this Saturday. One of the UK’s original dance music producers who has delivered rave anthems to classic house tunes, versatile Grant is on top form and really looking forward to his return to the white isle. Here Grant talks about daytime parties in Ibiza 2014, how the music scene has changed and who he would like to share his DJ booth with…
Hey Grant welcome to DMCWORLD, you are back in Ibiza for the Soul Heaven Pool Party season at Ocean Beach on Saturday – how was your first party?
“Hi Nicky. I absolutely loved it. The venue is beautiful and I can’t wait to step up on the decks again!”
What is so special about daytime parties?
“I think people are just way more relaxed during daytime events. It’s all about enjoying some great music with friends in the sunshine and it doesn’t get a lot better than that really. But I’m going to bring shorts to the next event, damn that was hot!”
Do you have any favourite places to hang out on the island?
“Cafe Mambo is always worth a visit because you’ll bump into some proper characters – anybody from the island freak, complete with a dog on a string, to Hollywood celebs and everybody else you can think of in-between. Great buzz to start the night off.”
What is your big Ibiza all time top 10…
01.’Music Sounds Better With You’ – Stardust
“I got sent this record on a promo and blanked the life out of it. I thought it sounded under produced and the vocal was a bit cheesy. Then I heard it in Ibiza, can’t remember where it was, but I do remember the atmosphere is created. It was like dropping a pill. Now, every time I hear this record it reminds me of two thingsl; 1. How much of a plonker I was for not hearing how good it was originally and 2…watching one of my friends throw up (at the same club in Ibiza during that track) because he couldn’t handle the rush lol.”
02. ‘ You’re Mine’ – Guy S’Mone
“Such brilliant memories of hearing Rob Wallace dropping this at Kanya one afternoon and watching the place erupt. If there was ever a summer record…”
03.’ Stories’ – Izit
“This record just transports me back to Ibiza the second the needle hits the plastic. Classic feel good Balearic business.”
04. ‘Sandcastles’ – Dennis Ferrer & Jerome Sydenham
“If aliens landed and asked me what all this Ibiza stuff was about, I’d play them this record. An 8 minute lesson on how it’s done.”
05. ‘The Energy’ – Astrotrax feat. Shola Phillips
“Very fond memories of being with a bunch of friends in Es Paradis and all of us singing the chorus to this at the top of our voices.”
06. ‘So Many Times’ – Gadjo! Feat. Alexandra Prince
“A monster piano jam that simply takes the roof off!”
07. ‘Stella’ – Jam & Spoon
“A record to get truly lost to, and I have, many times.”
08. ‘Pjanoo’ – Eric Prydz
“Such a massive track everywhere but in Ibiza this had many a club’s trousers down!”
09. ‘Deep Burnt’ – Pepe Bradock
“I just think of Space every time I hear this. An after hours classic.”
10. ‘King Of My Castle’ – Wamdue Project
“One of those tracks that just brought everybody together no matter what your particular genre of choice was.”
You’ve remixed many A-list artists in the past and is there anyone current that you’d love to take the time to rework a track for?
“No not really. I’ve never taken on a remix based purely on the artist, the song is a much bigger factor for me, which means that potentially any of them could go under the Nelson knife.”
So, having recorded with and remixed some of the biggest names out there, released stacks of original tunes, and played at some of the world’s best clubs, what else do you have planned for the future?
“Hmm, to be honest I’ve never really thought about it. I started doing this at a very young age so it’s just something that I’ve always done. I guess one day I might get around to writing the screenplay that I’ve had in my head for years though.”
House has definitely changed over the years. Are there specific things that you appreciate about the way the music and the scene has progressed or things that you miss?
“I think the production standards are much higher now that technology has made incredible processing possibilities accessible to everybody, but that has also opened the door to an influx of sub-standard music. I miss record shops. They were the filter that is missing today. Sure, back in the day anybody with enough money to press up 1,000 white labels could release a record, but if the shops didn’t stock it, nobody would ever hear it. Download stores just offer anything that anybody wants to release for sale which has totally swamped the market resulting in two main issues. 1) You can’t find anything as there is just too much content and not enough time for anybody to dig through it all, and 2) A lot of DJ’s become very lazy, opting to only buy from the top sellers or DJ’s they respect charts. This is preventing any new great music from being heard (unless it’s being released on a handful of labels)and also resulting in DJ’s all playing the same records.”
What’s the best thing about DJing/producing/remixing for a living?
“You mean apart from the fact that it’s not a real job? Having the freedom to enjoy your life on your time table, not anybody else’s, is one of the major benefits for sure.”
Where is the most exotic location that you’ve played?
“I played at a wedding at a military fort in Rio De Janiero, which was an amazing location. I walked out of the main hall where the dance floor was into the gardens and I was standing right on the edge of a cliff watching the waves crashing in below. It was pretty incredible!”
Finally, if you could share a DJ booth, spinning records with anyone past or present, who would it be and why?
“Derren Brown, I have no idea what he’d play, but sod that, just so I could ask him if he really is the devil.”
Grant Nelson plays the 2nd of three Exclusive dates at the Soul Heaven Pool Party season at Ocean Beach, Ibiza kicking off the festivities this Saturday July 19th from midday onwards and catch his set live on Ibiza Sonica Radio between 5pm and 7pm. Joined by monthly resident and guests including Norman Jay, Joey Negro, Sy Sez and special Guest, Kenny Dope, Soul Heaven runs every Saturday until September 27th.
