The man behind Ibiza’s Island of Trance and Radical Escapes
Former club promoter and dance music journalist Kirk Field runs radical escapes – the UK’s premier clubbing travel company who specialise in unique Ibiza packages. Dan Prince caught up with his former Mixmag gun-slinger.
Welcome to DMCWORLD Magazine Kirk. Ibiza is under way and already looking like it is going to be the busiest season for years. Your event ‘Island of Trance’ takes place in September offering six days and nights of unbridled trance action day and night. When you think of tailor made package holidays you instantly think of naff rep meetings at the hotel with a warm sangria in a plastic cup at 10am, and bar crawls with people puking everywhere. Explain to us how your company looks at a weeklong adventure in Ibiza for your clients…
What do you think that is?
“Well we offer something different…cold sangria in a plastic cup! The last decade has seen a decrease in popularity of the package holiday – and rightly so! They are for sheep – and clubbers are a pretty independent-minded lot, and don’t take kindly to being patronized or offered second best. I set up radical escapes with the aim of fusing the best aspects of a package holiday (everyone on the same flight and hotel, plugging into economies of scale) with the vibe of going away with your mates. It’s worked – last summer we took 1500 ‘mates’ to Ibiza and this year we’ve just hit 1000 sales and counting. Our clients include Mixmag and Lock’n’Load Events, so we must be doing something right!”
“Well it sounds wanky, and call us old fashioned, but we actually care about what we do. We use family-owned units rather than impersonal huge hotel chains, we have our finger on the pulse of the island are always the first to embrace new venues or new ways of doing things. A big factor is that we offer added value to each travel product. Each package includes entry to a handful of superclub premier nights, food and drink discounts at cool bars and is wrapped in an ethos which reflects our guests own values.”
This year’s event features free entry into the mighty A State of Trance at Privilige with Armin Van Buuren, Cream and Judge Jules’s Judgment Sunday at Eden. There are a plethora of big trance nights in Ibiza this year – why did you choose these three nights in particular?
“You’ll find that trance ears sit on friendly heads! The crowd a genre attracts reflects its qualities; trance is uplifting, melodic, has a driven energy and is generally perceived as unifying and positive…so it attracts a friendly up-for-it crowd who love to party all together. The above nights have responded by offering us access to VIP sections or priority admission, as they know IOT is a group which will really appreciate their night and contribute to the atmosphere.”
Why early September?
“We chose this week because it’s shoulder season – it’s not high season so not over-crowded, but the island is still buzzing. This week is ideal for trance lovers: they get to see Armin, Cosmic Gate, Above & Beyond, Gareth Emery, Ferry, Jules, Alex Kunnari, Sean Tyas and Tritonal…even Ibiza Rocks have obliged by putting New Order on! It’s a trance lovers’ paradise!”
Ibiza looks set for the busiest season for years, America has finally caught the EDM bug whilst the UK is set for another very busy festival season. Why do you think dance music and clubbing is once again at the forefront once again even though we are in the middle of another financial crisis?
“It never really went away! Dance music’s death was announced prematurely: OK, so Ibiza rocks one night a week (and only then ‘til midnight!) but it dances all seven! It’s true that hard times tend to see a surge in hard clubbing, for it offers an escape from the mundane. Losing yourself in the lasers is always attractive when you’ve got nothing to get up for the next day (and I speak from experience!) I can’t believe it took America so long to ‘get’ club culture. Maybe the seismic shift in media helped, as the first time around The FM radio cartel held the revolution back I recall. I think it’s great that Oaky is once again at the forefront of the phenomenon too!”
You have been an Ibiza stalwart since the late 80s. Looking back, what clubs and DJs have summed up this wicked white isle for you…
“Participating in the The Unholy Trinity ritual of Manumission, Space and Bora Bora – one after the other – was a three course feast which offered spectacle, surrealism, a sunrise, blue sky and sea – what’s not to like? Things change, and the licensing has ended daytime clubbing which is a travesty, but the main room at Cream is still the nearest thing to an ‘89 rave atmosphere and there’s nothing like sunset at sea on a good boat party to send a shiver up your spine and remind you Ibiza is still special twenty years on. Last year Jon Ullysees dropped Rock the Casbah at 11pm on the terrace at ‘We Love’ and it like…you know, a moment. If everyone I take to Ibiza can experience one through the week I’ve done my job”
What is your favourite Ibiza tale that you have dined out on more than any?
“It’s a tossup between Boy George’s lobsters at Cala d’Hort, P Diddy’s Pizza in DC10, pissing in Mike Oldfield’s swimming pool with Laurence Malice from Trade as dawn broke…only to find out it was the wrong villa!, Valentino Rossi’s 3 day bender, the bowl of staff ‘salt’ at Blue Marlin, being asked to be an extra in a porn shoot at Quid Pro Quo, photographing Brigitte Nillson and the time I had to explain to some of my guests who spent 3 hours at Café Del Mar waiting for the sunrise that they were on the wrong side of the island; there are too many Dan…wait for my book to come out.”
What’s it called?
“Working title is, “Putting the Rave in Travel: Confessions of a Clubbing Holiday Rep!” (imagine ‘Sun, Sea & A & E’ except the A and E don’t stand for Accident and Emergency!) and with chapters on Ibiza, Austria, Russia, Croatia and overnight club cruises on cross channel ferries, and you’ll get the picture!”
What one song sums up Ibiza for you and why?
“Ultra Nate – You’re Free (to be what you want to be) – ‘cos Ibiza is about expressing yourself and Gat Dacor ‘Passion’ – so warm you can almost sunbathe in the bassline: dum, dum, dum-dum, dum, dum-dum, dum…”
Most DJs hate the meet and greet aspect side of things. At Island of Trance it’s a very important factor for you and your guests – why?
“As an old punk, I responded to the way the barrier between band and crowd was broken down. No matter how big they got, The Clash always had time to meet their fans. Today’s DJ culture has elevated ordinary blokes into untouchable superstars who are in danger of being perceived as aloof as the old stadium rock dinosaurs in the 70’s were. We (politely) ask on them to acknowledge their fans and reassure their management that we’ll manage meet and greets properly. The result is great for both clubber and DJ. (Judge) Jules has always been great, as has Eddie (Halliwell). This year we hope to offer some guests a chance to meet Armin. I’m also organizing a pro-celeb mini golf tournament except with my guests and resident DJ’s from some of the big nights instead of Jimmy Tarbuck and Rory McIlroy!”
Another of the great things about Island of Trance is your ability to spot young DJs way before anyone else, who are the young kids on the block we’ll be partying with this summer and who are you happy to say you gave their first break to?
“Not as many as you have, dear boy ! But Radio One’s trance don Jordan Suckley is a radical escapes ‘old boy’, London production duo ‘So Called Scumbags’ are regulars at my big June event Ibizan Heat . Currently Nick the Kid is a DJ who we’re programming at Privilege, Amnesia and Eden, who has it all: passion, production skills and dance floor delivery in abundance. Dance music is a closed shop – it’s so hard to break through and I believe in giving competent DJ’s the chance to play in the best booths on the planet. Cream Ibiza have always supported this, and this summer Privilege, Eden, Es Paradis and Danny Whittle at Pacha have allowed us to programme area’s with our DJ’s, which is fantastic and is appreciated – we never let them down and the guys who play will remember it for the rest of their lives.”
Jordan Suckley Current Top 10
Mark Leanings- Whatever happened to the puzzle piece (JOC mashup)
Jordan Suckley- Spooked (orig mix)
Simon Patterson- Always (Jordan Suckley remix)
MEM- Next level (orig mix)
Bryan Kearney- Awaken (orig mix)
Armin van Buuren ft Airwave- Sunspot (Sneijder remix)
Nick Sentience & DJ Kristian- Threshold (orig mix)
SImon Patterson- Within (orig mix)
Pryda- Allien (orig mix)
Arty- Open Space (orig mix)
Jordan Suckley All Time Trance Top 10
Armin van Buuren- Communication (orig mix)
Mauro Picotto & Riccardo Ferri- New times, new places (orig mix)
Inertia- The system (orig mix)
Simon Patterson- US (orig mix)
Motorcycle- As the rush comes (orig mix)
Scot Mac- Damager (Orig mix)
Binary Finary- 1998 (Gouryella remix)
JOC & Bryan Kearney- Exactly (orig mix)
Sean Tyas- Lift (orig mix)
Lange- Follow me (orig mix)
Trance music is yet again leading the way in the dance genre stakes, thanks largely to the Dutch and UK artists. What is it about trance and Ibiza that fits so well?
“Both have that ‘feel good factor’. Given the popularity of trance in Ibiza, it’s unbelievable, no one has ever put a package to Ibiza together which is tailored for trance ears. The venues are ideally suited to big room trance – the lights in Amnesia and now Privilege are mind-blowing…throw in the ice cannons and there’s nowhere better to catch the likes of Armin and Above & Beyond.”
What are your opinions on the whole expensive door admission and drink prices debate that have risen again – 70 euros admission and 15 euros for a vodka limon?
“There are two issues here. As regards the admission prices, do you blame the venues, the DJ’s or the agents? I suppose its supply and demand. If folk think David Guetta is worth €70 then they’ll pay it. I hope they have a great night because it’s an awful lot to pay to hear a wedding DJ…As regards the bar prices its sheer folly. I know of one superclub where there may be 4000 people in there but no one at the bars.This is because they’ve all drank beforehand – pre-loaded on cheap supermarket vodka on their balconies. So if they don’t fall asleep on the bus up there, they arrive slaughtered and staggering when they think they’re dancing. No one buys anything except water and as a result the bar take is down, so what do they do? Raise prices to hit their targets. And so it goes on… If anything kills the popularity of Ibiza, it’ll be the bar prices in the superclubs – it’s already started having an effect.”
Do you think the new festival taking place in July with the likes of Sting, Lenny Kravitz and David Guetta is a good or bad thing for San Antonio and Ibiza?
“It’s got to be good for San Antonio …but do people really need another festival? They look and sound the same all over Europe; the same artists from the same agencies. The island has the best venues on the Planet: there’s nowhere else like Pacha, Amnesia and Privilege. Rather than wrestle with the logistics of creating a new venue, it’s a shame a festival can’t the island’s excellent existing infrastructure and introduce new markets to Ibiza’s unique jewels.”
And finally, aside from Island of Trance, there were rumours circulating Ibiza two weeks ago concerning a music video being shot for an artist called Stan Antonio – can you give us an insight into this?
“‘Sardines in Pacha’ by Stan Antonio is a song which captures what it’s like to go on holiday in Ibiza in 2012 through the experiences of wanabe hipster Stan, who tries desperately hard to be part of the ‘in crowd, but hilariously fails at each attempt. From buying expensive club tickets and ‘must have’ t-shirts to leaving his phone in a taxi and getting ripped off by Lucky Lucky men and not getting the glamour model he chases all night long. The chorus is a real earworm and the video is set to be the Ibiza viral hit of the summer, after the response it got from some Ibiza insiders at the IMS last week who found it both contagious and very funny.”
What’s your involvement?
“Who are you, The Leveson Inquiry…?”
Island of Trance takes place from Sept 9th and costs from £269 for all accommodation and VIP clubbing. * Quote DMCWORLD and get £25 discount if you book by Friday 15th June. www.islandoftrance.com
Check out ‘Sardines in Pacha’ at DMCWORLD soon!
