One of the new residents at Sankeys Ibiza that everyone is talking about right now
Interview by Dan Prince
Kellie a huge welcome to DMCWORLD…where in the world are you right now?
Hey, thank you very much for having me! I am on a wonderful little island called Ibiza and things are certainly hotting up quickly around here! Summer 2016 is only a blink away!
What was the first piece of music you heard this morning after opening your eyes?
It was the alarm on my phone actually, which is set to ‘Erykah Badu – Cel U Lar Device’ – anyone who knows me well will know I’m a big fan of the Badu and this track is from her latest album ‘But You Cain’t Use My Phone’ which is an entire album made up of songs based on our relationship with mobile phones. It’s a stroke of musical genius!
A really exciting time for you at the moment with the incredible Sankeys Ibiza journey you are embarking on, congratulations! But let’s find out how you got here first….it seems you have music running through your veins, what is your earliest memory of music?
Incredible indeed, my feet haven’t touched the ground in a month! My earliest memory of music, hmmm let me think…I remember getting a bright yellow electronic keyboard for Christmas. I’ve just got off the phone to my Mum actually and asked her when I got it…She said I was a little over 3 years old. I played the piano by ear all the way up until 2 years ago when I started taking lessons and began learning to read and play classical pieces of music which is now one of my most favourite things to do, I especially love playing pieces composed by Einaudi…So there we go! It stemmed back from when I was ickle!
What genre was your first music love?
It was all about pop music growing up. Girlbands, boybands, Top Of The Pops and Smash Hits Magazine. I was obsessed with being a singer in a group and idolised The Spice Girls, All Saints, and Destiny’s Child among a string of others.
At what age did dance music first appear on your radar?
I was a big Garage head through my teens which was when I started mixing with vinyls. But even before that I remember hearing ‘Higher State Of Consciousness’ for the first time on my ‘Now That’s What I Call Music’ tape pack. I was eleven. I remember staying over at my Nan & Granddad’s house for the night and I was in bed listening to it on my walkman when I probably should’ve been asleep. I rewound it back so many times, obsessed with the sound as it was like nothing I’d ever heard before! Don’t think the grandparents would’ve appreciated it though…
Early DJ/club/big tune experiences?
Creamfields was the first music festival I ever went to and was a game-changer! Absolutely covered in mud, soaked from the rain and it was probably the roughest I’ve ever felt afterwards but it changed my life forever! I trudged out of there completely obsessed with House music and decided I needed to do something about it so that I could be involved in music full-time.
When did you start to think that a career in music was what you wanted to do?
Again it was from a very young age, throughout my school years. I didn’t understand the full picture back then and just saw the glamour of performing on-stage. I’m now in a position having worked hard on my music since I was seventeen, where I’m now also involved in the business side of the scene, as well as continuing to develop my own music career. It’s challenging having that 360-degree involvement – it can do little for your esteem as an artist knowing how brutal the industry is. But on the flip-side, I’ve learnt some invaluable lessons in music business along the way which I’m really thankful for.
What did your family think of this idea?
They’ve always been very supportive, thankfully. There wasn’t any pressure on me to follow a certain career path, I’ve always been at liberty to do what I wanted in terms of my work and goals. I’ve flitted between so many jobs trying to be ‘responsible’ and ‘sensible’ but it was only up until a few years ago that I realised those jobs would never satisfy me, no matter how big the pay check was at the end of the month! My parents, brother and extended family really root for me which has had a positive influence on my ambitions and I know they will continue to do so. They’re actually due over here next month to watch me play at Sankeys and I can’t wait! It’ll be really cool for them to see me in action and understand what I’ve been getting up to recently!
Let’s be honest, if you hadn’t have gone into music, what do you think you’d have ended up doing?
I just know it would have been something creative. When the going got a bit tough in the past and I had a bit of a wobble (as we all do, I’m sure) I contemplated retraining as a make-up artist. I love theatrical/stage make up so I think I would’ve enjoyed that. I actually worked as a body painter in Ibiza in my first proper year for party-goers heading to The Zoo Project! And I absolutely love turning myself into something gruesome for Halloween in Ibiza!
The last great…
Book you read
I’m still reading it in fact… It’s called ‘Clean’ by Alejandro Junger and is a program to restore the body’s natural ability to heal itself. Fascinating and involves a 21 day detox (which I’m yet to embark on but have seen very positive results from a friend who recommended the book to me. Once it’s finished, the detox begins!).
Film you saw
Interstellar – Mind-bending, gripping, thought-provoking…I’ve watched it three times!
Piece of advice you were given…
“Stop worrying about what other people around you are achieving and focus on being the best that YOU can be” – I still have to remind myself of this at times. It’s about bringing the focus back to yourself, realising your own gifts and honing in on that talent because it’s uniquely yours, and it defines you. So if you master your art well and keep the faith then I believe you will always shine.
What were your first steps into the world of music, I understand you attended The BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology?
Yes, after high school I secured a place upon audition at The BRIT School in London. I enrolled onto the Musical Theatre diploma and was singing, dancing and acting five days a week. They would hold external auditions at the school sometimes and it was one of those auditions which led to me joining a female vocal group and making the decision to leave the college after 18 months. It was a difficult decision to make at the time but my study was being affected to the point that I was missing classes to be in the studio and eventually I was asked by the school to make a choice. I knew I could perform well and although my development over the next couple of years there would’ve undeniably helped me, I knew I didn’t need a diploma to determine if I could sing and songwrite. So I took a leap of faith and I left!
What was the dream back then? To sing, produce, DJ, play the coconuts on a cruise ship…?!?!
The dream was to sing my heart out and write music 100%. The group I was a part of wasn’t your typical manufactured pop group. We wrote all of our own songs, worked out the arrangements, harmonies, vocal dynamics, rehearsed live with a band and spent 3-4 days per week in the studio with a producer getting it right. We marketed ourselves, did the craziest, most terrible gigs in the world – I think the worst was performing outside the entrance of Sainsbury’s in Canvey Island! They made a stage area out of upturned shopping baskets and we performed to OAPs doing their afternoon shop and the boys from the bakery department. It was testing times for 5 young girls, I was only seventeen at the time. But, I believe it laid the foundations for everything that I know now.
How did the whole DJing side of your life begin…
Well as I mentioned before, I started out mixing Garage on my neighbour’s turntables after school when I was fifteen. I used to MC too, ha! But after I started at The BRIT School my focus shifted to singing, writing and recording songs over the course of ten years before DJing came back into my life again. I was vocalising over a lot of House tracks and had signed to Toolroom Records in 2011 as a singer/songwriter and that was when my thirst for playing came back again. By that point a lot had changed and I saved up for a pair of CDJ 900s and a basic mixer and I took them with me to Ibiza where my new journey began…
Early tunes you were playing?
I remember buying my first vinyl at my local market. It was Azzido Da Bass – Doom’s Night
DJs you were looking up to back then?
EZ, Tuff Jam (I recently closed for Matt Jam Lamont at Sankeys which was a real honour and scary as hell!) M.J Cole, Artful Dodger, Todd Edwards. Vocalist-wise I was a massive fan of Craig David, Shola Ama and Robbie Craig.
Tell us about your first trip to Ibiza…
My first trip to Ibiza was in 2008 for ten days! I wouldn’t be able to do a stint like that over here now as a holiday-maker that’s for sure! We were a big group of girls staying in ‘Pikey Park’ in San Antonio and as much as I loved it at the time, I didn’t have a clue about what Ibiza really had to offer me.
…and how did the whole ‘living’ in Ibiza thing happen?
After holidaying in Ibiza for 5 years in a row I moved over for a season to focus on developing my career in music full-time. It was the easiest hard decision I ever made, if that makes sense! Everything just slotted into place on the run-up to the move and I really believe when something is meant to happen, nothing gets in the way of it. I read a book a friend recommended to me called The Alchemist and after finishing the last page my bags were practically packed and ready for a new adventure.
Sankeys is one of the success stories of recent years on the white island. It’s a bit of Brit in the Balearics. What were your initial thoughts on the club when you first went? Had you been to the club in Manchester?
Yes the first time I went to Sankeys was in Manchester to see Laidback Luke play with a massive group of mates I’d made in Ibiza. I have always felt that Sankeys Ibiza is a slice of clubbing culture from the UK. I instantly feel at home once I’m through those doors. It’s real, it’s non-pretentious, it’s underground at it’s best and I’ve always enjoyed the vibe. There is a certain level of intimacy between the DJs who play and the club-goers on the dancefloor that I don’t think any other club on the island can replicate. Also, have you checked out that soundsystem?! It’s sick!!! Second to none on this island – especially when you are playing out on it!
So this year has seen Dave Vincent launch his new Sankeys Sabados giving an opportunity to a host of female DJs to earn residencies at the club. Some people may think it shouldn’t be about being a girl or a boy, it should be about ability. Which thankfully you have in abundance. Tell us about your Sankeys journey…
Thank you! The ‘Break The Glass Ceiling’ project is a movement that was long-overdue and will send a few waves through the industry for the future of female artists. We are in the minority despite being incredibly focused, motivated and talented and that is what the campaign that David has devised represents. Because of this, I’ve been given an opportunity to showcase what I’ve worked so hard on for years! After hearing my DJ mix I was told I’d made it through to the live heats at Sankeys Sabados over a 12-week period with 10 other female DJs on the island. We formed ‘Team Sankeys’ and I’m very proud to be involved in such a strong collective of like-minded women who are all very talented and unique. Week in, week out, we are there supporting and rooting for one-another. There is no competition between us – we all know that we are setting the bar high for ourselves to be the best that we can be. I’ve played for Sankeys Sabados three times since the start of the competition. My first show in the Basement was a closing set for Matt Jam Lamont which was an incredibly nerve-wracking and exhilarating experience! When the lights came up towards the end of my set the whole room was bouncing, it was an amazing feeling. I played the main set a couple of weeks ago (Feb 27th) which was the best set I’ve ever played. I was thrilled to hear from David the next day that I had won a weekly residency over 26 dates this summer for Tribal Sessions AND I will be playing at the Sankeys Opening Party on 1st May. It feels like an amazing dream! I’m still flying from the news of my new residency and I can’t quite believe how quickly life has changed… Six weeks ago none of this existed… I’m very, very happy.
What is this infamous ‘criteria’ Mr Vincent has asked you all to fulfill?
David set 4 levels of criteria for all of us in Team Sankeys…
1) Mixing ability and music selection – knowing how to read the crowd and react accordingly and also knowing how to warm-up and close appropriately for a headlining DJ.
2) Promotion – Taking the time to promote Sankeys Sabados and the Sankeys Ibiza brand effectively which includes spreading the word on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram and rallying up potential party-goers on the island through word of mouth.
3) Being a team player – Again, showing genuine support for the event, the Sankeys brand and for each other during the competition.
4) Charisma – Connecting with the crowd and showing your charm behind the decks.
(Photo David Holderbach)
What was your biggest tune last week?
Oh that’s a tough one but if I had to pick I’d say Ronnie Spiteri – Thin & Crispy. This went down a storm in the Basement! Witnessing a reaction to a great track like that from the crowd is insane and is what it’s all about for me! So yes, definitely my hot tip to look out for this month.
Most people reading this who don’t live here in Ibiza will be wondering what sort of a crowd fill Sankeys in February…what nationalities were in the house?
It’s a very mixed bag I tell you! We have had a lot of local Spanish ravers in the place as well as Italian and not forgetting the English!
How did you celebrate gaining the residency?
I may have had a few glasses of bubbly during the course of last week! I enjoyed a meal with friends one night at Sa Brisa in Ibiza Town and I ate an incredible amount of pizza for the rest of the week. Shameless.
What is your favourite Ibiza…
Sorry, I’m really indecisive so I’ve picked two of everything!
Beach – Cala Saladita / Salinas (Sa Trinxa)
Bar – Sa Calma in Marina Botafoch / Veto in Ibiza Town
Restaurant – Patchwork in Talamanca / Cas Pages in San Carlos
Resident DJ – Manu Gonzalez / Andy Baxter
What are the 5 big tunes in your box this weekend…
Ronnie Spiteri – Thin & Crispy
Lauren Lane – Diary Of A Mental Woman
Mihalis Safras & Nikky – Krisna
Tom Jay – Acid Kiss
Luca Donzelli & Mar T – Through Decades
Tell us about the Point Blank work…
I first studied at Point Blank in the UK over 3 years ago. I did an 8 week compositional course to aid me with my songwriting. The course was actually largely based on composing through music production rather than in a singer/songwriter sense and that sparked something in me during the course. I toyed with the idea of going back to the UK to do a full course for the next three years until I finally took the plunge in November last year and enrolled in a full Music Production Diploma in Logic Pro X online. I’ve just completed my first two modules in Electronic Music Composition and Logic Pro X (Stage 1) and I’m pleased to announce that I got my overall grades back today – distinctions on both! Happy days! I’ve now started my next module, Sound Design with Native Instruments. I’m enjoying the process of learning new skills and developing my signature sound which I hope will lead to the creation and release of my own original music in the near future! Watch this space y’all!
Gotta ask, what does your dog Tito think of your tunes?
Tito fucking loves it. It’s a fact. Whether I’m playing classical piano, producing music or having a mix in the studio he will walk in when the music starts and sit by my feet. I love him so much! I tried to get him to sing/howl along with me but he just grumbles.
We come back to yours after the club, what are the 3 non house music tunes you slip on from back in the day…
Let’s go back to the Funk, Soul and Disco…
1) D-Train – You’re The One For Me
2) Let’s Dance – David Bowie
3) Earth, Wind & Fire – September
And finally, what are your dreams for 2016 musically…
To create and release my own material this year. I think partaking in the production diploma and having my Tribal Sessions residency with Sankeys will enable that dream to finally become a reality!
