2014 has been quite the year for Christian and Alan Anadon, better known as Ibiza's famous pair, the Mambo Brothers. The renowned Café Mambo hit its impressive twenty year milestone this summer and there was no shortage of celebrations, stunning sunsets and star-studded events throughout the whole season to mark the occasion. It's a fact: these brothers know how to throw a great party.
Born and raised on the White Isle while their parents ran the beach-view bar, the duo has been involved in the family business from the start. “We both started washing dishes… that is our first memory!” the siblings say, reminiscing about the past successful two decades. “A more recent memory was when Dynamo came to Mambo to show us some of his magic tricks. They were unreal; we are still thinking about them now!”
The legendary Café Mambo is a magical must-see itself; a charmed spot where island visitors from all ages flock to watch the sunset with drinks, dancing and of course the customary round of applause each night (if you've been before, you will know that claps are compulsory as the sun goes down). The lads now handle the daily running of the place that is well-known for pre-club parties as well as broadcasting live radio shows by the likes of BBC Radio 1 and hosting the biggest house DJs in the world. Dance music's royalty Fatboy Slim, who graced the Mambo turntables on the 4th of August this year, pulled in a staggering 30, 000 ravers to the sands. Another season favourite of the boys was the cake-throwing EDM prince Steve Aoki, who treated San Antonio to a set every Wednesday before his residency night, Aoki's Playhouse, at Pacha. “It was unbelievable how all the DJs on the island came to join him in Mambo Booth - Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, Nervo, Martin Garrix, even the Hollywood star Michelle Rodriguez.”
VIDEO | Scenes witnessed at the 2014 edition of the hugely successfuly Mambo In The Mix charity event.
With the pair's lifestyles permanently in fast and furious mode (ah, see what I did there), it is poignant to recognise that the brothers are not ones to forget their island roots. Cafe Mambo annually holds a fundraising event, Mambo In The Mix, to raise money for local charities including the Red Cross of Ibiza and Formentera. The concept behind the night is simple; Ibiza's favourite DJs swap the booth for the bar and grill, leaving the decks free for holiday-makers to receive coaching from the A-list names and mix the beats for a donation. Although this was the third instalment, the duo says the idea originated twelve years ago. “We saw Pete Tong, Roger Sanchez, DJ Sneak and Junior Sanchez serving drinks behind the bar after playing at Mambo. It was such a funny evening that we thought to ourselves we should do something like having the DJs serving drinks for a good cause.” This summer, EDM monarchs Nervo, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike served up the cocktails while house music's gangster DJ Sneak and Reboot were on BBQ duty. It was definitely one of the most memorable evenings of the whole season.
Whether a fundraising extravaganza or the BBC team hosting their Radio 1 breakfast show from the balcony, all-star parties are commonplace at this idyllic Isla Blanca bar and so it was only a matter of time before the siblings branched out into music-making themselves. “DJing is something that we wanted to do for many years and never found it the right time because, first of all, we have to run a family business. But we are very happy about how it is going and this is only starting!”
Well they have an impressive record so far, if that's what they call ‘only starting'. Already Mambo Events saw the brothers play more than thirty-five parties around the world in 2014, covering the major cities like London, Dubai, Miami, Paris, Barcelona and Rio de Janeiro. The two of them say the tours are growing faster than they thought but they are enjoying the success and are excited about the new projects they have in store for the New Year. “Before the year [is over] we will be in Zurich on the 19th [of December], and on Saturday the 20th we will have an Arena at Blackpool Rocks Festival, which will be our first festival! The line-up is amazing: Martin Garrix, Duke Dumont, Danny Howard and Hannah Wants are some of the headliners. We will finish the year with an Australian tour: Sydney on the 27th and Melbourne for a NYD party.” Phew! Talk about busy. “Also, we will have two more Mambo parties in Buzios, Brazil, the 29th and 30th. 2014 has been fantastic, and we have big plans for 2015!”
PHOTO | The Mambo family including the head of the family - Javier Anadon.
The pair says the essence of Mambo Events is about bringing the Balearic ambiance to an international audience and, thanks to their background washing dishes in the café kitchen, they have built their signature sound inspired by their experiences over the years. “We try to share the Ibiza and Mambo vibes around the world, making the people have fun, with a good selection of underground and overground music, and of course we are influenced by the best DJs in the world that we hear daily at Mambo.” That influence of music is evident in every aspect of the boys' work as they witnessed and were involved with the progression of the house music scene from the beginning. There is no doubt they've come a long way, all the while working as a pair from day one. “We fucking hate it…” the lads jest. “Hahahaha no, it's all good, even automatic. We're brothers, so it's all about the partnerships and being good friends.” Are there different things that each brings to the table? “We always play as a team: if one gets drunk, the other keeps the phones, passports… ha ha, we don't really know what we do individually well, we just get the job done.”
It's this hard-working attitude and unshakable assertiveness that has helped the twosome build their popular Mambo Empire. While the White Isle constantly develops so drastically from year to year, they are certain their iconic café will be always remain so fresh and popular. “We always try to keep the essence of Ibiza even though the island has changed through time.” And what's hard-work without a little sense of humour? The lad's Twitter bio state they are famous break-dancers (as well as the many other talents they possess), but when asked about their fool-proof signature move they respond in their usual tongue-in-cheek way: “We always start a gig performance ‘Moonwalk' on the stages….haha… no, we only give private break-dancing lessons!”
2014 has been quite the year for the Mambo brothers. It will definitely be a hard one to top, but with so many exciting projects, a flourishing DJ career and a constantly successful sunset strip bar, we at Ibiza Spotlight are confident the siblings will carry on going from strength to strength in 2015.
WORDS | Francesca Evans
