When he was 14 years old Reclaim the Dancefloor promoter Mark Newton used to organise coach trips to nightclubs, even though he was too young to go himself. "I just wanted to be involved in dance music," he says, grinning. A dozen years later he could still pass for a skinny teenager, but his professional status has changed considerably with the resounding success of Reclaim, which he runs with partners Dan Blackledge and Martin Doorly (under the auspices of Ibiza Rocks).
The hipper-than-thou line-ups include Chase & Status, Caspa, Fake Blood, Steve Aoki, Aeroplane and Brodinski, alongside big hitters like Pendulum and 2ManyDJs. The island has played it safe for too long, says Doorly, who has no patience for the conservatism of the established club scene. He, Mark and Dan have grand ambitions. They want to recreate the Ibiza Rocks revolution, but on the dancefloor.
Twenty-eight-year-old Doorly is the musical ringleader of the outfit - a throwback to the true Balearic spirit. Not in the sense that he plays samba records (though he might, if someone laid a fat bassline over them) or warbles on about leylines, but in that he plays every style of music with aggressive precision, and equal passion. Ten minutes earlier he had the Ibiza Rocks Hotel terrace singing along to "We Are Your Friends". In a few hours he will pummelling the main room at Eden with dirty electro. It is a new take on eclecticism and a deliberate "fingers up", as he puts it, to the musical fortress mentality that sees aging house dons paid vast sums of money to be as predictably dull as the English weather. He craves what Zane Lowe delivered at the first Reclaim party - a seamless mix of drum and bass, rock, indie, dubstep and classics. "Everything worked equally well," marvels Doorly, "that's what we want to do, for every party."
Their success at wooing clubbers (Reclaim ticket prices have gone from "free with Ibiza Rocks gig ticket" to €20 with a ticket or more on the door, a sure sign of confidence) makes it easy to overlook the fact they first had to win over the artists. Ibiza is a natural destination for traditional house and techno DJs. Not so for dubstep, drum and bass or fidget house. This is resolutely English music, born in the bowels of suburban clubs, far from the sun. "It was a risk," Mark admits, "guys like Chase & Status had never been here before. They had to trust we wouldn't bring them somewhere they wouldn't enjoy."
Everyone has "gone home happy" according to Mark which offers the tantalising prospect the Reclaim the Dancefloor will revolutionise more than just Tuesday nights in San An. Getting rock kids to rub shoulders with electro fanatics is a real achievement. Introducing Ibiza to a new generation of electronic artists is a potential revolution. Just as Oakenfold, Holloway, Rampling and Johnny Walker came to Ibiza, fell in love, went back to London and sparked the first British invasion artists like Caspa, Sinden and Brodinski could well inspire a new generation of clubbers recreate the island in their image. It is hard to imagine clubs like Privilege or Amnesia (much less Pacha) crammed with kids rolling their shoulders to the propulsive sound of drum and bass or dubstep but then, 20 years ago, techno was an equally unlikely contender. The pulse of Ibiza still beats in 4/4 time but for how long?
Chase & StatusAKA: Saul Milton and Will Kennard Origin: London, UK Sound: Major label drum and bass liberally infused with dubstep, hip hop and UK garage. Big tunes: ‘Hurt You/Soul Me Your Soul’, ‘Take Me Away’, The Prodigy ‘Invaders Must Die’ (Chase & Status remix) Need to know: ‘Eastern Jam’ from their debut album ‘More Than a Lot’ caught the ear of musical magpie Snoop Dogg – they went on to produce his bhangra-flavoured cut ‘Snoop Dogg Millionaire’. Now word is they’re collaborating with Rhianna. Check it out: www.myspace.com/chaseandstatus Like this? Try this: Caspa |
BengaAKA: Beni Uthman Origin: Croydon, UK Sound: Cool, minimal dubstep that fuses raw acid, elemental basslines and dark techno. Big tunes: Benga & Coki ‘Night’, Benga ’26 Basslines’, Benga ‘Evolution’ Need to know: Benga & Coki’s hypnotic anthem ‘Night’ was the first dubstep tune to hit Radio 1’s daytime playlist, and was Gilles Peterson’s Track of the Year 2007. Check it out: www.myspace.com/bengabeats Like this? Try this: Hatcha |
Fake BloodAKA: Theo Keating, Touché Origin: London, UK Sound: Choppy, dirty, honking electro Big tunes: ‘Mars’, Bonde do Role ‘Marina Gasolina’ (Fake Blood Remix), Armand van Helden ‘I Want Your Soul’ (Fake Blood Remix) Need to know: Club veteran Keating started out as one half of big beat band The Wiseguys and when he’s not helping Reclaim the Dancefloor he is a regular on the terrace Cream Ibiza. Check it out: www.myspace.com/welovefakeblood Like this? Try this: The Black Ghosts |
Zane LoweAKA: Alexander Zane Reid Lowe Origin: New Zealand Sound: The current “face” of indie eclecticism for Radio 1, he’s capable of mixing it with everything from Metallica to Mogwai. Big tunes: He’s currently endorsing Arctic Monkeys ‘Dangerous Animals’, Filthy Dukes ft Wiley ‘Tupac Robot Club Rock’ and Erol Alkan & Boys Noize ‘Waves’ among others Need to know: Hoodie aficionado Zane comes by his taste for cut-n-paste tune selection honestly: he used to be in a hip hop group called Urban Disturbance. Check it out: www.myspace.com/zanelowe Like this? Try this: Annie Mac |
AeroplaneAKA: Vito de Luca & Stephen Fasano Origin: Ghent, Belgium Sound: Warm, bubbly, outrageously seductive Italo-disco flavoured house Big tunes: Grace Jones ‘William’s Blood’ (Aeroplane Remix), Friendly Fires ft Au Revoir Simone ‘Paris’ (Aeroplane Remix), Sebastien Tellier ‘Kilometer’ (Areoplane Italo 84 remix) Need to know: Miss Jones initially rejected Aeroplane’s ‘William’s Blood’ remix but relented when she caught herself dancing to it at a party after it became an internet sensation. Check it out: www.myspace.com/aeroplanemusiclove Like this? Try this: Milky Globe |
Sinden AKA: Graeme Sinden Origin: London, UK Sound: Sample-riddled, loop-heavy fidget house Big tunes: The Count & Sinden ‘Mega’, The Count & Sinden ‘Beeper’, Crystal Castles ‘Crimewave’ (Sinden remix) Need to know: Sinden is the Elvis of hip London – he’s takes black music like crunk, baile funk and B’more and wraps it up in a user-friendly package for credibility-hungry white club kids. Check it out: www.myspace.com/graemesinden Like this? Try this: The Count of Monte Cristal |
Brodinski AKA: Louis Brodinski Origin: Lille, France Sound: Brittle yet melodic electro Big tunes: Brodinski ‘Bad Runner’, Mumdance & Brodinski ‘Eurostarr’ ‘Bugged Out presents Suck My Deck!’ (CD) mixed by Brodinski Need to know: His debut cut ‘Bad Runner’ was picked up by the likes of Erol Alkan and Soulwax and his online bio is written by none other than Radio 1 tastemaker Annie Mac. Check it out: www.myspace.com/brodinskimusic Like this? Try this: Boys Noize |
Next... 01 September 2ManyDJs Room 1 - 2 Many DJs / Fake Blood / Doorly Room 2 - Nicola Bear Room 3 - Hosted By: After Party Following Ibiza Rocks with Soul Wax 08 September Digitalism Room 1 - Digitalism / Chase & Status / Caspa / Doorly Room 2 - Nicola Bear Room 3 - Hosted By: CYNT Following Ibiza Rocks with Klaxon www.reclaimthedancefloor.com |
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