Ibiza: May 27th – 29th.
We speak to the key players…
First up, Pacha’s Danny Whittle, one of the original founders and co-ordinators…
Hi Danny, The IMS, a really important addition to the dance music world, how big do you think this conference/event can grow to – or do you want to keep it an ‘exclusive’ few days?
“The partners involved in the IMS are living and breathing it at the moment, we all really believe in it. We felt there was a real need for a more business like approach to electronic music. The reality is electronic music and dance music have been around a long time now and we feel that there are still many opportunities going missing on the business side. The genre that is electronic music has become big business, not only as in individual hit records but also in compilations, downloads and as soundtracks to computer games, TV shows and film, also through club nights and events worldwide. Our intention is to bring together the kind of people who want to push those sides further forward and to assist DJs, producers, managers and agents to tap into all the business that is available to them. Regarding the size of the IMS, the future will tell, our intention is to keep that intimate hard working atmosphere, if the demand is there then we will have to grow the event slightly but we will just have to get clever on how we deliver the content to the delegates. The key to these kind of things is good, interesting, valuable content that is well delivered.
The team behind the event is incredible, what do various people bring to the event?
“Well the partners have all been working in this scene for many years and we all started from the bottom and have tried to work our way up, adding all that experience up I have to agree with you that there is a real wealth of experience to be passed on. We all love the scene that we work in and really felt that we could give something back and help to progress the scene into many different directions, sometimes people may only be a little advice away from huge success and we hope to help provide that advise through the IMS. The five partners are myself, I suppose I specialize more in the nightclub, programming, brand and marketing side of our scene; Ben Turner who is more content and press and has a big brain when it comes to the scene. Pete Tong, well what can you say about Pete, I think he has one of the broadest overviews of everything dance music in the world and is a mine of experience. Mark Netto also is very much involved in programming events and logistics and last but by no means least is a very hard working Simeon Friend who is a master at logistics of events and events on Ibiza, also like Ben very clued up in the world of sponsorship and cross marketing. So this all said when we all sat down together and agreed to do this when we considered what we could all bring to the table it was a no brainer, we just had to get on and make it happen.”
Speakers confirmed for this year’s event include Richie Hawtin, Wall of Sound’s Mark Jones, Cathy Guetta from f**k me i’m famous, Cream’s James Barton, Enric Palau from the Sonar Festival – for people who attended last year’s event, can you explain the themes of the forums… what is discussed?
“We try and cover as many elements as possible, the whole point is to be able to take as many advantages as possible from whatever it is your doing, one of the panellists at last years summit put it perfectly when he said “your product, be that a DJ, a track, a software programme, a club night is like a bicycle wheel and the revenue streams are like the spokes in that wheel, the more revenue streams you have the more spokes you have so the stronger the wheel”. So in essence what we try and cover through the panels is what these revenue streams are and how you go about securing them. There is also insight into investment companies, the history and future of our scene. If you check out www.internationalmusicsummit.com and click on 2008 archive you can see some of the panels and who and what they were talking about.”
What was the highlight of 2008?
“The whole thing really, when the partners got together and decided to do this we really expected a muted response and that we would have to really build it over time. However, it all came together much better than any of us really thought. We received great feedback from some of the most active and professional people within our scene which is always a great buzz. Also to have 3 days were you can sit around brainstorming and gossiping with a few hundred of your peers is fantastic. We are really looking forward to the second IMS and feel from our experience with year one it’s just going to get better and better.”
You run the best nightclub in the world, Pacha in Ibiza. was it a wrench when Pete Tong moved to Eden last year?
“Of course, on a personal level Pete is a good friend and great to hang out with on the night of the gig. On a professional level for me fitted perfectly into that Friday night at Pacha spot, however our whole business has to keep moving around, it has to keep changing and embracing new things, Pete had an idea to try something new and I respect that, this left us in a position to change things up and we jumped at the chance. Pacha is 40 years old, we have worked with thousands of DJs in the past and will do in the future, in the words of sir alex “no one is bigger than the club”.
What is new for Pacha 2009?
“First thing is we have changed the main room around and have changed the position of the DJ booth and increased the size of the dance floor. We have also removed the stage from the middle of the room as we found that while the stage had performers on it it worked well but with no performers it felt a little flat, so we have moved it to the side of the room and it can now be utilized in better ways. Regarding the line up we have freshened it up quite a bit. On Mondays we have a new Swedish house mafia residency, can’t tell you about Tuesdays yet but as soon as the deal is done I will let you know, it’s gonna be a biggie! Erick Morillo is back on Wednesday and never fails to deliver. ‘F**k me I’m Famous’ with David Guetta is back on Thursdays which is always a roadblock. Fridays continue as Pure Pacha with Sander Kleinenberg becoming the weekly resident with guests. Sander rocked it last year and it’s great to have him onboard full time. Defected have now been moved from Tuesday to Saturday… Defected have a great stable of guests and that sound is perfect for Saturday nights at Pacha. Sunday will remain as ‘Flower Power’ and Pacha classics although I am in talks with an amazing DJ to take on a monthly residency as well, again I will let you know if it pans out. As you know we also have a Pacha hotel in Ibiza and from all our indications of bookings for both the club and the hotel, I have to say I think it’s going to be a really good summer.”
What is the best and worst thing about living in Ibiza?
“The best thing about living on ibiza is everything, I don’t want to bore you but it really is that good. You get the peace and tranquillity of the winter and the madness of the summer, Its a great balance and keeps life very interesting. Also in winter, Ibiza is a very social place, wherever you go you know someone. The only bad thing about Ibiza is the parking in Ibiza Town, although I ride a motorbike so it doesn’t really effect me. So on the whole, there is nothing bad.”
Tell is about the World Heritage site in dalt villa you have been kindly been provided with by the Council this year…
“Well its a 1500+ capacity outdoor venue in the ibiza old town castle. It has amazing views across the whole of Ibiza town and the ocean to Formentera. It has huge castle walls where we can do amazing projections and effects and it’s a 1000 year old world heritage site.Its a real honour the be given permission to use this venue to showcase some of the best artists in dance music and I have to say the town hall and consul of ibiza have been very positive with the whole IMS idea. This kind of venue has always been used for cultural style events, we were surprised when the town hall agreed with us that dance music is culture, it’s this generations culture and it should be given the same respect as other cultural sounds.”
How on earth do you keep it on a level running pacha seven nights a week for four months every year?
First, get good at saying no. I had a drink every time someone offered me one I would be pickled by the middle of June. It’s my job and I love it. I feel really lucky to be doing something I really love. Ultimately my job is about putting smiles on people’s faces by offering quality of venue and content. I am now 46 so to be honest I go to the club less than I used to but I have really good guys working with me – Mark Netto is totally on the ball with the club at night and our new boy James is making all the right moves since joining us. My intention is to move more into the business side of pacha. I started the record label Pacha recordings in 2000 and that’s getting stronger with a lot of help from Steve Hulme, our label manager. I also started the Pacha Magazine and we are opening more and more clubs and hotels around the world so I see myself moving more into that side of the business with more of an overview of the whole brand. Although I love the nightlife to go seven nights a week is a younger person’s bag and with Mark and James, I think we have it covered.”
What were your best club night at Pacha 2008?
“That’s a tough question because I had a great time at all ofthe nights, however if I have to go out on a limb and probably drop myself in the shit with some of the other nights, I would have to say the Wednesday night when the Swedish House Mafia took over for the night. It was Erick’s first night off in about 8 years so I was a little nervous, but the Swedes not only stepped up to the plate, but totally smashed it. They did Erick proud and left the Pacha crowd in tatters. Up the Swedes.
Second up, a music industry legend and another main player behind IMS… Ben Turner
Hi Ben, thanks for talking to DMC. So how important is IMS to the record industry world? Is it Miami in the making, did a lot of deals get done last year?
“IMS is a back to basics event focused around a back to business ethos. I remember my first WMC in 1996, and going to a DMC party with the Prince family, one of only three parties that opening night! I crave for that level of intimacy, where you had everybody in one room, a sense of unity, of sharing a belief. IMS is going back to those days, but with a forward-thinking philopsophy of change, change, change. Without wishing to sound like Obama, we want to help shape the future of the electronic music scene, and that means handpicked professionals in an intimate setting, sharing thoughts and visions, and helping shape change for labels, artists, managers, clubs and festivals. And if the brands want to get in the middle of it all and learn, well, that’s good news too.’
This year you have an hour long discussion with Richie Hawtin in front of some of dance music’s most famous luminaries, does doing something like that not phase you?
“I can’t wait. Last year it was Pete Tong in the chair, this year Richie Hawtin. I feel I have a lot of history and knowledge to share of the careers of artists like this, people I guess I’ve documented in great detail through various media outlets over the years, and people I’ve enjoyed some of the best times of my life with. As a former magazine editor (Muzik, Orbit, Pacha), you were always looking to get into the deeper side of artists to make magazines more readable, and to satisfy my own fascination. Richie to me is one of THE most iconic artists this scene can be proud of, and his thoughts are often the most astute, articulate and, yes, visionary. I was once accused of being obsessed with him back in the days of my dance pages in rock newspaper Melody Maker, but even then in 1993, Richie stood out as a maverick. His sets in the UK at that time were the stuff of legends: Lost, The Orbit, Full Circle. My first ever visit to America was in 1993, I stayed at Richie’s family home in Windsor, just across the border from Detroit, to document an event that he put on in a warehouse and it was a defining moment which when you look back, was packed with the people who are around him today in Berlin. That says a lot about him. The relevance to this is that even at a time when the original Detroit techno godfathers were slightly cynical about the media interest in Richie, he took me to seminal clubs like Heaven to hear the late Ken Collier (something that will live with me forever), he introduced me to Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, he just wanted to share his passion for the scene that inspired him. And looking back that also says a lot about him, it wasn’t about keeping international media for himself, he wanted to educate excitable, young journalists like me to ensure they got the history and facts correct, and to shine a light on the Detroitmovement, whilst of course expressing his own take on things musically. Will the interview phase me? Ask me again two minutes before we begin!”
So you are now an integral part of the Ibiza music world, your Pacha magazines are stupendous. What’s the attraction of this Balearic white island…?
“Thanks for the compliment. I first went to Ibiza in 1993, and I still haven’t moved there. I love dipping in, and dipping out. I need the buzz of a big city to be honest, and whilst I’ve spent large amounts of time in Ibiza and Miami, I need the bigger cities for the bigger picture. That said, I take great inspiration from seeing how content my IMS partners Danny, Simeon and Mark all are living there and still feeling as inspired by their work as I do. Ibiza is something that brings so many of us together, it gets you in the end, something that’s exemplified by somebody like Richie Hawtin who had terrible first experiencs on the island back in the mid-nineties and now adores it. In my own case, Ibiza struck me down on my first visit, I’d never seen anything like it. My circle of friends back then wanted to go to Tenerife and Gran Canaria, and I did reluctantly, until A Short Film About Chilling on Channel 4 changed my life and I made a friend come with me to Ibiza. He was destroyed on day three, I carrried on for eleven more nights, meeting Jose Padilla, Phil Mison, Darren Emerson, going to Pacha and Amnesia, just being inspired day after day, night after night. Like so many like me, I must be on my 200th trip to Ibiza now which equates to over £60,000 in Easyjet flights to the island. What more do you need to know?”
What do you think of the current state of the record industry in the UK?
“Pass. OK, I’ll answer it. I can speak for our own label Sunday Best which I run with Rob da Bank and Sarah Bolshi, that after ten years of graft, the label is making more money than it has since its inception which I put down to better A&R from Rob, but also being a better run business that is not tied to selling units or charting pop hits, but sticking to what it believes in and finding new forms of revenue and treating them as our main source of income – syncs in particular. I think the whole beauty of the IMS, and the reason industry legends like David Enthoven are attending, is that they can learn from our industry and vice versa. The electronic industry by its nature be light on its feet, it’s quick to react, we embrace technology, we’re the genre that can lead change. The UK is the same as anywhere else in the world, these are scary times, but as they say, the greatest fear is fear itself, and we hope the unifying feel of the IMS can help people through bad times.”
Is Spanish radio still shit?
“Ibiza radio has traditionally been poor, but in recent years Global and now Sonica both play important roles in directing party goers to the right events on the island. We admire Sonica a lot, they are partners with us this year, we feel their ethos is very close to the thinking of the partners within the IMS. As for mainstream Spain, I couldn’t tell you but Ibiza’s media is improving period and should be encouraged.”
What are yo most looking forward to at IMS 2009?
“I love the debate, I love the banter, I enjoy seeing people get passionate about their work, and I love the business of doing business. Anybody who is making their way to Ibiza to enjoy our content agenda is inspiring to me, that people trust our judgement, that people seem happy to roll with our timetable of events. A lot of people feel nervous about talking to their bosses and convincing them to let them attend because it’s in Ibizaand people see to find it funny when you mention business and the island in the same sentence. But IMS:08 was a focused business event, and we aim to keep it that way. The world does not need another Miami Winter Music Conference, they do that very well, what it does need is a Back to Business ethos to help shape the future of electronic music culture.”
What are the best Ibiza…
Restaurants?
“Es Caliu for rustic local food. Pacha restaurant to rub shoulders with your music community. Las Dos Lunas for the setting and the stars above. And Giardinetto for Italian fare with rose wine for lunch.”
Bars?
“El Privado at El Ayoun remains my most enjoyable environment. But I hope in 2009 to see some new additions, and we know of one very special one not too far from the IMS event…”
Beaches?
“I rarely get to the beach due to work pressures, and a difficult case of vitiligo which means I have to shelter from it. Which makes spending time in Miami and Ibiza very difficult, but makes me read more, and work more! I think I developed it in Ibiza from sleeping it off in the sun all day, and now I pay the price, but a small one in all honesty.”
Amazing you now have the backing of the Consell Insular d’Evissa…
“We’re very proud to have them on board. The President of Ibiza attended last year, and it was a true honour that we’d created such interest so early on. To have them as official partners is a testament to their understanding of the importance of dance culture, and to the hard work of my IMS partners on the island who have worked so hard to ensure the understanding is there and the relationship developed. We hope to do many things together with them. Whilst our reason for the IMS is about the international business community, we take very seriously being in Ibiza and being respectful of its creative industry.”
Tell us about your new venue where the event is based…
“Five-star hotel in Ibiza? Does it really exist? Well this is as close as it gets to the kind of palatial palaces we’ve enjoyed in Miami over the years. I have to say it has a special feel around the pool, something which takes me back to the Fountainbleu in Miami in terms of its intimacy, but with a modern contemporary South Beach feel, minus the dead bodies buried underneath (allegedly!).”
What was the best night you had in Ibiza 2008…
“Minus night at Cocoon towards the end of the season. Incredible event, I love the way Sven appears from the VIP for the last record out of respect for the DJ when he’s not playing, just the whole vibe of being locked into the future sound of our music world. And then the legendary after-party, with Sven, Magda, Richie etc. And playing Connect 4 in the dark at 10pm with Konrad Black who I have to say very quickly put me back in my box. Happy, Happy times.”