Charlie, you are without doubt one of the biggest figures in UK clubland. Club nights’, record shops, clubbing trips abroad, a multi million pound business in Ibiza – Icon – catering for apartments, VIP club treatment, restaurants and luxury excursions at the craziest and most hedonistic island in the world. Plus parties at incredible venues on the planet in places such as Singapore, China and Thailand, a DJ Management company – we could go on! How did you get into dance music in the first place?
“Where do I start? In the 80’s, we were all into Soul and Jazz. Myself, Dean Thatcher and Defected Records’ Simon Dunmore all used to go to Nicky Holloway’s parties and Giles Peterson, Bob Masters, Chris Brown , Chris Bangs were the DJs then etc. – great times, the Caister Weekenders, Doo At The Zoo and ‘Special Branch’ all memorable. But if I have to be honest, it’s the fault of one and only one person why I got into dance music and the industry – Nicky Holloway. It’s his fault, ha ha. The lad does not get enough recognition for what he has done for dance music. Get an interview with that man soon please Dan. The scene was really just a way of life and an ace scene, then bang, Acid House and we all just fell into that. Dean Thatcher and Brandon Block where going to do a party at Queens on a Monday night and asked me to help, so ‘Flying’ was born…”
You were once a hairdresser, if needed, could you still cut a few locks?
“Yes for sure.”
Your ‘Flying’ emporium? A record store and a club night that will live forever in club folklore – talk us through how it all exploded after Queens…
“Well as I said, ‘Flying’ kicked off and as I look back now I can’t believe how much happened in just a few years – early 1989 to ’91 was nuts, it moved so fast. ‘Flying’ the shop was an idea as much for a meeting place, a shop and a base. Then ‘Flying’ moved as a club night to The Soho Theatre Club, and it all just went crazy. Then we were approached by Cooltempo Records about a label deal as Simon Dunmore was running it and with the shop and club, we had a lot of access to new talent and music.”
Explain to us the whole Icon Ibiza side of things…
“I guess Icon is the next step – yet nothing to do with the record industry in a way as it’s a Concierge company based in Ibiza right now. It is a brand and Ibiza as we know is the centre of the dance world without a shadow of a doubt and a lot of our clients are our friends, clubs promoters, record labels, DJs, producers and the press and media. So it is a service we are providing to them and people we have known for years. It’s a brand that I can build with what I learnt from Flying and Cowboy Records and my contacts in the media who used to write for Mixmag, DJ Mag etc. are now writing for The Times, The Observer etc… so it’s perfect. It all fits together.”
You are renowned as one of the maddest club promoters EVER. What is the craziest club/after party story you can remember?
“I honestly think it’s a myth about me being mad. Honestly.”
Okay Charlie. We won’t mention you sitting on a table with a lamp shade on your head at an after party we were at for two hours or the shopping trolley incident in Nottingham, or the parties down in Hammersmith. Moving on…
Who are London’s best ever top 10 DJs?
“Andy Weatherall, Terry Farley, Jo Mills, Rocky and Diesel, Norman Jay, Paul Oakenfold, Nicky Holloway, Pete Tong and Danny Rampling.”
You helped to launch Ibiza’s DC10 club in 1999 with the ‘Circo Loco’ brand, a monumental Monday daytime club that was way beyond messy. The first time I went there an Italian guy nudged me on the dance floor and said “watch this”. He then ate his sunglasses. I know the split wasn’t a nice experience for you, but what memories spring to mind about your time there?
“Well firstly it was never my club, or my brand it was THE ITALIANS Andrea and Antonio and DJ Cirillo. Cirillo has been a very close friend since the Rimini trip in 1991 and ’92 – a top bloke. They in fact asked me to get involved with Jo as a resident, so that’s good to get that straight. But it worked, like nothing before – unreal in fact. After 5 years we did fall out but that’s gone and forgotten and the great memories remain – we are friends again and I have been a few times in the last year and it is still unreal and something I am so proud to have been a part of.
I pissed myself when I read this question – ha ha. I was with you then Dan when the sunglasses thing happened – proper nuts. Was there not someone that day with an ashtray gaffer-taped to his head? I think either Mark Jones from Wall of Sound or one of his mates, I think that was the same day some nutty bird came round the main room on an old bike – how mad was that as she never had any lights on it and it was dark in there.
The first time we went I thought I’d landed on Mars, only about 200 people at 9.30am and it was a shock if anything else. Broad daylight, more flies than people but with a real vibe that Tania Vulcano was playing which blew us away.”
Who was the best DJ you ever had on at The Soho Theatre Club?
“Dean Thatcher and Andy Weatherall.”
Have you ever tried DJing?
“Yes, nightmare. I couldn’t mix a cake let alone a record, that said I played a few records on my birthday at DC10 and mixed the Musk Men bootleg of Sade into ‘Right on Right’ on Silicone Soul , good lord it went nuts, and was such a buzz.”
Your wife is the biggest female DJ in the world – Jo Mills. What role do you play in her career?
“Well my role is a little more than a manager as we are partners as such in her business, together we do all her bookings and promotion and of course travel with her to most of her gigs. She had some time off this year on maternity leave, we are expecting our first child any day now!! We will be back on the road in late Feb. and her diary is super busy with some great gigs already lined up so we are looking forward to 2010, her diary is busier than ever already and we have not even announced anything yet.”
So… the big ten DMC Questions –
1. What are the best 3 club nights London has ever produced?
“‘Flying’, ‘Shoom’ and the ‘Boys Own’ parties”
2. The top 10 all time club classics?
Massive Attack ‘Unfinished Symphony’ –
Silicone Soul’ ‘Right On Right On’ –
Alison Limerick ‘Where Love Lives’
Frankie Knuckles ‘I Need Your Love’
Robert Owens ‘ Tears’
The Cure ‘Lullaby’
Depeche Mode ‘I Feel Loved (Danny Tenaglia mix)
Musk Men – Sade bootleg
Black Science Orchestra ‘Altered States
Nightwriters ‘Let The Music Use You’
3. The biggest UK musician dance music has ever seen?
“Paul Oakenfold”
4. Other than yourself, the loopiest club promoter in the UK?
“Dave Beer, Back To Basics – period.”
5. Okay then, your best Dave Beer story…
“Hmm. Well I guess the fruit lorry story. After Miss Moneypenny’ at El Divino in Ibiza we both got chased around the club by Martin the head doorman to the extent we had to do one and leave. We ended up at a party behind Pacha and was supposed to be checking out our villa that morning and were stranded – until a fruit lorry pulled up and the guy jumped out leaving his keys in the lorry. The rest is just so stupid. Off we went tearing around in this lorry like stupid idiots and ended up running across fields, and jumping in a cab back to the villa. We thought all the police on the island were after us (but of course they were not). We decided the plane home was a no no and Beero checked into Pikes. We had to get someone to pick us up from the villa and both drove off in the back of this car with a blanket over us – what a pair of clowns. It got even madder at Pikes.”
6. Charlie, you live in Ibiza, how has Ibiza changed since Rampling, Oaky and Holloway landed at Amnesia?
“It’s changed loads of course for me – for the better. I hate that ‘back in the day’ sketch that people moan on about – that’s nonsense. Space was not even open then and is one of the best clubs in the world. DC10 of course as well. The island has really grown up, and moved on, that’s why it will always be up there. It’s not just about any decade – the island now is not all about the clubs, it boasts some of the best restaurants in the world and is a very cool gastro scene. In the last three or four years, the beach clubs have come right through – Blue Marlin, Sands Nassua Beach and Ushuaia rocked this year, nothing like these were around ’till recently and they are as good as you get anywhere in the world. Fact.”
7. Best thing and worst thing about living in London and Ibiza?
“The best thing about living in London is that I don’t anymore, not for the last 12 years. Couldn’t live there any more, but I miss my family and my football team QPR – but it is one of the best cities in the world, and I love going back for a few days.
The best thing about living in Ibiza is waking up every morning. It’s honestly the best place in the world, I can’t believe I live here and we are having a boy here this month who will be born here and go to school here in the beautiful village we live in, Santa Gertrudis, speaking Spanish, Catalan and probably speak two other languages. That’s mad really to get my head around, but this is home now, the worst thing is we travel so much and spend a lot of the winter in Singapore and Australia, in the winter. Great coming back home landing on your front foot though with enthusiam, thankfully, we’re not doing the long haul this winter, for obvious reasons!””
8. A Mr. & Mrs. question – what is Jo’s all time favourite record?
“Odyssey – ‘Inside Out'”
Bet you asked her that…
9. So we put The Chemical Brothers, Sasha, Fatboy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto and Basement Jaxx up against each other at Space – who would go down the best?
“Paul Oakenfold.”
10.What is the greatest venue in London?
“The Soho Theatre Club – as it made us really and was electric. You could cut the atmosphere, we had a ‘Flying’ family there…”
So we go on…
What do you think has been your greatest accomplishment career wise?
“Well, I guess I am proud of the whole network thing . I am happy with being credited with all this. I am really happy about ‘Flying’ at Venus in Nottingham and then Volente at The Corn Exchange in Leeds and The Arena in Middlesborough. People never travelled from city to city to other clubs and parties, we took 9 coaches to the first Venus from London on the first one and sold about 50 tickets in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham and Leicester. A couple of years prior to that, if you had that mix of cities together it would have been a big fight, but all we wanted to do was hug each other, ha ha.
And then connecting with Justin Robertson at ‘Most Excellent’ in Manchester, Orde Mikel and Stuart McMillan at ‘Slam’ in Glasgow and Beero and ‘Back to Basics’. It really created a family in the UK that’s still strong now, and all these people are still out there now and still doing it. That’s mad when you think about it.
‘Flying’ of course, and being involved with ‘Circo Loco’ and DC10 was brilliant. But I guess I am proud of being here still and enjoying it. And of course the film – a short film about chilling is still spoke about loads and you should check out the new film ‘And the Beat Goes On” that Jimmi Mistiri has put together…”
What is the best ever party you have ever put on that still sends shivers down your spine?
“Again ‘Flying’ 100 % and Monday Mornings at DC10 were on another level. They really were. But as far as one of the best parties I have been to, if I can throw this in, it was this year in Sydney. A boat trip our mate Wade Cadewood from Finally organised around the Harbour, an amazing boat called the Starship JO, a last minute booking as we were there on tour and funny enough it was a ‘Circo Loco’ party. it was unreal – the boat, the people, the music the location, the city, the after party – 10 out of 10.”
I remember a story about you when you owned Flying Records in Kensington. ‘Flying’ always sold out on Saturdays at The Soho, is it true you made clubbers down a pint of vodka at the shop to gain a guest list place?
“Yes more or less, we had bottle of vodka in the shop…”
You have always made it clear that clubland is a worldwide business and you always book DJs from all around the world – why is this important to you?
“I was fascinated with travel to be honest, thought of connecting to people from all over the world as I never even got on a plane ’till I was 19 and flew to Ibiza. Prior to that, I spent my holidays in Southport and Liverpool with my family and the Norfolk Broads – that was it. Travelling was a dream – let alone living in Ibiza and Singapore and touring the world. I could never have ever imagined any of this or what I have done.
So when things kicked off and when I saw what we were doing around the UK, it was just the next step, I wanted to bring the DJs from New York over, Italy etc. I remember my first trip to New York and Miami. What a feeling – it’s a dream to be honest. Still is when I get on a plane. Some of my best friends are all over the world – Shanghai. Singapore, Sydney, Germany, Thailand. It’s a buzz, it really is – and now of course with the Internet, and facebook as well, it so much easier. Every day I get up and I have so many messages in my inbox from the different time zones – as you say very important. Dance music is global, and I hope I have had something to do with that.”
Best memory from Venus in Nottingham and the incredible ‘Full Circle’ all-dayers in Colnbrook , Slough with Phil Perry, Brandon Block, Lisa Loud et all…?
“Not sure how to answer this, special times and people…’Full Circle’ was ace. Phil Perry had a winner there and the venue was history, it really was. So many amazing memories and prolific times I could probably write a book on this.”
What is next from Mr. Chester?
“Well as I write this, we are working really hard on Jo Mills 20-10 tour. She has had 6 month off from touring, but has been working hard on music, with her Jo Mills and Tomas Hedberg project. The last single ‘Serious Music’ worked really well and was a big track on Phonetic Recordings. Jo is working on the follow up ‘Lullaby’, so she been busy, but really excited about touring again from February and again hopefully, we will be on board again with Pete Tong’s ‘Wonderland’ project here, that’s been a lot of fun in the last two Summers, and a big thing to be involved with. But of course, Icon Ibiza is one of our main projects. We’re re-launching the site in January with more services and products and also launching the Icon Hotels site www.iconibizahotels.com
And funny enough, back to the whole worldwide vibe, we’re launching offices in Germany in Cologne www.iconibiza.de with really top people there promoting there also Ibizan dude Pablo in Brazil – again with an office there. We’re also talking about a office and a site in Asia based in Singapore and maybe also the Middle East with an office in Dubai and there talks right now about Holland – all our partners we have known from clubland over the last 20 year or less and people we know and trust, so it very exciting. We also are launching a club ticket site here – Icon Ibiza Tickets with a very content led site, which once we are happy with the ticket side of it all, we will then sell Ibiza merchandise and music.
And as an exclusive to DMC, we are working on a new IBIZA site, called ESSENTIAL IBIZA with a major player and backer. I really think there a gap for a total porthole here for Ibiza. The site will be everything about Ibiza, from club news and listings and ticket sales, VIP table reservations, video, TV interviews, music, restaurant reviews, hotel booking and recommendations. We hoping to work with the tourist board here on this to push the BRAND!!! IBIZA. I hope this comes together.
I am really excited about this, it’s going to be a big year.”
