The Ibiza 2017 summer season is now behind us and there is no better event to wrap it up than the DJ Awards. We had the opportunity to catch up with a few artists at this year's awards ceremony to ask them about their 2017 season.
Held at Ushuaïa Entertainment's new Hï Ibiza, the DJ Awards brought in some of the industry's most influential artists and players to celebrate all things dance music. We asked Luciano, Camelphat, Solardo, Doorly and Agoria a series of quick-fire questions ranging from their track of the season to their favourite restaurant on the island. Check out what they had to say,
On their track of the season…
Luciano: &ME – Avalon
Camelphat: The Golden Boy – Reezet *It should be noted that the duo's collab with Elderbrook Cola won track of the season at this year's awards
Solardo: Mark Jenkyns feat. Mizbee – Sirens and a Franky Rizardo Flow Edit of Say What vs. Born Slippy.
Doorly: Cain – Nagan
Agoria: XOA – Diaspora (Laolu Remix)
On the party they' would go to if they have the night off on the island…
Luciano: Glitterbox or somewhere Louie Vega is playing!
Camelphat: DC10 for Paradise or Circoloco
Solardo: Paradise
Doorly: Mosaic by Maceo Plex, the talent they put on there is ridiculous!
Agoria: My friends' house party
On their go-to spot for food on the island
Luciano: Restaurante Pastís
Camelphat: Justo Enfrente Grill, it's a little place by Sankeys that serves a great mixed grill
Solardo: This Jamaican place, Jam Shak and Skinny Kitchen
Doorly: Relish in San Antonio Bay: it's great when you're hungover and is just nice homecooked comfort food
Agoria: I'm a very posh French guy, so I like to bring a cook home… I'm only joking. I like to go to Experimental Beach Club; it has very nice food, is comfy and offers a beautiful sunset.
On their favourite hideaway spot when they need to get away from the hustle and bustle of the island…
Luciano: Menorca
Camelphat: Salinas Beach if I don't want to wear any clothes or Blue Marlin!
Doorly: Honestly, my villa. Cause I've got a beautiful villa with my fiancé, my dog and my own pool. It's my own paradise as no one bothers me. Going to the beach is a little stressful during the summer because it is so busy
Agoria: If you can afford it with some friends, then renting a little boat and going to the north of the island; it's fantastic. I love enjoying the island like this.
On their breakout artist of the season...
Luciano: Rampue, I heard him at WooMoon and I really like him
Camelphat: Eli Brown
Solardo: Jesse Calosso
Doorly: Maceo Plex, I just feel like he's underrated. He should be much popular than he is. He is like a witch; watching him play, I can't even describe it. People like Maceo Plex and Kölsch were the two I watched this season, and it seems obvious because they're really big names but they've just gone to another level which really inspires me.
Agoria: I don't want to pick and make my friends angry so I'll choose someone I just met, Yotam Avni, an Israeli producer. He's a very interesting producer and has a good way of building the tracks, different than others, and I like it.
On whether they'd prefer a yacht party or a villa party…
Luciano: Villa party.
Camelphat: Villa party; it gets messy, doesn't it?
Solardo: Yacht party, totally.
Doorly: Villa party.
Agoria: It doesn't matter to me, just wherever my friends are.
Who'd they like to go back-to-back with on the island and where…
Luciano: My son and I at my house.
Camelphat: Seth Troxler because he's so cool and we'd have a laugh. We'd do it wherever the three of us could get naked haha!
Solardo: Jamie Jones because he inspired us both, and we'd have it on the terrace at DC10.
Doorly: Moodyman at Pikes.
Agoria: I would choose any talented woman DJ. I don't know whom, but I would love to share the decks with her.
On their craziest gig of the year so far…
Luciano: WooMooN
Camelphat: Closing out the Steel Yard Saturday at Creamfields. We had to cover for Loco Dice who couldn't make it and found out three days before that we were going to be doing it. We played from 2:00 to 4:00 to about 15,000 people and it was just crazy, man. Probably one of the best gigs we've done so far. I think we've peaked.
Solardo: Leeds Festival we played to about 16,000 people the biggest crowd we've played to.
Doorly: elrow at Ibiza Rocks Hotel, the wild west theme was just so much. I made a house edit of old western tune so we could do a cowboys and Indians-type thing. That level of production and vibe were just incredible and next level so I hope they do that next year.
Agoria: I have a few that come to mind. The first one was in Montreal for the first Électro Parade Montreal. They put a stage in the city in between the buildings and there were around 20,000 people. It had sort of Blade Runner décor, everyone was really open-minded, it was free and it was simply fantastic.
For a more intimate thing, I played a wedding two weeks ago in Genoa in a cave with stalactites actually hanging from the ceiling. Just insane and beautiful. It's not that I'm becoming a wedding DJ, but it was just worth doing and seeing. A lot of open-minded people there as well.
This last one wasn't my own gig but Bestival in England. I think that it was a really really creative festival; it's been a long time since I've seen a festival that creative. Most of the time the festival is made by who's playing, who are the artists, what is the music, what is the mood, but here it was much more about everything else. The music and artists were on the side. There was a church that you could cycle around. I was playing in a place where you cycle like they do in the gym for around 50 people. It was strange but very fun. There were just so many ideas they had at this place, the most relevant festival I did this year.
On what we should be excited to look from them next…
Luciano: My album. It's an album that I wrote and have been working on for three years. It's not necessarily dance music but it's electronic music that is more song-focused.
Camelphat: Loads of new music and touring the United States in October, then Australia in December. Then we also have another two or three EPs coming on different labels and once again the music will have a variety of different vibes.
Solardo: We got a new EP on Hot Creations coming out called Fall Down and there's an MK remix and a Carlo Lio remix on it. We are very close to announcing the next installment of our Solardo Sessions, which is going to take us on a tour around the UK and Europe so a big deal for us. Plus we go on a tour of the United States tomorrow!
Doorly: I've got a really exciting thing going on with my label at the moment.
What is really exciting it that there is this new Dolby Atmos system which is a way for DJs to perform and produce in surround sound, and I'm going to be an ambassador for that. We're building a studio on Ibiza to teach DJs how to produce and perform in surround sound with a series of parties next year. This is kind of my project for the winter: to get established for next year. You will see some of the DJs that like to mess with people's minds a bit. They are going to have the opportunity to mess with them in a different spectrum of sound, from being able to throw around a vocal from the front to the back of the room to sending a siren swarming around the place. I think that is what you should look out for next season.
Agoria: There are a few records on my own imprint, Sapiens, the new label I just started a few months ago that I am excited about.
Then there are the talks, which is something else I am really into that's not music. I believe it's as important nowadays to spread ideas as much as music. I do a recording of people in studio spreading their own ideas about the world. The next one is from a French artist named Jacque.
Also, my album is almost done, so it will finally hit the shelves, hopefully, in early 2018.
On their best memory from this year's season…
Luciano: Playing the garden at DC10
Camelphat: Playing Café Mambo. We have played at Mambo before but this was the first time people came to actually see us. To play somewhere as small but prestigious like Mambo and have people coming to see us play was just mental.
Solardo: The b2b we did with wAFF at Sankeys: the vibe was just unreal!
Doorly: DJ Koze at Mosaic dropping Higher State of Consciousness. Unbelievable, just out of nowhere, playing super cool techno and all of a sudden you hear that track. Brilliant, no one had thought to play that track for a while.
Agoria: You know, I really like this place Hï. I think they bring so much creativity and have done a good job rebuilding a temple as Space was in the past. I liked to party here, especially with Black Coffee, so honestly I'd say Hï was my best memory.
