Alan and Christian Anadón – owners of the world famous Café Mambo in Ibiza – exclusive interview
Interview : Dan Prince
Alan, Christian welcome to DMCWORLD, where in the world are you today?
“Hi Dan. We’re on the sunset strip in Ibiza running the show!!”
Cool. Well let’s kick back for a moment. You two were lucky enough to be born into a world of music via your father and his venue empire in Ibiza. What are your earliest musical memories growing up?
“Our mum on Karaoke – making us practice singing “La Bamba” for our Scottish grandmother!”
I have known you since your school days…what were your early ambitions for a career…was it always going to be somewhere in music?
“House music has been in our blood since we were under 10 years old. We wouldn’t have it any other way!”
How would you describe your DJing style?
“Fun and grooooovy!!”
You had some of the greatest ‘tutors’ imaginable helping you to learn the art of DJing back in the day…who were the greatest help to you?
“Roger Sanchez who we used to watch play at Mambo every single Monday for 10 years. Steve Lawler because he used to give us some of the promo records he used to receive. And Pete Tong for always selecting the best tunes for the bar. We could be mentioning DJs who have helped and inspired us all day long to be honest!”
You recently played at Pacha and Gatecrasher on the island, two completely different clubs and vibes. How were those nights…?
“Playing in Pacha felt like what we imagine it must feel for a football player to play in Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabeu stadium!! We were a bit nervous but we brought the trophy home!! And Gatecrasher was special because it was our first ever hometown gig in San Antonio – so lots of family and friends came down to support us! The rest of it is a blur!! Too much Mambo Hierbas!!”
Guys – cool as fuck photo of you cliff jumping with Steve Aoki last week in Ibiza. This man is crazy right?
“He is awesome! Next time we go cliff jumping with him we are going to bring two pros…he makes us look so bad at it!!”
Who in your opinion, are the 3 best sunset DJs Mambo has ever seen…?
“Apart from the Mambo residents Andy Baxter, Jason Bye, Dee Montero and Danny O…we would say Trentemoller, Laurent Garnier and Pete Gooding, who has just compiled our latest 20th anniversary compilation with Universal Records!”
Have you ever been starstruck in Ibiza?
“Yes!! Meeting Mickey Mouse on the Space Terrace back in the day J.”
Nuff said. What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Patrick Topping – Forget
Jaceo – 69
Marco Farone – Overvision
Cajmere, Riva Starr – Robots (Weiss Remix)
Alex Tepper – Ids Ate My Ego
Ten Walls – Walking with Elephants
Aaaron – What makes you Itch
Rachel Row – L Square (Adam Port Remix)
Roman Fluegel – More More More
Gemini – Where Do I Go
Over the years there have been rumours of a Café Mambo expansion…London, Barcelona, hotels have all been mentioned. So what is the latest…will we be seeing any new Mambo’s around the world soon?
“Yes we have a lot of exciting plans for this!! At the moment we are working hard on Mambo On Tour, bringing the Mambo vibe and Mambo Hierbas to many cities all over the world!”
What is the one song that always reminds you of Ibiza?
“’Club Tropicana’ – it’s an island classic!”
So you have a rare night off. What club and DJ would be your dream evening/day out in Ibiza?
“Well, our dad would never give us a night off…but if he did, we would start the night wakeboarding at sunset, then have dinner with some friends and head to Pacha for Insane – we love Friday nights with John Digweed, Dennis Ferrer, MK, and the crew.”
Miami WMC must seem like a million years ago now, what were some of your ‘take home’ memories from that trip in March?
“DJing for the first time in Miami as Mambo Brothers with Oliver $, Dennis Ferrer, Kenny Dope, Tensnake, Kevin Saunderson for Insane and Pacha.”
Something your father once said in an interview… “For me the essence of Cafe Mambo is Ibicenco hospitality, and looking after every single person.” In your opinion, do you think this is a belief that maybe more venue owners in Ibiza should have??
“Yes! Ibiza is about being authentic and making friends along the way.”
The image of San Antonio was tarnished in the 90s thanks to a Sky television series. Since then the counsel and people of the town have worked tirelessly to improve both the look and image. You must be happy with San Antonio these days, it’s a completely different place…?
“For us, it’s one of the most beautiful towns in the Med. Best sunset, best hidden beaches and coves and some of the best restaurants.”
What is the 1 record that…
Reminds you of first discovering dance music?
“There are many that come to mind, but in particular Jason Bye playing ‘Magic Carpet Ride’ by The Mighty Dub Katz.”
Reminds you of having your heart broken?
“’Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ by the Shirelles.”
ALWAYS gets you dancing?
“’Sugar is Sweeter’ by CJ Bolland, remixed by Armand van Helden.”
…you wish you would have made yourselves?
“’Girl You Know It’s True’ by Milli Vanilli.”
Your favourite beach and restaurant on the island?
“Cala Gracioneta! A tiny beach a few minutes north of San Antonio. The beach restaurant there makes the best champagne sangria! It’s where we escape to when we have a few hours off…”
And finally, the 2014 summer season has started really well on sunset strip…who are some of the DJs you are looking forward to seeing this summer down at Mambo?
“There is so much we are looking forward to!! In particular, Steve Aoki and his deep house sets – every time he comes he delivers something unexpected and exciting. And also Solomun, Duke Dumont, Fatboy Slim, Pete Tong, Roger Sanchez, Bob Sinclar, Gorgon City, Eats Everything, Guy Gerber, Luciano, MK, Tensnake…”
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