Pacha Ibiza has dominated much of the pre-season chat this year, dramatically changing it’s weekly calendar and saying goodbye to many of its previous stalwarts. One of the biggest changes is on the Friday night, which sees the introduction on new concept Insane. Pacha recently announced that one of its Insane residents would be John Digweeed, which really captured the attention of discerning music lovers. Digweed makes his first appearance in Pacha this summer on Friday May 17, in the latest of the Pacha party previews, which have caused quite a stir on the island. Once again it is a free party for all island residents and a glass of champagne on arrival before 01.30.
Having already roadtested Solomun, Guy Gerber and Chuckie, John Digweed and Insane is the latest teaser party to take over Pacha. Friday May 17 sees the talented spinner take control of the Pacha booth and give us an idea what we can expect from the new Friday night this summer. If the ‘Live In…’ compilation series, which has so far seen London Cordoba and more recently Slovenia all showcase different facets of the DJs ability and style, are anything to go by, it promises to be an exciting season. We caught up with John Digweed to get his thoughts on the forthcoming residency…
This summer sees you occupy Friday night in Pacha. it’s perhaps not the first club that springs to mind when hearing your name, what is the thinking behind the residency?
That’s what I like about it as it throws down a challenge to prove people that my sound can translate from Space to Pacha with ease. For me, the fact that Pacha is has a huge change with its line ups this year is perfect timing for me. The other DJs playing at Insane are all great DJs so it looks like being a big night on the island
How did the hook up come about?
I think the gigs I have done over recent years at Space and Elrow have pricked up a few different people ears on the island. Also, I think people are wanting to hear DJs that play from the heart now and not from a playlist.
What should we expect from the residency?
Good quality music all night long.
How much say have you had in the other guests that will be performing alongside you throughout the season?
It was the club that chose the line up for the Insane night, before I confirmed to the night it was important for me to see who else was playing. I am really happy with the other DJs on the line up and think it brings a really good versatile line up of great music.
It’s a big season for the famous club with several changes across the weekly calendar, how exciting is it to be involved at this time?
I have played at Pacha many times over the years but with Ibiza being such a hotspot for so many international clubbers now, this residency could not have come at a better time. Pacha has been around for 40 years and you don’t stay around that long if you don’t know what you are doing. I think the changes they have made this year with the line up throughout the week will maintain Pacha’s place at the top of Ibiza’s nights out.
You’ve just released ‘Live in Slovenia’, it’s the third in the series, with London and Cordoba already showcasing the deeper side to your musical muscle, what should we expect from this one?
This set previews my more heads down peak time set so a bit like CD 4 from the London album but even more intense, I had just played the Awakenings festival in Amsterdam the night before and really banged it out but it was only a 90 min set, so when I played in Slovenia I was really in the mood for a longer, full on set. After the gig I played the recording back and thought this was perfect for the next ‘Live in…’ release.
Does knowing you are recording a set for a live compilation have any effect on you while you are playing the gig?
I did not know I was going to release this album or the other ones, that’s what I like about this series it is all about capturing that special gig from around the world, Nothing has been planned out and that’s why I think it works so well.
As a master of the compilation series, is putting together an interesting concept for a compilation more important now than ever, with the number available on the market at any one time?
I think if you offer something that is high quality and the packaging is very good there is still a market for people who want a physical version to keep as a it’s a lot more personal than an MP3 file stored in a HD. Also, we live in a age of free mixes on soundcloud etc but no money gets to the artists, so I think is good that the compilation CD market, although smaller than before, still exits as it does bring in some extra revenue to the smaller labels.
What are you most looking forward to from Ibiza 2013?
I think playing so many times this year will give me the chance to build and break certain tracks as well as keep a solid amount of great new music every week.