Bedrock unleash one of the albums of the summer – Underground Sound Of Ibiza
Hey John welcome back to DMCWORLD, where on planet dance are you today?
“Hi Dan, I’m a plane going home from Ibiza after another successful night at Insane at Pacha. Then packing my bags and leaving for Mexico and EDC in Vegas this weekend.”
Your Bedrock label is absolutely firing at the moment, a massive new Denis A long player dropping and also the new ‘Underground Sound of Ibiza’ – your first ever Balearic album release. Talk us through the concept of this double CD, I know you are especially pleased with the downtempo disc…
“The Miami ones we do have been going from strength to strength with the last CD selling out in 2 months and on the back of my second year residency at Pacha and my regular guest spots at Cafe Mambo, it seemed like the perfect time to do an album like this. Scott and I went through some amazing music to get both discs sounding great but we are both really pleased at the final result of the downtempo poolside disc, there really are some beautiful pieces of music on there. Hats off to everyone involved in the project as the tracks they have done or remixed really knock it out of the park.”
You cannot walk through the streets of Eivissa without seeing racks upon racks of new Ibiza albums. How aware were you of that and why does the Bedrock release stand out from all the competition?
“I think the style of most of the standard Ibiza comps is the current big names and remixes and geared maybe towards a more commercial audience and sound so we haven’t set out to compete against those releases. We’ve kept true to our sound on this one and as with Miami the music is definitely Underground with tracks from the likes of Misstress Barbara, Dave Angel etc. We’ve also tried to offer a bit of diversity with the downtempo disc being for those lazy days and the uptempo side being much more of a night time vibe.”
If you had to pick a couple of tracks from the release, what are the tunes that really shouts out IBIZA to you?
“Ramon Tapia & Stavroz’s ‘Havana’ has been a massive track for me for the past few months and is a perfect summer release for the festivals and Ibiza parties, it’s got a great groove and then a fantastic trumpet break down that really goes off on the dancefloor and the feedback we are getting so far from the few tastemakers who have been playing it is that it will be one of their summer anthems – which we are really pleased about. On the other side of the CD, the downtempo stuff Pig&Dan gave us for the downtempo disc is really special as well, so watch this space for a long player from Pig&Dan coming soon on Bedrock which is like nothing we’ve ever done before as a label nor them as an artist…but it is very special indeed.”
The last 2 seasons in Ibiza has seen you enjoying a residency at Pacha’s ‘Insane’ Friday nighter. With your worldwide touring it was quite a surprise to many when you accepted the offer, why was it attractive to you?
“I think being able to play in any club on a regular basis allows you to really get a feel for the room and build certain records over the season. I think Steve has done an amazing job with the line ups for the Friday nights at Pacha and I am really pleased to be part of it. Last week there was a bunch of girls who had come down to hear MK and loved what I played so much they made a point of coming over to tell me, also that they had never heard me play before but would be making a point of coming to see me somewhere soon. When you hear things like that it also shows that I am not just playing to my fan base but also winning some new ones.”
The Fridays are well under way now, how are they comparing to 2013?
“This year seems to be way up on last year already, The word seems to be out that Fridays at Pacha are really strong and I think the next few weeks are only going to get better. Moving the booth to the floor has also helped all the DJs connect with the crowd a lot more.”
We checked you out with MK doing the Café Mambo sunset a few weeks back, it’s a great way to start your Friday isn’t it?
“It’s a magical spot for many people and a beautiful sunset spot to start your weekend or night off. The guys at Cafe Mambo are fantastic and the vibe they have created there is always friendly and upbeat so it’s no wonder everyone wants to head down as it really feels rather magical and the perfect setting to play some beautiful music.”
As soon as you leave Ibiza Airport you are met with dozens of club billboards promoting superstar DJs and their events. Yards down the road you are met by the sight of the five star hotels Ushuaia and Hard Rock nestled on the Playa d’en Bossa coastline. In your opinion, is all this cash pouring into Ibiza a good thing and a positive step in the right direction, or are we in danger of losing this unique island to the money men?
“Investment is good as long as it does not change things took much in one direction, I think the beauty of this island is that you can go mega commercial clubbing or serious underground clubbing or somewhere in between nearly every night of the week. The island attracts such a wide range of clubbers so its down to the promoters to put on memorable nights in whatever genre and people will come back again and again because this is a very special place to party.”
Can you remember the first time you ever stepped onto the white isle…your first thoughts on the place?
“Yes the promoters who I was playing for picked me up and we went to the apartment that they were staying at, the landlord turned up and kicked them out for being too noisy so I was sat in the outside in the searing heat on my record box thinking wtf am I doing here? Things did get better after that thankfully.”
What is the 1 song that always reminds you of Ibiza?
“Art of Noise – ‘Moments in Love’.”
So you have a night off in Ibiza, what club and DJ do you go and check out?
“It might surprise some people but I do go and check out the other nights when I am in Ibiza. Last year was a bit hard as I was in and out most weekends this year I want to check out Enter for sure.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
1, Tiefschwarz – Fire It Out feat. Ruede Hagelstein (Tiefschwarz Extende
2, Damian Lazarus & The Ancient Moons – Lovers’ Eyes (Carl Craig Remix)
3, Ramon Tapia & Stavroz – Havana
4, Daniel Avery – Knowing We’ll Be Here
5, Dave Angel – Voodoo / Tomahawk
6, Sasha Carassi – Tale of Memories
7, Marco Bailey – Cataleya
8, Alex Niggemann – Materium
9, Martin Buttrich & Audiofly – 9th Configuartion
10, Luca Bacchetti – The Space Between Us
And finally, what is coming out next from the mighty Bedrock label?
“The Ramon Tapia & Stavroz ‘Havana’ release is imminent and we are hoping from the reactions so far that this single will be one of those records that is played throughout the whole summer by a huge cross section of DJs. The Versus project I did with Nick Muir and a load of my favourite producers last year has also been remixed by some amazing artists so we should be getting them out soon. We also have an outstanding album project forthcoming from Pig&Dan which is a gorgeous downtempo album fusing jazzy pianos, strings, vocals and a bit of rap. It reminds me of the Kruder & Dorfmeister DJ Kicks album as it holds so many different styles of music…but works very well as a whole.”
Underground Sound of Ibiza
2xCD / Digital
Released July 7th 2014
CD1. Poolside / Daytime
1. King Unique – Brakes Pads
2. Charlie May – Barely Audible
3. The Japanese Popstars – Out Of Nowhere – Reprise
4. Jemmy – Waterloo Blues – Ambient Version
5. Charlie May – We Control Everything
6. Oniris feat. Pat Brooks – The Rebirth – Blissed Out Mix
7. Ramon Tapia & Stavroz – Havana – Downtempo Mix
8. Jimmy Van M & Affkt feat Luxor T – Dreams – Ibiza Summer Balearic Remix
9. Mantis – Stargazing
10. Pig & Dan – Sahara
11. Mantis – Roots
12. Pig & Dan – On The Rocks
13. King Unique – Brakes feat. Packard Ghost
CD2. Clubside / Night time Unmixed
1. Marc Marzenit – Fictional Crossover
2. Marco Bailey – Cataleya
3. Sasha Carassi – Tale of Memories
4. Ramon Tapia & Stavroz – Havana – Dub
5. Eagles & Butterflies – Hypernova
6. Ian O’Donovan – Atoll
7. Richie G – Puzzle Love
8. Misstress Barbara – Tenno 5
9. Dave Angel – Tomahawk Dub
10. Guy J – Lamur – Sebastien Léger Remix
