The new owner of Eden in Ibiza speaks exclusively to DMCWORLD
Interview : Dan Prince
Michael welcome to DMCWORLD, an exciting summer ahead for you and your team at the new look club. Eden opened in the late 90s with some of the most respected Spanish business men behind it, the venue though has never really fulfilled it’s potential and has suffered dreadfully living in the shadows of it’s rivals over the hill. Why do you think that was?
“Hi Dan. To be honest, I am not interested in what has happened before. I like to think about the future and what I believe is that San Antonio deserves a world class nightclub and we believe we can deliver that.”
How long have you been eying up the purchase of the club?
“I have been looking at doing something in Ibiza for a while but just waiting for the right opportunity. When Eden came up it was an obvious choice for me and made a new dream become a reality.”
The world knows you from your success at Panama in Amsterdam, how did you get into the club / music industry?
“I started as a DJ in the 80s when I was 17 years old. I felt the Chicago house sound when it landed in Europe and became an entrepreneur when I was 21 investing in hotels, prime location real estate, leisure and play parks. But I was always triggered by music. I owned the real estate for Club Roxy and Club It in Amsterdam and helped Panama as an owner of the building survive in a difficult market.”
What are the main structural changes you have implemented at Eden?
“Well to be honest, we have taken what was a mediocre/below average nightclub and developed it into a world class 6 Star nightspot that we believe everyone can enjoy from every part of the island…sexy and cool for all ages…”
What can you tell us about the sound and light?
“We have fitted what we feel to be one of the very best sound systems in the world and the reality is, if you have a great club with a great sound system, most DJs will love to play on it – and all of the clients will love the experience. Void helped us create the best sound system in the world with the Golden Incubus System and as for the LED Show, well it too is world class and has never been seen in Ibiza before. We can’t wait to see the reaction of our clients.”
You admit you did think of changing the name but decided to keep the Eden name as it is a brand known throughout the world. What were some of the other names you considered?
“We may well still change the name next year, we are still considering it. But with the short time we had to redevelop the club, we felt it sensible to continue with the Eden name until we can ‘feel’ the venue in full glory. Then maybe a new name will come to us, we may even let the people from Ibiza decide…”
The biggest change to the club’s line ups is moving Judge Jules from Sundays to Fridays to make way for your good friend Ferry, Sundays are obviously an easier night for him with his busy worldwide schedule. How important is Judge Jules to Eden?
“Jules has been a major player in Eden for a long time so it made sense with us to stick with him this season and let him experience the kind of club I’m sure he always wished he could have played in. We know now after last Friday he was shocked.”
What are some of the other nights you are proud to be putting on at Eden in 2013.
“Well let’s start at the beginning! Monday we have the awesome Mark Knight and Toolroom, Tuesdays Sander Kleinenberg, Wednesdays the legendary David Morales mixing it up with some great new DJs at a night called Our House as we firmly believe house music is back – it may be deep but it is most definitely house! Thursdays we have Ministry of Sound presenting some of the best from the deep UK scene, Saturdays we are working with some cool UK club nights with young DJs and Sunday the Ferry Corsten Full On night. So in total we are looking for quality and I think we have achieved it.”
You have been coming to Ibiza for years, where is your favourite club on the island away from San Antonio?
“A combination of places which depends on what kind of friends are over in Ibiza. Pacha and Lio are my favourites, but we will be visiting Booom! in the coming weeks for sure.”
How important was the fact that the last 3 years has seen a sudden rise in the amount of Dutch coming to Ibiza?
“Well to be honest the Dutch are very similar to the British, we love good music and we love to party. Ibiza should be the place where different nationalities mix and we want that for Eden as well.”
What are you hoping Danny Whittle will bring to the club as musical advisor?
“When Danny and myself met for the first time it was clear very quickly we were on the same page, we want the best for Eden and the best for San Antoinio. We don’t want to price it out of the market but at the same time we want to deliver high quality and value for money. We see this as a long term strategy. we want people to be proud to say they went to Eden and had a great night. We are coming together as a team and will only get stronger in the coming months.”
What is your opinion of San Antonio in 2013?
“It is the year that the town began to change.”
And finally, is the biggest challenge of your career to date?
“Do you know what? I haven’t come across that one yet!”
